Loving Windows 11 so far? We sure are. Microsoft has clearly decided to take its OS to the next level and keeps showing it through every update. It makes you wonder what’s next - and today, you’ll find out!
Tons of new features have been leaked, and we can probably expect them with the 23H2 update. Here’s everything you need to know so far.
What’s Windows 11 23H2 bringing?
There are plenty of new features already confirmed for Windows 11. The only issue is we don’t know for sure if they’re coming with the 23H2 update or separately, at a different time. Whatever the case, a lot of them are pretty exciting.
Here’s an overview of what we might be getting this fall.
- Windows Copilot. Microsoft wants to add this AI-powered feature based on chatbots like Bing Chat and ChatGPT to assist users with all kinds of actions and tasks on the platform. As part of this development, the integration of first- and third-party plugins and the Bing Chat AI will be enhanced. This is a pretty amazing addition to look forward to, if you ask us.
- Dynamic Lighting. RGB lovers will rejoice upon this one! Dynamic Lighting will allow you to control your RGB-powered components directly through the Windows Settings, allowing smooth integration of your favorite peripherals with your OS. No need for third-party software anymore!
- Taskbar enhancements. Microsoft has announced some neat improvements to the Windows 11 taskbar. For one, we’ll be able to hide the Time and Date now, which is extremely useful for focus, but also for clean screenshots. Another change is the ability to shut down programs directly from the Taskbar, without having to run the Task Manager.
- Expanding native support for archive formats 7-zip, rar, gz and others on the libarchive open-source projects.
- Microsoft Store AI features. The theme of AI power is clearly being taken up a notch, because the Microsoft Store seems to be getting several awesome features in this regard. One of them is AI hub, which “curate the best AI experiences built by the developer community and Microsoft” (Windows Developer Blog). We’re not sure what that means exactly, but we sure can’t wait to see.
Another is AI-generated keywords, designed to improve the discoverability of apps you’re searching for. Moreover, the AI-generated review summary is designed to give us a simpler experience looking at reviews. Huge numbers of reviews will be compiled into a summary that’s easy to scan and lets us discover new content faster.
- Other Microsoft Store improvements. Business owners will be happy to hear that Microsoft Store ads will now reach 150+ regions worldwide, significantly increasing the audiences they can target. Furthermore, there will be enhancements to the Backup and Restore functionality to give users a more seamless experience in case they switch devices.
- File Explorer changes. Rumor has it that Microsoft is working on a Gallery to be embedded within the File Explorer. The addition of a Recommended section might be on the horizon as well.
- Widget Panel update. The introduction of the Widget Panel in itself was exciting for many. As a next step in the development of this feature, Microsoft is planning to make it possible to pin widgets to the desktop.
- Presence sensor. You might actually already have this one, as it was rolled out as part of Moment 3 for compatible devices. With the Presence sensing app, found in the Privacy settings, you can decide which (if any) apps use APIs to detect the state of your activity on Windows. This can significantly enhance privacy and security, as you can have apps containing sensitive data lock automatically when unattended. If you’re a laptop user, it can also be beneficial to your battery life.
- Bluetooth LE. Microsoft is adding support for Bluetooth Low Energy, a functionality that allows reduced battery consumption when devices are connected.
- Adding more languages to the Live Captions feature. This specification is only as powerful as the languages it supports. Microsoft is reportedly working on expanding the list with 10 more languages.
Summary
We’ve got some interesting stuff to look forward to with the next major Windows 11 update. And these are just the things the Internet’s actually heard of, so who knows what else Microsoft might be planning? It remains to be seen, hopefully just a few months from now. 23H2 has been released on October 31st.