
As Microsoft readies its AI-powered Home windows Copilot for a public preview in June, the corporate can be disclosing much more new options which will arrive in your PC within the subsequent few weeks. together with tweakable Widgets, some nice new Taskbar enhancements, new VPN badging, and extra.
Microsoft made the announcement at Construct, its developer convention. We will count on to see Microsoft discuss extra about Home windows over the subsequent few days, however the firm has already introduced a number of updates: the AI-powered Home windows Copilot, tweaks to Edge, and its first enterprise browser, Edge for Enterprise, in addition to an improved setup course of for brand spanking new PCs.
Microsoft will start pushing these new options to your PC over the subsequent few weeks, particularly should you’ve already opted in to frequent updates in your PC. (Go to the Home windows 11 Settings menu, then Home windows Replace, and toggle “Get the latest updates as quickly as they’re accessible” to “On.”) In any other case, they’ll debut as a part of the “June 2023 optionally available non-security preview launch of all editions of Home windows 11, model 22H2,” in keeping with Microsoft, which shall be pushed to your PC robotically in June.
Microsoft earlier launched a few of these new options inside a beta launch of Home windows 11, a part of the subsequent “second” launch Microsoft detailed earlier in Could. That preview launch detailed a number of options that shall be coming to Home windows PCs, together with a Content material-Conscious Brightness management, new Widgets picker, and extra. Microsoft mentioned at this time that much more new options shall be rolling out over the subsequent few weeks as properly.
Keep in mind, the most important replace to Home windows shall be Home windows Copilot, the AI-powered assistant for Home windows. It’s going to preview in June.
The Home windows 11 Taskbar is enhancing
There shall be some vital Taskbar enhancements, too. In a weblog submit, chief product officer Panos Panay additionally disclosed much more options arriving on the Taskbar. It’s not clear whether or not Microsoft shall be rolling these options out as a part of Insider releases, or if these are being pushed out to most of the people.
The important thing enchancment shall be simpler willpower of the which apps are hiding the place on the Taskbar. For instance, you might have a number of cases of a browser operating, all grouped collectively. Any app operating on the Taskbar may be recognized with a single click on, Panay mentioned. They’ll all be labeled, too. (It’s not clear whether or not this shall be controllable by way of a setting.)
Even higher, now you can right-click and kill an app on the Taskbar, too. At this time, you possibly can hover over the app and click on the small “X” to shut the app, however this doesn’t all the time work. This new habits eliminates the necessity to open the Activity Supervisor, then kill the app. Lastly, now you can disguise the time and date on the taskbar, which Microsoft believes shall be helpful for display captures.

Microsoft
Smaller updates coming to Home windows 11 in June
Widgets: Maybe essentially the most vital addition to Home windows is a tweak to Widgets, which is able to permit a devoted area for user-pinned apps. To this point, Microsoft has largely dictated the format and content material of Widgets, and Microsoft will now permit customers larger management. The default view will now characteristic a bigger format with devoted area for user-pinned apps.
Bluetooth: Home windows will now help Bluetooth Low Power Audio, a primary for PCs. The low-power audio customary is supported by earbuds just like the Galaxy Buds2 Professional, and that’s coming to the PC.
Microsoft account badging: One of many “enhancements” it’s possible you’ll not need is account badging, which is one other identify for the notifications that you just’ll see within the Begin menu when your account wants consideration.
Privateness: Microsoft is permitting you to show off presence sensors, in case your PC helps them, while you go away your PC. For those who use a VPN, you’ll see badging in your taskbar that may point out that.
Win32 isolation: Intel has already proposed an X86S structure, which basically eliminates the legacy 32-bit code setting in favor of devoted 64-bit code. A 32-bit app could be run in emulation. Microsoft is backing that transition by permitting Win32 apps to run in isolation, stopping them from having unauthorized entry to Home windows processes.
This story was up to date at 10:15 AM on Could 23.