Windows 11 Preview: folders in the start menu, touch gestures, and more

We recently told you that Microsoft started rolling out new features in the final version of Windows 11, including the new Media Player and support (limited for the moment to the United States) for Android applications. Now we have information about the features that are coming to the test versions and that later if the Redmond people decide to keep them, will be available to all users.

Among the new features in Windows 11 build 22557 is the ability to create folders in the Start menu, a redesigned task manager, new touch gestures, and more. Note that these are only available to members of the Insider Program who have opted for the Dev Channel. If you are not yet part of this beta-testing experience, you can sign up at any time.

The most important new features of this Insider Preview of Windows 11

Folders in the Start menu: one of the new features introduced by Windows 11 at its launch was the new Start menu. Redmond not only changed the location of this element towards the center but also redesigned how we interact with it. The new concept seemed to be inspired by mobile device systems but lacked the possibility of advanced organization tools such as these have.

Well, Microsoft has decided to address this issue with the possibility of creating folders within the Start menu. Organizing our applications with this possibility will be quite simple. Just like on a cell phone, we will only have to drag an application on top of another to create a folder. Of course, at the moment we can’t name them, but the company promises that in the next updates this possibility will arrive.

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Do not disturb and Concentration: we live in a world where notifications do not stop arriving and, sometimes, it can be difficult to concentrate. Windows 11 introduced a feature to help improve productivity and is now improving it. With this update, the Concentration Assistant is integrated with the Clock app to make it easier to set up different modes and receive only the desired notifications or alarms.

Windows 11

Real-time captioning: this accessibility feature can help all people, including those with hearing disabilities, to better understand spoken content. These are transcripts that are automatically generated and displayed at the top of the screen, at the bottom, or in a floating window. We can activate this feature from the keyboard shortcut WIN + Ctrl + L. However, it is currently only available in English.

Improvements in the explorer of files: until before this update, Windows 11 only allowed to anchor folders to the lateral bar of the explorer. Microsoft has expanded this function and now we can also pin files. We simply have to drag a file of any type to the Quick Access section. Moreover, OneDrive now also shows the available storage at the top right of the windows.

New touch gestures: Windows 11 now supports the following gestures: swipe up to open the Start menu (swipe down to hide it), swipe left to see all apps and right for pinned ones, swipe from the bottom right to open Settings, swipe from the right edge of the screen to open Notification Center (and the opposite movement to hide it).

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Changes in window adjustment: an interesting new feature for those who work with many windows on large monitors was the function to adjust the windows to different predefined sizes, configurable from the maximize button. Now we have a new way to access it. Just drag the windows to the top of the screen and that’s it.

New sustainability settings: this was one of the experimental functions that were disabled and had been discovered by some users. Finally, the new “Sustainability” section has officially appeared in Settings. This is a section that seeks to improve energy consumption and provides tips on how to reduce carbon emissions.

Renewed task manager: and here we have another experimental function that we had already talked about before. The task manager, whose design and functional elements had remained almost unchanged since Windows 8, finally receives a facelift. It neither adds nor removes system information tabs. However, it relocates them in a sidebar, providing greater coherence with the new Microsoft operating system.

Windows 11

It also receives an “Efficiency Mode”, which identifies applications that are consuming a lot of power and provides the ability to limit their consumption to prioritize other applications. This “will lead to faster foreground responsiveness and better energy efficiency”.

This developer version of Windows 11, as we have seen, debuts a handful of new features. There are also other minor improvements and fixes “under the hood” that we haven’t mentioned. However, you can check out Microsoft’s blog post for all the details.

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