Windows 11 Features in depth

Windows 11 announcement has been around a while. Earlier post we have discussed on the new feature overview. Now we will see in depth of each one what and how.

Android apps

What: Android apps will be built into Windows 11 natively through the new Microsoft Store a change Windows users have been waiting on for years. Though you could access Android apps on your Windows 10 PC in certain cases, Windows 11 marks the first time everyone will be able to download them directly onto your PC.

How: Android apps will be in the new Microsoft Store via Amazon’s Appstore. That means you’ll need to download the Amazon Appstore to access the nearly 500,000 apps available there, including Disney Plus, TikTok, Netflix, Pinterest, Uber. Only few apps can be accessed.

Widgets

What: Windows 11 will add Widgets to the interface — an AI-powered customizable feed that slides out to show you info such as news, weather, a glimpse at your calendar and to-do list and your recent photos. Widgets are similar to a feature called news and interests found in a recent Windows 10 update. 

How: On the newly redesigned taskbar, you’ll find a button for Widgets. When you click or tap it, a panel will slide out from the left side of your screen with a series of widgets that give you the at-a-glance information you’re looking for. You can also expand it to be full screen. 

Microsoft Teams

What: Windows 11 will build Microsoft’s video chat platform Teams directly into the operating system, making it easier to access for daily use. You can connect with others on Teams across Windows, Android, Mac or iOS. 

How: Teams will now appear in the taskbar. Click the Teams icon to launch a Chat tool, letting you choose if you want to message, text, voice or video call one of your contacts. Click Meet or Chat, and choose who you want to contact. Or, open the full version of Microsoft teams by clicking the box at the bottom of the Chat screen. 

Desktops

What: Windows 11 will let you more easily create separate virtual desktops for each part of your life, and customize them with different wallpapers, so you can create a desktop for personal use, work, school, gaming or anything else, and easily toggle between them. This is similar to the MacOS virtual desktop feature. 

How: From Microsoft demo will able to scroll to the bottom of your screen and see a window slide up with the different desktops you’ve created, letting you switch back and forth between them with one click. 

Snap Layouts

What: When you’re working in a bunch of open windows, Windows 11 will let you arrange them in different layouts on the screen, and will save all of those windows in that arrangement. 

How: When you open a window, you’ll see a button that looks like a square in the top right corner, in between the X and the minimize button. Click that to see different layout options for that window, and select the layout and the position within the layout that you want to place that window. 

Snap Groups 

What: Snap Groups are the set of open windows that you saved in Snap Layouts, found in the taskbar for easy access to call up once again, so you can minimize or maximize them as a group.

How: Hover over your browser in the taskbar.You’ll see the different groups of sites and apps you created pop up. Click the one you want to open the whole group again. 

Final Thoughts

It’s clear that finally Microsoft has understood that it’s an operating system and not a service. With all new set of features it’s going to be a game changer for Windows.