[Review] What’s New in Windows 11

A quick review of Windows 11 in one word would be “Just beautiful”. When I installed Windows 11 in one of my Windows 10 devices and I signed into the Desktop, I was amazed to see the beautiful wallpaper, centered Taskbar, new rounded UI and the new icons.

I know I’m a little bit late to the party but as they say “Better late than never”. People were asking me several questions regarding Windows 11 like is it better than Windows 10? Is it a good idea to switch to Windows 11? Many readers also requested me to write an exclusive review of Windows 11 in my style i.e. simple, detailed and easy to understand. So here I present my hands-on review of Windows 11.

If you are planning to install Windows 11 in your computer system or planning to buy a new PC which will come with Windows 11 preinstalled, this article will help you in understanding what’s new in Windows 11. In this article, we are going to discuss about new features, changes, improvements and brand new user interface present in Windows 11.

As we know Windows 11 is the new and upcoming version of Windows operating system which was released to public on October 5, 2021. Windows 11 testing builds can also be downloaded and installed using Windows Insiders program as mentioned in following article:

How to Download and Install Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds in Your Computer?

Windows 11 has been developed to replace Windows 10 in all existing devices but you don’t need to worry if you want to use Windows 10 in your computer system. Microsoft will keep supporting Windows 10 till October 14, 2025. Eligible Windows 10 devices will get free upgrade to Windows 11 as mentioned here.

Let’s start our tour to review Windows 11 operating system:

Windows 11 Boot Screen:

Windows 11 boot screen or startup screen is quite similar to Windows 10. It shows same small dotted circle animation along with new Windows 11 square logo at the top. The new logo is dark blue in color and looks flat.

Following screenshot shows Windows 11 boot screen:

There is nothing special about boot screen, so let’s move to the next feature.

Windows 11 Lock Screen:

Microsoft has redesigned Windows 11 lock screen and now it displays date and time in the middle of the screen which looks really beautiful.

Following screenshot shows Windows 11 lock screen:

I liked the background wallpaper and the fonts have also been changed.

Windows 11 Login Screen or Welcome Screen:

Login Screen is also known as Welcome Screen or Sign-in Screen. The login screen is quite similar to Windows 10 except new fonts and icons.

Following screenshot shows Windows 11 login screen:

The user picture or avatar is same as Windows 10 but I noticed that the password box has been changed a little. In Windows 10, the password box was White in color but in Windows 11, it has been changed to dark Black color.

Windows 11 Desktop:

Now let’s talk about Windows 11 desktop which is simply beautiful.

The new desktop wallpaper is excellent. Windows 11 shows 2 icons on Desktop which are Recycle Bin and Microsoft Edge web browser which comes preinstalled with Windows 11.

When you right-click on Desktop, you’ll see a new redesigned context menu (right-click menu) as shown in following screenshot:

The new desktop context menu uses acrylic material (part of new fluent design UI) to provide translucent blur and glass transparency effects.

The new context menu is a little bit larger in size than previous context menu present in Windows 10 operating system. It shows all default options such as View, Sort by, Refresh, New, Display settings, Personalize, etc.

You can still access the old classic tiny context menu by clicking on “Show more options” link given at the bottom of the new context menu. It’ll launch old legacy context menu which displays all options in compact size along with other context menu options installed by 3rd party software, hardware drivers, etc.

You can also directly access old compact context menu by pressing Shift+F10 keys together.

Related: [Tip] Restore Old Classic Context Menu (Right-Click Menu) in Windows 11

Windows 11 Taskbar:

This is the most interesting and highly redesigned element of Windows 11 operating system.

Windows 11 comes with a redesigned Taskbar which shows all icons in the center. That’s why it’s called centered Taskbar. Start button, search icon, task view, pinned items and currently running programs buttons, everything is shown in the middle of the Taskbar as shown in following screenshot:

Related: [Tip] Move Start Button, Start Menu and Taskbar to Left in Windows 11

Since Windows 11 is under development, the Taskbar is very restrictive and less customizable.

If you right-click on the Taskbar, you get only one option “Taskbar settings” which opens Taskbar settings page. You can add/remove icons from the Taskbar using settings page.

There is an option present to change the alignment of Taskbar icons. If you don’t like the centered Taskbar behavior, you can set the Taskbar alignment to Left to move the Start button and all other icons to the left-side of the Taskbar similar to previous Windows versions as shown in following screenshot:

At the moment, no other options are present in Taskbar context menu like lock/unlock Taskbar, Task Manager, toolbars, windows arrangement, etc. All these missing options will be added in future via cumulative updates or feature updates to Windows 11.

The most annoying thing about the new Taskbar is the inability to move the Taskbar. The Taskbar is stuck at the bottom of the screen. You can’t move the Taskbar to other areas such as left, right or top. Many people will complain about this restriction and I’m sure Windows team will add this essential functionality in future Windows 11 versions.

Also drag-n-drop functionality is blocked in the new Taskbar. You can’t drag-n-drop any shortcut to Taskbar to pin it.

Related: How to Restore or Enable Classic Taskbar in Windows 11 (All Versions)

Windows 11 Action Center or Notification Center:

The right-side area of Windows 11 Taskbar shows notification icons such as volume, network, etc. The Notification Center (or Action Center) has been combined with the clock. You can launch Action Center by clicking on the clock icon in Taskbar system tray.

Alternatively, you can access Action Center or Notification Center by pressing Win+N keys together.

Action Center is also highly modified. Now it shows along with the calendar and its UI is also different.

Also when you click on volume or network icons, a new fly-out appears containing toggle buttons to turn on/off features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, night light, etc as shown in following screenshot:

These icons were part of Quick Actions present at the bottom of the Action Center in Windows 10 operating system. Now Windows 11 has a separate fly-out for them.

You can also access the new Quick Actions or Quick Settings fly-out by pressing Win+A keys together.

Windows 11 Start Menu:

Let’s talk about the new Start Menu in Windows 11. When you launch Start Menu for the first time in Windows 11, you’ll be amazed to see the new UI. It’s completely different than previous Start Menus present in Windows 10, Windows 7 and other Windows versions.

Windows 11 Start Menu features a centered UI containing pinned shortcuts list at the top, then recommended programs and apps at the bottom.

To access installed programs list, you can click on “All apps” button.

The live tiles functionality has been completely removed from Windows 11 Start Menu.

Similar to Taskbar, the Start Menu is also very less customizable at the moment. More features and functionality will be implemented in future versions of Windows 11.

Related: [Tip] Restore Old Classic Start Menu in Windows 11

Windows 11 File Explorer:

File Explorer is also known as Windows Explorer, This PC and My Computer. When you launch File Explorer, you’ll notice that the Ribbon UI has been removed and the good ol’ Command bar is back similar to Windows 7 operating system.

Users who missed command bar or toolbar in File Explorer in Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10, will definitely like this change in Windows 11.

The new toolbar contains all required buttons such as New, cut, copy, paste, delete, sort, view, etc.

Unfortunately, right-click is disabled in the toolbar. Nothing will appear if you try to right-click on the toolbar which makes it less customizable. I hope Microsoft will add right-click functionality to the toolbar so that users can add/remove buttons from the toolbar similar to old Windows XP.

Related: [Tip] Enable Full Classic File Explorer in Windows 11

You’ll also notice new icons for drives, files and folders in File Explorer.

By default, there is very high vertical spacing or padding between icons. If you have touch-enabled device, you’ll love the change but traditional Desktop PC or laptop users will find this extra gap between items irritating. Fortunately, Microsoft has provided an option in Folder Options to reduce the spacing.

You can enable “Decrease space between items (compact view)” option in Folder Options and it’ll make the icons spacing less similar to previous Windows versions.

Following screenshot shows both default and compact view spacing compared in Windows 11 File Explorer:

One more thing to add! If you right-click on a file or folder, basic clipboard operations options such as cut, copy, paste, rename, delete are shown at the top of the context menu in form of a toolbar as shown in following screenshot:

In start, you might find these options appearing at the top annoying as we are used to see these options at the bottom of the context menu but after using Windows 11 for some time, you’ll find this change useful as it saves time in selecting these essential options.

PS: You can always click on “Show more options” link present at the bottom of the new modern context menu or press Shift+F10 keys together to access classic right-click menu options as mentioned before.

Many people will also notice the rounded corner in all program windows. It’s part of the new rounded UI of Windows 11.

Snap Layouts and Snap Groups:

Windows 11 comes with a very useful feature called Snap layouts and groups. When you hover mouse cursor over the “Maximize” icon in Explorer or other program windows, you’ll get a new fly-out which allows you to arrange program windows in different views on your computer screen as shown in following screenshot:

Alternatively, you can press Win+Z keys together to access snap layouts feature.

You can select any desired layout and Windows 11 will move the program window to that position.

It’ll really help users in multitasking and arranging program windows on their computer screen.

Also Check: How to Disable Snap Layouts Flyout on Maximize Button in Windows 11

Windows 11 Settings:

The main Settings app is also redesigned and very different from Windows 10.

When you launch Settings app in Windows 11, it doesn’t show any homepage containing sections list. Instead, it displays all available sections in left-side pane and their options list in right-side pane as shown in following screenshot:

The new UI looks great and features a card UI which has become quite popular among web browsers and software programs.

The Win+X Menu:

The hidden secret Win+X menu is still present in Windows 11 and looks better than Windows 10. Surprisingly, it’s more compact than Windows 10 menu as shown in following screenshot:

Remember you’ll need to right-click on Start button to access Win+X menu or press the Win+X keys together. If you try to right-click at the bottom-left corner, Win+X menu will not appear.

New Widgets Feature:

Microsoft has added a new Widgets feature to Windows 11 to bring a Desktop Sidebar style functionality. If you remember, Windows Vista used to display a sidebar on Desktop and a similar feature is now back in Windows 11.

You can click on the Widgets icon present on the Taskbar to launch Widgets sidebar or you can swipe from right-side of your touch-enabled device screen. You can also press Win+W keys together to access Widgets screen.

It displays a homepage in sidebar containing weather information and top stories from Internet.

You can customize the Widgets homepage and add/remove sections.

Widgets feature has been developed to replace Windows 10’s News and Interests feature.

Awesome Dark Mode:

The new enhanced Dark Mode is perfect in Windows 11. I found it actually better than Windows 10 dark mode.

You can enable Dark Mode in Windows 11 using Settings -> Personalization -> Colors page.

Each and everything looks so nice in the new Dark Mode. The color combination is perfect.

Microsoft Store:

Windows 11 comes with an all-new redesigned Microsoft Store as shown in following screenshot:

In future, Windows 11 Store will also allow users to download and install Android apps in their PC.

Windows 11 Performance:

Performance wise, I didn’t notice any difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11. Since Windows 11 has been developed to take full benefits of the new hardware, I’ll try to install and use Windows 11 on new machine once Windows 11 stable version is released to public. Then we’ll be able to find out actual performance improvements in Windows 11.

Windows 11 Programs Compatibility:

Since Windows 11 shares same Windows 10 code, all software program which work in Windows 10, should also work in Windows 11 without any issues.

Windows 11 Hardware Requirements:

Windows 11 hardware requirements are higher than Windows 10. Following are the minimum system requirements to install Windows 11:

Windows 11 Minimum System Requirements or Hardware Specifications

If you want to check whether your existing computer can support and run Windows 11 or not, following article will help you in checking Windows 11 compatibility:

Download PC Health Check App to Know Whether Your PC Meets Windows 11 System Requirements

Deprecated and Removed Features:

There are some features which have been removed from Windows 11 operating system. If you want to learn which features are not available in Windows 11, following article will help you:

List of Deprecated and Removed Features in Windows 11

Other classic tools such as Control Panel, System Properties, etc are still present in Windows 11.

New Hotkeys or Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 11:

As mentioned above, following are 4 new hotkeys in Windows 11:

• WIN+A => To access Quick Settings fly-out in Taskbar
• WIN+N => To access Notification Center or Action Center
• WIN+W => To access Widgets feature in left-sidebar on Desktop
• WIN+Z => To access Snap layouts feature in Explorer

Other Windows 10 hotkeys will also work in Windows 11. For your convenience, here are the other useful keyboard shortcuts which work in both Windows 10 and Windows 11:

Hotkey	Action
WIN key	To access Start Menu
WIN+1, WIN+2, …	To switch to the numbered application in Taskbar
WIN+B	To highlight Taskbar Notification Area
WIN+C	To launch Cortana in listening mode
WIN+D	To toggle between Desktop and programs screen
WIN+E	To launch File Explorer (This PC or My Computer)
WIN+H	To show Share charm
WIN+I	To launch Settings app
WIN+K	To show Connect pane to connect to wireless display / audio devices
WIN+L	To lock the computer and show Lock Screen
WIN+M	To minimize all running program windows and switch to Desktop
WIN+O	To lock device orientation mode
WIN+P	To show Project pane to select projection type
WIN+R	To launch Run dialog box
WIN+S	To launch Cortana Search in typing mode
WIN+T	To cycle through all running apps in Taskbar
WIN+U	To launch Ease of Access Center
WIN+V	To cycle through notifications
WIN+X	To launch WIN+X menu (Quick Access Menu)
WIN+,	To peek at Desktop
WIN+Home	To minimize all non-active program windows and then restore them
WIN+Prt Scn	To save screenshot in Pictures -> Screenshots library folder
WIN+Pause	To launch System Properties window
WIN+Plus	To zoom in using Magnifier tool
WIN+Minus	To zoom out using Magnifier tool
WIN+Esc	To close Magnifier tool
WIN+Enter	To launch Narrator
WIN+Space bar	To switch between input language and keyboard layout
WIN+Tab	To open Task View (Multiple or Virtual Desktops)
WIN+Ctrl+D	To create new virtual desktop
WIN+Ctrl+Left arrow	To switch to the previous virtual desktop
WIN+Ctrl+Right arrow	To switch to the next virtual desktop
WIN+Ctrl+F4	To close the active virtual desktop
WIN+Left arrow	To snap the active program window to the left half of your monitor
WIN+Right arrow	To snap the active program window to the right half of your monitor
WIN+Up arrow	To maximize or resize the active program window
WIN+Down arrow	To restore or minimize the active program window
WIN+Shift+Up arrow	To maximize the active program window vertically
WIN+Shift+Down arrow	To restore or minimize the active program window vertically
WIN+Shift+Left arrow	To move the active program window to the left monitor
WIN+Shift+Right arrow	To move the active program window to the right monitor
WIN+?	To launch Windows Feedback app
Ctrl+Shift+Esc	To launch Task Manager

 

Also check following useful articles related to Windows 11:

How to Create Bootable USB Drive to Install Windows 11

[Tip] How to Download Windows 11 Offline ISO Files

[Tip] How to Complete Windows 11 Setup Without Internet Connection

[Tip] How to Install Windows 11 With Local User Account

Should You Install Windows 11 on Unsupported Hardware Devices?

How to Check Your Computer has TPM 2.0 for Windows 11?

How to Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to Install Windows 11?

[Tip] Bypass Windows 11 TPM and Secure Boot Requirements Check to Install on Unsupported Hardware