Microsoft’s latest update for Windows 11, deploying features for versions 23H2 and 24H2, showcases a series of enhancements designed to augment user interaction and system performance. This gradual rollout focuses on both incremental improvements and new capabilities tailored for PCs equipped with Copilot+ support.
Enhanced User Experience and Interface
The update introduces a refined Recall feature exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, featuring a fresh homepage designed for quicker access to recent activities, highly utilized applications, and popular websites. Users now possess greater control over their privacy with options to exclude certain apps and sites from the recording history. Another notable update is the addition of a left navigation bar—aiding in effortless navigation between Home, Timeline, Feedback, and Settings.
Click to Do has been enhanced with an interactive tutorial option, accessible through More Options > Start Tutorial, offering users a more engaging way to learn and adapt to the system's features. Meanwhile, for AMD and Intel-based Copilot+ systems, a new Agent in Settings feature has been introduced, although currently only supported in English.
Search and Notification Enhancements
Search functionalities have been improved with a grid view for image results directly from the Taskbar search, along with a new status pane during the indexing process to enhance user’s understanding of ongoing activities. Clarifying the distinction between local and cloud-stored files, these updates aim to streamline the searching experience for users.
The Notification Center sees a minor yet valuable enhancement with options for displaying larger clock formats, accessible through Settings > Time & language > Date & time.
Security and Privacy Enhancements
A new page available under Privacy & security > Text and Image Generation provides users with insights on which third-party applications have recently accessed built-in generative AI models, allowing enhanced management of app access. Coupled with a suite of security and bug fixes, this update addresses several aspects ranging from ReFS and the Simplified Chinese IME to Arm64 performance enhancements.
Furthermore, Windows Hello now sports a redesigned user interface, making it easier to toggle between authentication options such as passkeys or connected devices, reinforcing user security while simplifying access.
Tailored Widgets and System Improvements
Windows 11 enhances its widget experience, supporting multiple dashboards and featuring a left navigation bar for seamless switching between views, including the Discover feed. Also, the customizable nature of lock screen widgets now accommodates small sizing options, allowing users to better personalize their desktop environment.
Small visual tweaks have been made to the File Explorer’s context menus, while Task Manager sees improvements in CPU usage reporting—a valuable update for users monitoring system performance. Additionally, users can now utilize an optional CPU Utility column in Details view, further enriching the analysis tools at their disposal.
Windows 11’s latest update provides users a robust mix of performance enhancements and user-centric features, collectively promising an enriched operating system experience that aligns with modern technological demands. As always, a system reboot is required for these changes to take full effect.
