Windows 11 is finally upon us. Officially announced on June 24th 2021<\/a>, Windows 11 is a free upgrade for anyone who\u2019s currently running Windows 10, and it\u2019ll be available as the standard operating system on new PCs and laptops going forward. Some things have changed and some have stayed the same, but one thing\u2019s for sure: there\u2019s lots about Windows 11 that you might not know. Here are 17 of our favourite tips, tricks, and facts about the wonderful world of Microsoft\u2019s new operating system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most divisive features in Windows 11 is the position of its new Start bar. It\u2019s now occupying the middle of the taskbar, but if you don\u2019t like this, you can actually move it back. All you need to do is right-click anywhere on the taskbar, then click \u201cTaskbar Settings\u201d. From there, you\u2019ll see an option marked \u201cTaskbar Behaviours\u201d, and you can choose to move the Start bar using that option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Windows 11 has full Amazon App Store integration, which means that any Android app available via the Amazon App Store is also available to download on Windows 11. Unfortunately, this is a much more limited set of apps than you\u2019d get if you were able to officially download the Google Play Store, but it\u2019s something. There may even be a way to get the Google Play Store working on Windows 11, but you didn\u2019t hear it from us<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alright, so if you\u2019re running Windows 11, you probably already know this, but it never hurts to be reminded if you\u2019re yet to adopt the system. Windows 11 is completely free if you\u2019re running Windows already. You won\u2019t need to buy it even if you\u2019re all the way back on Windows 8; just upgrade when you\u2019re prompted (or run Microsoft\u2019s official upgrade tool<\/a>) and you\u2019re good to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you really don\u2019t like the look of Windows 11, or you\u2019d rather hold off until you know the operating system is stable (which is understandable given past form), then upgrading is not mandatory. All you need to do is decline the update if and when it appears. You can also simply not visit the Windows update page if you\u2019re happy with the way your OS is working right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10. While this technically doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t use the operating system anymore, it does mean you won\u2019t be able to expect any support or help if you do continue to use Windows 10. By 2025, it\u2019s clear Microsoft wants everyone to upgrade to its new operating system, so make sure that\u2019s on your calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a Google Chrome user (like 3.2 billion people around the world<\/a> are), then you\u2019ll like this one. You can actually change Chrome\u2019s aesthetic to better resemble Windows 11, giving your windows (not Windows) a more unified look. All you need to do is update Chrome to the latest version, then type \u201cchrome:\/\/flags\u201d into a new tab address bar. Look for \u201cWindows 11\u201d using Search, then toggle that option to Enabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Windows 11 comes with a new Widgets feature installed by default. On your taskbar, you\u2019ll see a small window with white and blue boxes inside it next to the Chat interface. Click that button and you\u2019ll see a Widgets window appear, complete with lots of information like weather, news stories, and stock prices. You can then add or remove widgets according to your own preferences. Neat, huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of that Chat interface, Microsoft has now included its Teams software as standard with Windows 11, so you can access Teams without needing to install any extra apps. All you need to do is click the small purple speech bubble with the camera icon inside it. This will bring up an in-OS Teams interface that you can sign into and use to chat to your colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The virtual desktop feature was available in Windows 10, but Microsoft never made the most of it. This feature has been improved<\/a> in Windows 11, allowing you to create and manage a wide range of desktops for different purposes. You can customise each desktop with different apps, backgrounds, and shortcuts, meaning you can seamlessly switch from gaming to productivity mode and back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open up any window in Windows 11. We\u2019ll wait. Now, see that small square button between the minimise and close options in the top right? Previously, all that did was make the window portable so you could move it around the desktop. Now, though, you can make the window part of a Snap Layout, which lets you easily position it in any number of preset layouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, so the Xbox app is a pretty excellent addition for anyone who\u2019s intending to use Windows 11 for gaming. However, not everyone is going to be a gamer, and sometimes, you\u2019ll be using a Windows 11 laptop purely for work purposes. If that\u2019s you, then you can tell the Xbox app – which now pops up on Windows 11 by default – to stop doing this. Right-click it in the taskbar, pick Settings, then find the \u201cautomatically launch\u201d box under General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This won\u2019t matter if you\u2019re running a desktop PC (although power usage considerations should still be on your mind from an environmental perspective), but it\u2019s a godsend for laptop users thanks to new power saving improvements<\/a>. You can also enable power saving mode if Windows 11 isn\u2019t quite doing enough to maintain your device\u2019s battery life. All you need to do is click the battery icon in your taskbar, then click \u201cBattery Saver\u201d. Voila – you should now be using less power!<\/p>\n\n\n\n File Explorer menus have changed significantly in Windows 11. There\u2019s much more of a focus on minimalist icons and less of a text overload, although this does come at a cost of legibility, at least initially. You might want to take a little time to get used to the way File Explorer works now. For the most part, commonly-used options are available as quick icons along the top when you right-click a file, with less common options represented below in their usual text form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re someone who regularly changes sound sources, the new volume mixer can be a bit of a headache. Now, when you right-click the volume slider in the taskbar, you\u2019ll be shown a menu that allows you to visit Windows 11\u2019s new mixer controls. They\u2019re more feature-rich than before, but there\u2019s no quick way to adjust sounds in the mixer on the fly, so this is a mixed bag as far as improvements go. Still, you\u2019ll get used to it in time, and it is nice to have a larger window to see everything in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps in a bid to make it more difficult to switch your web browser (and other Microsoft-developed apps), Windows 11 no longer easily allows you to set a default browser. Instead, you\u2019ll have to go into the Default Apps dialogue and change the browser for individual file extensions. This is a nightmare for anyone who doesn\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing; Microsoft clearly wants you to use Edge, so it doesn\u2019t want to make it easy for you to switch to Chrome. However, as of the latest test build, this no longer appears to be the case<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a small but neat little change in Windows 11. If you compare the Windows 11 taskbar to the one in Windows 10, you\u2019ll notice the 11 variant is just slightly taller. This makes it a little easier to get to the apps you need and access icons you use on a regular basis. It\u2019s a small change, but it\u2019s neat. However, it comes at a cost; you can\u2019t move the taskbar to the left, right, or top of your screen anymore. Nadella giveth and he taketh away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the Windows 11 Alarms & Clock app doesn\u2019t come with every copy of Windows 11 by default, installing it nets you a cool productivity feature. You can enable the Focus Sessions mode in order to help you prevent distractions and get work done. It appears on the left-hand side of the app and shows you a productivity menu including a to-do list, Spotify playlists, and a countdown to your next break. It\u2019s a nifty little feature if you\u2019ve ever struggled to focus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 17 Things You Didn\u2019t Know About Windows:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 Windows 3.0x<\/a> Windows 11 is finally upon us. Officially announced on June 24th 2021, Windows 11 is a free upgrade for anyone who\u2019s currently running Windows 10, and it\u2019ll be available as the standard operating system on new PCs and laptops going forward. Some things have changed and some have stayed the same, but one thing\u2019s for … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7009,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"close","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,27,26],"tags":[217],"class_list":["post-7007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-videogames","category-general","category-tech","tag-f1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7007"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7189,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007\/revisions\/7189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. You can move the Start bar back<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Windows 11 supports Android apps\u2026kind of<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. It\u2019s free if you\u2019re on Windows 10<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. You don\u2019t have to upgrade\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. \u2026but eventually, you will<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Chrome can mimic Windows 11<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. You can get lots of info using Widgets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Teams is built in<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Windows 11 has better virtual desktops<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10. Snap layouts make multitasking a breeze<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
11. You can tell the Xbox app not to bother you<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
12. Windows 11 is more power-efficient than Windows 10<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
13. The menus are all minimalist now<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
14. The volume mixer has changed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
15. You can\u2019t just set default apps anymore<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
16. The taskbar is taller<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
17. The Windows 11 clock app has a neat productivity feature<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Continue Reading This Article Series<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Windows 95<\/a>
\u2013 Windows 98<\/a>
\u2013 Windows Me<\/a>
\u2013 Windows Vista<\/a>
\u2013 Windows XP<\/a>
\u2013 Windows 7<\/a>
\u2013 Windows 8<\/a>
\u2013 Windows 10<\/a>
\u2013 Windows 11<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"