As part of Microsoft’s latest presentation on the future of hybrid work, the tech giant revealed that Windows 11 is getting a much-requested improvement to touch controls in the form of additional touch snap layouts.
Available across touch-enabled devices running Windows 11 after Microsoft's productivity event, the new touch-snap layouts will allow users to better organize their desktop for multitasking and productivity, saving them from the plight of rummaging through tabs and different windows to find the information they are looking for.
Accessed by dragging a window or app to the center of the top of your display, Windows 11’s snap layouts offer a substantial improvement in ease of use over Windows 10’s drag-and-drop snap assist feature which often lacked precision.
Currently, when accessing Windows 11’s snap layouts you will be given a choice of four different layouts you can choose from, or six if you have got a larger display. While this selection has been somewhat limited in the past, Microsoft now expanding its touch snap offerings means that you should not have to resort to manually organizing your windows if there is not already a snap layout that takes your fancy.
Analysis: a welcome blessing for power users
As multiple monitor setups are rarely an option for touch-enabled devices, such as the Microsoft Surface, the addition of more touch snap options is a godsend to Windows power users who want to eke out every bit of productivity they can from their devices.
While new snapping options in Windows 11 are undoubtedly a good thing for organising your information, users will likely still find themselves limited by the size of their device rather than the number of windows that it is physically possible to cram on there.
Since snapping four windows onto a Surface Go’s 10-inch display is already too much information to handle, we can only hope that Microsoft has carefully considered the snap layouts that users might actually want to use on their touch compatible devices.
We have not yet got our hands on the expanded suite of touch snap layouts just yet, but we are certainly hoping that more horizontal snapping options are included as currently, those are sorely lacking as it is vertical or bust.
Focus Assist has been a tentpole feature in Windows 11, and thanks to a new update, they're improving it further from today (April 5), after Microsoft announcing it at its event, thanks to the introduction of an integrated focus timer.
First introduced in Windows 10, Microsoft’s Focus Assist tools have been a useful ally in the war against notification vying to steal your attention away from work, games, and media.
Working similarly to your phone's alert slider and settings, Focus Assist allows you to filter out some or all of the notifications and alerts that could pop up and steal your attention away from whatever you are meant to be doing, so long as you remember to turn it on in the first place.
Increasing your Focus further
Thankfully that should not be as much of a problem anymore, as Windows 11 will soon be getting an integrated focus timer that is able to schedule dedicated blocks of ‘focus time’ into your schedule based on your calendar and working habits for the week.
Previously this useful Focus tool has only been available to customers of Microsoft’s paid Viva Insights program, which helps users build better working habits, so it is great to see the feature roll out to all users across Windows 11 who want to be more productive.
Currently, users looking to maximize their productivity and get the most out of Focus Assist have had to rely on setting up automatic timers or conditions upon which Focus Assist would activate, such as when a second monitor is connected or when you are playing a game.
Windows 11 is getting some big changes to its core interface, including folders for the Start menu (at long last).
Microsoft has announced that folders are going to grace the Start menu as of now, with an update rolling out for Windows 11 happening right off the bat (though as ever, that rollout will reach some PCs before others).
These app folders pretty much do what you’d expect, and mean that you’ll be able to create folders within the Start menu via an easy process. All that’s required is dragging and dropping one app icon onto another, then a folder will be created, complete with mini app icons displayed in the folder graphic to indicate what’s inside. You can also name these folders to help with organizing and seeing what’s what at a glance.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Other nifty features being introduced for Windows 11 with this incoming update include tabs in File Explorer, which facilitate your desktop folder windows having multiple tabs like a web browser, allowing you to keep many folders open within one window.
Analysis: A bit of a head-scratcher, but welcome nonetheless
It’s great to see folders arrive for the Start menu in Windows 11, as they are a useful tool for obvious organizational reasons, helping to keep the menu streamlined.
Indeed, the absence of this pretty basic feature in the Start menu was one of the head-scratchers about Windows 11’s interface, given that this ability was present in Windows 10 (and versions way before that, for that matter, as a fairly fundamental piece of the UI customization jigsaw). Why wasn’t it brought over with the initial launch of Windows 11, and why has it taken so long for the functionality to arrive in Microsoft’s newest OS? Well, whatever the case, it’s here now.
Indeed, it’s here right now, which is another talking point here. We’d expect these kind of interface changes, ones that are fairly big adjustments, to be bundled up in the big annual update for Windows 11 (due in the second half of the year). Mainly because it gives Microsoft lots of shiny new things to point out, in a ‘look at all this load of fresh stuff that’s arrived for our OS’ kind of way.
Still, Microsoft has been moving towards deploying new features outside of the major Windows updates, and we’ve seen, for example, monthly Windows 11 updates bring forth the likes of Android app support (in testing) plus refreshed Notepad and Media Player apps.
More flexibility in feature delivery is doubtless needed now Microsoft’s cadence has dropped from two upgrades per year to a single annual affair – and we’re certainly not complaining about getting important capabilities and introductions for Windows 11 sooner rather than later. But if big chunks of functionality are arriving before Sun Valley 2, it makes you wonder if the impact that the latter makes in terms of changes will be lessened when it turns up later in 2022.
Windows 11 is getting some big changes to its core interface, including folders for the Start menu (at long last).
Microsoft has announced that folders are going to grace the Start menu as of now, with an update rolling out for Windows 11 happening right off the bat (though as ever, that rollout will reach some PCs before others).
These app folders pretty much do what you’d expect, and mean that you’ll be able to create folders within the Start menu via an easy process. All that’s required is dragging and dropping one app icon onto another, then a folder will be created, complete with mini app icons displayed in the folder graphic to indicate what’s inside. You can also name these folders to help with organizing and seeing what’s what at a glance.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Other nifty features being introduced for Windows 11 with this incoming update include tabs in File Explorer, which facilitate your desktop folder windows having multiple tabs like a web browser, allowing you to keep many folders open within one window.
Analysis: A bit of a head-scratcher, but welcome nonetheless
It’s great to see folders arrive for the Start menu in Windows 11, as they are a useful tool for obvious organizational reasons, helping to keep the menu streamlined.
Indeed, the absence of this pretty basic feature in the Start menu was one of the head-scratchers about Windows 11’s interface, given that this ability was present in Windows 10 (and versions way before that, for that matter, as a fairly fundamental piece of the UI customization jigsaw). Why wasn’t it brought over with the initial launch of Windows 11, and why has it taken so long for the functionality to arrive in Microsoft’s newest OS? Well, whatever the case, it’s here now.
Indeed, it’s here right now, which is another talking point here. We’d expect these kind of interface changes, ones that are fairly big adjustments, to be bundled up in the big annual update for Windows 11 (due in the second half of the year). Mainly because it gives Microsoft lots of shiny new things to point out, in a ‘look at all this load of fresh stuff that’s arrived for our OS’ kind of way.
Still, Microsoft has been moving towards deploying new features outside of the major Windows updates, and we’ve seen, for example, monthly Windows 11 updates bring forth the likes of Android app support (in testing) plus refreshed Notepad and Media Player apps.
More flexibility in feature delivery is doubtless needed now Microsoft’s cadence has dropped from two upgrades per year to a single annual affair – and we’re certainly not complaining about getting important capabilities and introductions for Windows 11 sooner rather than later. But if big chunks of functionality are arriving before Sun Valley 2, it makes you wonder if the impact that the latter makes in terms of changes will be lessened when it turns up later in 2022.
Having been accessible through a tool in recent Insider builds, tabs for File Explorer are now available to all users in an update to Windows 11, rolling out from today alongside other features for the app.
The ability to have multiple tabs open in a single File Explorer window, similar to a web browser, is something that users, this writer included, have been wanting for years. It's felt like an obvious feature for the file manager to have, as we've all been in the situation where we've had to have multiple windows open to drag and drop files between folders.
As macOS has had tabbed windows in its Finder app since 10.9 Mavericks, it's a relief to see this feature cross over to Windows 11, however late this may feel to some.
But there's also other features arriving for the app, such as file suggestions and a new home page.
Analysis: It's about time
A homepage for File Explorer sounds strange at first, but it makes sense as an app that you most likely check every day on your PC. If you use Microsoft Edge or Apple's Safari web browser, you'll find some familiarity here, as they both feature a start page that shows your Favorite links, the latest news and more.
The same concept could work well for File Explorer, except for the latest news. Many users have network drives attached, and cloud storage folders that are prevalent in their Explorer sidebars. To have another easy method of reaching these will be welcome.
But the main feature for File Explorer will be tabs regardless. Having used the feature through ViveTool and following the steps to enable them in an Insider Build, which showcases features under development, it works as well as a web browser.
It's surprising to see this feature arrive so soon, especially with rumors that Windows 11's next major update, codenamed Sun Valley 2, is on track to be released in the second half of 2022. It makes us wonder if major updates are becoming a thing of the past for Microsoft, and instead, we're seeing major updates across the year.
With Windows Media Player and now improvements to the Start menu and File Explorer already appearing, we may be seeing the start of a reworked update process for Windows 11, without any of us knowing.
And if that's the case, we're all for it, and only makes us want Apple to do the same and move away from its major yearly releases.
Having been accessible through a tool in recent Insider builds, tabs for File Explorer are now available to all users in an update to Windows 11, rolling out from today alongside other features for the app.
The ability to have multiple tabs open in a single File Explorer window, similar to a web browser, is something that users, this writer included, have been wanting for years. It's felt like an obvious feature for the file manager to have, as we've all been in the situation where we've had to have multiple windows open to drag and drop files between folders.
As macOS has had tabbed windows in its Finder app since 10.9 Mavericks, it's a relief to see this feature cross over to Windows 11, however late this may feel to some.
But there's also other features arriving for the app, such as file suggestions and a new home page.
Analysis: It's about time
A homepage for File Explorer sounds strange at first, but it makes sense as an app that you most likely check every day on your PC. If you use Microsoft Edge or Apple's Safari web browser, you'll find some familiarity here, as they both feature a start page that shows your Favorite links, the latest news and more.
The same concept could work well for File Explorer, except for the latest news. Many users have network drives attached, and cloud storage folders that are prevalent in their Explorer sidebars. To have another easy method of reaching these will be welcome.
But the main feature for File Explorer will be tabs regardless. Having used the feature through ViveTool and following the steps to enable them in an Insider Build, which showcases features under development, it works as well as a web browser.
It's surprising to see this feature arrive so soon, especially with rumors that Windows 11's next major update, codenamed Sun Valley 2, is on track to be released in the second half of 2022. It makes us wonder if major updates are becoming a thing of the past for Microsoft, and instead, we're seeing major updates across the year.
With Windows Media Player and now improvements to the Start menu and File Explorer already appearing, we may be seeing the start of a reworked update process for Windows 11, without any of us knowing.
And if that's the case, we're all for it, and only makes us want Apple to do the same and move away from its major yearly releases.
The explosive growth seen by Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system over the past few months is beginning to slow, new figures suggest.
The latest report from AdDuplex shows that Windows 11 user numbers are levelling out, perhaps suggesting Microsoft needs to up its game with some new updates or additions to the platform soon.
For the month of March 2022, Windows 11 took just 0.1% market share from other editions of Microsoft's software, accounting for 19.4% of the overall usage, with a further 0.6% using a Windows 11 Insider build.
Windows 11 upgrade
The numbers show that, despite Microsoft's push to get users to upgrade to Windows 11, its previous edition is still holding strong for many consumers.
Of the 80% using Windows 10, the larger proportion were found to be using the two most recent update families. Windows 10 N21U (21H2), released in November 2021, had 28.5% of the overall market, with its slightly older sibling, Windows 10 M21U (21H1), released in March 2021, taking 26.5% of the share.
The remaining 25% was made up of various older builds dating back to 2018, indicating that Microsoft does still have some work to do in order to get a large number of users upgraded to its latest editions.
AdDuplex takes its figures from 5,000 Windows Store apps, so may not be entirely representative of the true market share, but the figures do appear to corroborate recent findings from Microsoft itself.
The company recently shared that 1.4 billion devices are running both Windows 10 and Windows 11, although it didn't reveal specific numbers for either build.
This has posed a problem for some business users however, as recent research found that as many as a third of work laptops or PCs don't meet the minimum requirements to run Windows 11, with the lack of TPM 2.0 the main culprit.
The report from Riverbed added 19.45% of devices will need a storage upgrade, 11% will need to be upgraded to TPM 2.0 and 8% will need to be upgraded with UEFI – with 12% of work PCs needing to be replaced entirely.
If you upgraded to Windows 11 and were surprised to see how different the Start menu was, you're not alone. Since its release in October 2021, the latest version of the Taskbar, usually found at the bottom of the desktop screen of every Windows release since Windows 95, has divided its users.
The latest iteration of the taskbar has some confusing design features and updates, including changes to icon pinning. Microsoft acknowledged – and continues to acknowledge – feedback, responding with update releases that in the past, have restored some features. Still, users are expecting faster progress.
This is where Stardock comes in with Start11, its app to improve the start menu. Start11 incorporates additional features to the menu, including visual changes like reverting the look to a Windows 7 start menu, rearranging the layout, and more.
Understanding what an asset Start11 can be for Windows users, TechRadar spoke to Brad Sams, VP & General Manager at Stardock, about how Start11 came to be, and what the company has in store for the program's future.
It's only just begun for Start11
(Image credit: Brad Sams)
We first asked Sams what his preferred setup was for his Start11 configuration on his PC. “My preferred setup is with the Start button on the far left next to the weather widget, icons centered and ungrouped, in a dark color,” Sams reveals. “I have attached an image that shows my layout (see above) so you can see it for yourself!”
Why did Stardock decide to create Start11, especially so soon after the launch of Windows 11? “The StartX line of applications (as we refer to them) started with Windows 8 as a way to return the Start menu to that specific version of Windows after Microsoft removed it,” Sams explains. “With Start10, the application allowed users of Windows 10 to reenable a classic Start menu experience with a bit of customization as well.”
“With Windows 11, we wanted to bring back a Windows 7-style Start menu and a modern-style menu that fit the ethos of the OS but was designed for a left-aligned placement,” Sams continues. “As we've worked more on Start11, we've been focusing less on reenabling classic Windows functionality, and more on allowing our customers to completely customize their Windows 11 Start experience.
Sams told us that because Windows 11 was released with an entirely new Start menu design, the company wanted to add value to it, and was able to do so by allowing the user to tweak the layout.
“With Start11, you can remove the 'recent documents' section, add folders, change icon sizes, and a whole bunch more,” says Sams. “Our newest update for the app brings ungrouping back to the taskbar, which is ultimately going to accomplish our main goal: making Windows 11 more personal and productive for our users.”
(Image credit: Stardock)
We’ve been focusing less on reenabling classic Windows functionality and more on allowing our customers to completely customize their Windows 11 Start experience.
Brad Sams
The Start menu in Windows 11 got a mixed reception when it was first released. We're now approaching a year since Windows 11 was first announced in June 2021, and that reception hasn't changed. We wondered what Sams first thought of the revised Start menu. “I will always applaud Microsoft for trying new designs with Windows; it’s not easy to design software that works for 1+ billion people.”
“It’s clear that the company wanted something fresh and familiar, which is why the included Start menu is centered but also feels a lot like an app launcher from a mobile OS,” continues Sams. “I don’t think that the design is inherently bad, but what it lacks is flexibility.
Windows 11 is rigid in its layout and doesn’t allow the user to create an experience that matches their workflow,” Sams elaborates. “Instead, it forces you to fit their mold. As an example, while you can left-align your Start menu, it feels out of place because it’s designed for a centered experience. The beauty of Start11 is that if you don’t like certain features (like the search bar being at the top), you can change that.”
We are in the process of evaluating ideas that make sense for our power users, but have nothing to announce currently.
Brad Sams
There was a recent blogpost from Stardock about almost breaking a component in Windows 11 when trying to bring in a new feature. We wanted to know if Sams and the team had experienced any challenges in developing Start11. “When we were building the ungrouping experience that we are shipping with Start 11 v1.2, we had two options: reenable the Windows 10 taskbar experience in Windows 11, or rebuild a new taskbar in-house,” Sams explains.
“The quick and easy way is to simply flip a few registry keys, do a little memory patching, and actually reenable the native Windows 10 taskbar in Windows 11. The problem is that if Microsoft decides to pull any of these assets from the OS, the experience will break, and that’s not a scenario we can support.”
“Many of our corporate customers use our StartX apps because it allows them to keep a static experience across every device despite what Microsoft releases with each OS update,” Sams continues. “To make sure we hold true to this principle, we had to build a new taskbar in-house to be able to support our features for the life of the OS.”
(Image credit: Stardock)
With Start11 constantly being updated, Sams was tight-lipped about what users could expect to see in future updates. “This is where the fun begins. Now that we have an in-house taskbar, the door to add new features to it is wide open,” Sams reveals. “We are in the process of evaluating ideas that make sense for our power users, but have nothing to announce currently.”
Finally, some of us on the team remember using ObjectDock, Stardock's app that would bring the Dock of macOS to Windows. As Start11 enables start menus from previous Windows releases, we wondered if ObjectDock could appear on the app in the future. “ObjectDock is a Stardock classic and was the first app I ever used from the company. In fact, it’s how I got connected to the CEO of Stardock, Brad Wardell, many years ago. That connection eventually led to me joining the company to lead the software team.”
Sams continues: “We have discussed updating the app internally, but currently our objectives are focused on making sure that many of our apps are refreshed for Windows 11. Unlike previous versions of Windows where Microsoft provided a long runway from announcement to release, Windows 11 was announced in June and shipped in October – considering the breadth of the Object Desktop portfolio, we still have a lot of work to do.”
If you upgraded to Windows 11 and were surprised to see how different the Start menu was, you're not alone. Since its release in October 2021, the latest version of the Taskbar, usually found at the bottom of the desktop screen of every Windows release since Windows 95, has divided its users.
The latest iteration of the taskbar has some confusing design features and updates, including changes to icon pinning. Microsoft acknowledged – and continues to acknowledge – feedback, responding with update releases that in the past, have restored some features. Still, users are expecting faster progress.
This is where Stardock comes in with Start11, its app to improve the start menu. Start11 incorporates additional features to the menu, including visual changes like reverting the look to a Windows 7 start menu, rearranging the layout, and more.
Understanding what an asset Start11 can be for Windows users, TechRadar spoke to Brad Sams, VP & General Manager at Stardock, about how Start11 came to be, and what the company has in store for the program's future.
It's only just begun for Start11
(Image credit: Brad Sams)
We first asked Sams what his preferred setup was for his Start11 configuration on his PC. “My preferred setup is with the Start button on the far left next to the weather widget, icons centered and ungrouped, in a dark color,” Sams reveals. “I have attached an image that shows my layout (see above) so you can see it for yourself!”
Why did Stardock decide to create Start11, especially so soon after the launch of Windows 11? “The StartX line of applications (as we refer to them) started with Windows 8 as a way to return the Start menu to that specific version of Windows after Microsoft removed it,” Sams explains. “With Start10, the application allowed users of Windows 10 to reenable a classic Start menu experience with a bit of customization as well.”
“With Windows 11, we wanted to bring back a Windows 7-style Start menu and a modern-style menu that fit the ethos of the OS but was designed for a left-aligned placement,” Sams continues. “As we've worked more on Start11, we've been focusing less on reenabling classic Windows functionality, and more on allowing our customers to completely customize their Windows 11 Start experience.
Sams told us that because Windows 11 was released with an entirely new Start menu design, the company wanted to add value to it, and was able to do so by allowing the user to tweak the layout.
“With Start11, you can remove the 'recent documents' section, add folders, change icon sizes, and a whole bunch more,” says Sams. “Our newest update for the app brings ungrouping back to the taskbar, which is ultimately going to accomplish our main goal: making Windows 11 more personal and productive for our users.”
(Image credit: Stardock)
We’ve been focusing less on reenabling classic Windows functionality and more on allowing our customers to completely customize their Windows 11 Start experience.
Brad Sams
The Start menu in Windows 11 got a mixed reception when it was first released. We're now approaching a year since Windows 11 was first announced in June 2021, and that reception hasn't changed. We wondered what Sams first thought of the revised Start menu. “I will always applaud Microsoft for trying new designs with Windows; it’s not easy to design software that works for 1+ billion people.”
“It’s clear that the company wanted something fresh and familiar, which is why the included Start menu is centered but also feels a lot like an app launcher from a mobile OS,” continues Sams. “I don’t think that the design is inherently bad, but what it lacks is flexibility.
Windows 11 is rigid in its layout and doesn’t allow the user to create an experience that matches their workflow,” Sams elaborates. “Instead, it forces you to fit their mold. As an example, while you can left-align your Start menu, it feels out of place because it’s designed for a centered experience. The beauty of Start11 is that if you don’t like certain features (like the search bar being at the top), you can change that.”
We are in the process of evaluating ideas that make sense for our power users, but have nothing to announce currently.
Brad Sams
There was a recent blogpost from Stardock about almost breaking a component in Windows 11 when trying to bring in a new feature. We wanted to know if Sams and the team had experienced any challenges in developing Start11. “When we were building the ungrouping experience that we are shipping with Start 11 v1.2, we had two options: reenable the Windows 10 taskbar experience in Windows 11, or rebuild a new taskbar in-house,” Sams explains.
“The quick and easy way is to simply flip a few registry keys, do a little memory patching, and actually reenable the native Windows 10 taskbar in Windows 11. The problem is that if Microsoft decides to pull any of these assets from the OS, the experience will break, and that’s not a scenario we can support.”
“Many of our corporate customers use our StartX apps because it allows them to keep a static experience across every device despite what Microsoft releases with each OS update,” Sams continues. “To make sure we hold true to this principle, we had to build a new taskbar in-house to be able to support our features for the life of the OS.”
(Image credit: Stardock)
With Start11 constantly being updated, Sams was tight-lipped about what users could expect to see in future updates. “This is where the fun begins. Now that we have an in-house taskbar, the door to add new features to it is wide open,” Sams reveals. “We are in the process of evaluating ideas that make sense for our power users, but have nothing to announce currently.”
Finally, some of us on the team remember using ObjectDock, Stardock's app that would bring the Dock of macOS to Windows. As Start11 enables start menus from previous Windows releases, we wondered if ObjectDock could appear on the app in the future. “ObjectDock is a Stardock classic and was the first app I ever used from the company. In fact, it’s how I got connected to the CEO of Stardock, Brad Wardell, many years ago. That connection eventually led to me joining the company to lead the software team.”
Sams continues: “We have discussed updating the app internally, but currently our objectives are focused on making sure that many of our apps are refreshed for Windows 11. Unlike previous versions of Windows where Microsoft provided a long runway from announcement to release, Windows 11 was announced in June and shipped in October – considering the breadth of the Object Desktop portfolio, we still have a lot of work to do.”
Microsoft has announced that it's releasing an update for the Your Phone app from today (April 1) on PCs with Windows 11, which includes a new name – Phone Links – and a redesign that lines it up with other updated Windows 11 apps.
The Your Phone app has been a useful tool since its release in October 2018. It enables you to link up your Android phone with a Windows PC, where you can sync up your contacts, messages, and some apps that are compatible.
The new Phone Links app, available as a new update as well as a companion app on the Google Play Store, features the same new design that Paint and Windows Media Player have been given in other updates to Windows 11.
However, the new name has already proved to be divisive, and makes us wonder if Microsoft is coming up with these terrible names on purpose.
Analysis: Another bad name from Microsoft
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Microsoft has had a reputation over the years for having terrible names for its products. Whether it's Zune for its iPod-rival, or the Kin phone, which sounded outdated as soon as it launched back in 2010.
Microsoft's most recent naming confusion had been its Xbox Series consoles. Released back in November 2020, the Series S and the Series X made gamers wonder what the letters stood for. Microsoft still hasn't explained the reasoning, and probably never will.
Considering the Xbox has had '360' and 'One' to mark major releases, it's probably best to just go with the flow when it comes to Microsoft's gaming names.
To be fair, Your Phone wasn't exactly a good name to start with – users just accepted it, mainly due to how good the app has consistently been.
But, Phone Links carries on Microsoft's terrible naming tradition. Granted, your PC does link up with your Android phone, but it makes the name feel a bit on-the-nose.
Name it WinPair, Continuity, or Matchup, just to give the app some excitement at least.
But regardless, the app looks better thanks to its Windows 11 redesign, and there's still plenty of opportunities for how the app could improve for Android users in the future, especially with apps from the Amazon App Store coming to Windows 11 soon.
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