Windows 11 - what's new, different
- Palak Chauhan
Analytics
Campus VPN
To connect to VPN (before or after log in), you may need to re-configure it, see Connecting to campus VPN
Wireless networks
If you get a message ‘Can’t connect to this network’ when trying to connect to a wireless network, right-click and select ‘Forget’, Windows should then detect it and connect successfully.
Dell Command Update
Dell Command Update may open when you log in for the first time.
It is recommended that you open it and select ‘Check for Updates’ - install any updates available.
Outlook
When opening Outlook for the first time you will be presented with ‘look’ options:
You may see other minor display differences, e.g. new bar on left pane.
Taskbar changes
New Widgets app on left
New widgets deliver a personalized feed of news, weather, traffic, sports, and stock market data, powered by AI for customization and Edge for rendering
To customize feeds or turn off notifications, click icon on bottom left (Widgets), click Settings gear icon
To disable hover, click icon on bottom left (Widgets), click Settings gear icon, toggle off ‘Open Widgets board on hover’
Start menu (Windows icon), Search bar and Pinned/Running app icons are shifted to the right (more toward the middle of the taskbar)
You can change the alignment from Centre to Left if desired - right-click on the taskbar and choose ‘Taskbar settings’, select ‘Personalization’, scroll down to ‘Taskbar behaviors’ section, click on the dropdown menu, and to the right of ‘Taskbar alignment’ choose ‘Left’
Some app icons look a bit different (e.g. Snipping Tool, Notepad)
Snipping Tool has been updated and needs to be re-added to taskbar if desired
Right-clicking on an app icon in the Taskbar results in a different menu, and shift + right-click in the task bar to start an app as administrator may not work.
To run a program as administrator, right-click to get the menu and then right-click the name of the program, choose ‘Run as administrator’ (note that this won’t work if the program is already running).
System tray (right side of the taskbar) changes:
When in Teams meetings you may notice that you have a ‘Microphone’ icon in the taskbar for easy muting/unmuting of the Microphone
New Icon in taskbar if a restart is required for Windows updates
You can add or hide system tray icons if desired - right-click on the taskbar and choose ‘Taskbar settings’, select ‘Other system tray icons’, toggle icons on or off.
Snap Layouts
Arrange your desktop just the way you like it with Windows 11's new Snap Layouts feature
Hover the mouse over the Maximize icon in a program window’s upper-right corner. When you do so, you’ll see a choice of layouts, like this:
Hover the mouse cursor over the layout diagram onto the spot you want to fit your current application into and click to set.
Tap on the app you want in each box in succession.
An alternative way to use Snap Layouts is via the keyboard. Use Windows Key–Right Arrow (or whichever direction you want to snap the window towards) to move and resize a window in half. You can also use a Windows Key–Arrow combination (e.g. to get a window to fit exactly in the top right quadrant of the screen, use Windows Key–Right Arrow followed by Windows Key–Up Arrow).
Updates to default apps
Clock has new features including a productivity feature called Focus Sessions. With Focus Sessions, you set boundaries for when you want undistracted time for getting stuff done.
Photos is now not only for organizing and editing photos, but also for video editing with titles, transitions, effects, and more. The Photos app includes face recognition, auto-generated albums, and integrated maps for photos with location data.
Settings now features a persistent left menu. It saves you from having to back out of nested settings to quickly get to another group.
The new right-click context menu in File Explorer
Right-click on any file, folder, or empty space on your desktop to bring up the context menu.
Common Options: The new menu shows common options like Cut, Copy, Rename, and Delete at the top.
Show More Options: If you need more options, click on Show more options at the bottom of the menu or press Shift + F10. This will bring up the classic context menu with all the additional options you might be used to from previous versions of Windows.
Support for 7-Zip and RAR archive formats
Windows 11 natively supports 7z, RAR, TAR, and many other open-source archive formats. No need to install third-party archive software to create or open file archives.
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