Microsoft today announced that the next major version of Windows 11, aptly named Windows 11 2022 Update, has begun rolling out to the more than 190 countries where Windows is available. The highlights include updates to the Start menu and tabs in File Explorer, as well as new accessibility features, including system-wide live closed captioning, voice access that lets you control a PC with your voice, and Smart App Control for enhanced security.
Users with eligible devices running Windows 11 can upgrade by opening the Windows Update settings screen (Settings > Windows Update) and selecting “Check for updates”.
The most obvious changes are on the UI front. Windows 11 2022 Update brings updates to the Start menu, “faster and more accurate search”, Quick Settings, and the aforementioned tabs in File Explorer – the latest of which will arrive in October. (File Explorer now also lets you pin files for quick access.) There’s improved coverage of local and current events in the Widgets board and better Snap layouts with improved touch navigation, plus the ability to pin multiple browser tabs in Microsoft Edge to lay.
The Start menu now contains folders – dragging apps on top of each other creates one. And the pinned area can be resized to hide the recommended feed of files under apps in the menu.
Image Credits: Microsoft
An October update to the Photos app introduces a new photo management experience and allows you to back up your photos more easily with OneDrive, Microsoft says. And at the system level, starting next month with Windows 11, you can copy phone numbers and future dates, and get suggested actions like calling with Teams or Skype or adding an event in the Calendar app.
Accessibility
In terms of accessibility, Windows for Narrator’s new, natural-sounding voices use AI-powered text-to-speech that better mirrors the voices of real people — in theory, everything from browsing the web to reading and writing documents, better for users listening to their screens. The system-wide live captioning feature, meanwhile, transcribes personal conversations by recording microphone audio and displaying it at the top of the screen in a floating window when activated with the keyboard shortcut Winkey + CTRL + L.
Said voice access essentially provides full control over the PC via voice, allowing you to copy and paste, move the cursor, interact with apps and more without having to use a keyboard and mouse.
The new Focus feature in Windows 11 enables Do Not Disturb, which disables notifications and disables taskbar badges and application flashes on the taskbar. Focus is integrated with the Clock app, Microsoft says, and starts a timer to help you focus and remind you to take breaks.
Safety
The latest version of Windows 11 comes with enhanced security in the form of Smart App Control, which aims to prevent script attacks and protect users from running untrusted or unsigned applications related to malware or attack tools. Smart App Control — available only on clean Windows 11 installs — creates an AI model based on the 43 trillion security signals collected daily to predict whether an app is secure, based on the same core operating system capabilities used in Windows Defender Application Control.
Image Credits: Microsoft
The free new Microsoft Defender SmartScreen identifies when people enter their Microsoft credentials into a malicious app or hacked website to warn them.
Businesses using Windows Hello for Business can now take advantage of an optional presence detection feature, allowing devices equipped with presence sensors to sign in employees when they approach and lock the device when they leave.
Gaming and apps
The arrival of Windows 11 2022 Update marks the expansion of the Amazon Appstore Preview to international markets, bringing more than 20,000 Android apps and games to Windows 11 devices that meet the specific hardware requirements. It also brings a new HDR calibration app and a “gaming homepage” in Edge that highlights upcoming game releases.
Elsewhere in the refreshed Windows 11, there’s an updated display of the Xbox Game Bar – accessible by pressing the Xbox button on an Xbox wireless controller or compatible controller connected to the PC. Further graphics improvements are needed, including improved display latency, Auto HDR (inherited from the Xbox Series X and Series S), and variable refresh rate for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 window games.
productivity
Windows Studio’s new camera and audio effects in the Windows 11 2022 Update include Voice Focus to filter out background noise, Background Blur to blur backgrounds, and Automatic Framing so the camera stays with subjects as they move. In a related development, video editor Clipchamp, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, is now standard in Windows 11.
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