File Explorer

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After years, Microsoft has updated File Explorer to modernise it and match the design principles of Windows 11, powered by WinUI and the latest Windows App SDK. The modernisation includes a new address bar and search box. The address bar can now recognise local vs cloud folders with built-in status. For OneDrive users, you will also notice an address bar that shows the OneDrive Sync status and quote flyout.

The new mail app, Outlook, is now the default app.

The new mail app, Outlook, is the new default Mail app. Initially based on a web-based platform, it was only available to Microsoft 365 users, but it has since received major treatment from Microsoft as it now supports other email clients like Gmail, Yahoo, and others.

The company has also added a calendar, tasks, and other features. Microsoft has said that more features will be coming to Outlook in future updates.

New OOBE Experience

The out-of-the Box experience is now improving. The Restore feature will automatically get your apps, settings, and development home for personalised experiences. This is currently in the December channel and will come to others in future updates.

Recommendations in File Explorer

If you have been using File Explorer with the same account that has an Azure Active Directory (ADD), there will be a recommendation file section with supported thumbnails.

Quick access

There is also a new Quick Access folder, which will be enabled by default, and all things will be synced with your Microsoft Account. On top of that, the experience has improved with Favourites and Recent appearing in the Home section, and the design has been updated with WinUI.

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class="wp-block-heading">Details Panel

This is another useful update. It has also been redesigned to stay up-to-date with file activity and collaboration without opening a file. The experience has improved, making it easier for related content to use. All you have to do is simply use the option from the panel to enable the Details panel view menu and toggle the panel, which enables an easy-access button to be located on the right side of the command bar.

Other parts of the File Explorer within the Details panel have also been updated and have become quite stable as the new File Explorer and enable panel, thumbnails, share and button, file activity, related files, emails, and other information.

Dynamic Lighting

One more useful update to Windows is Dynamic Lighting support with native controls for Lighting Devices implementing the Open HID LampArray standard. With this new standard, companies can adopt it and have seamless support, improving the RGB device ecosystem. Microsoft also released an API for Windows apps to control devices from the background and foreground, as well as the page being updated in Windows Settings, making it easier for users to change settings from Windows Settings.

Many manufacturers, including Acer, Asus, HP, HyperX, Logitech, Razer, and Twinkly, have supported Microsoft Dynamic Lighting. Some of the devices also have support, which you can check here.

Auto Colour Management Expansion

To make colours more accurate and personalised, a new ACM stands for Auto Colour Management. To use this, you must open Windows Settings, then head over to display. From there, choose Advanced Display, then Correct Display, and enable Automatically Manage Colours for the Apps.

You need to have the WDDM driver v3.0 or higher to use this. As for GPUs, consider having an AMD RX 400 series or later, an AMD Ryzen processor with Radeon Graphics, an Intel 12 Gen or higher, or an Intel DG1 or later. And for NVIDIA, you should have a Nvidia GTX 10xx or higher to use. Apart from this, your display should have an 8-bit sRGB colour panel.

Windows Ink

Another major update that will be helpful for Windows Ink users is that users can now directly enable inking on edit fields. There is better accuracy from the recognition technology and the gesture when users need to make an edit. Here, Microsoft teamed with Windows Ink to allow users to use their pen and handwriting anywhere they can type on Windows devices.

To enable this, all you have to do is head over to Windows Settings. Go to Bluetooth and device, and then toggle to enable or tweak Pen and Windows Ink under “Shell Handwriting.”

Quick Settings Volume Mixer

There is an improved way to control the volume of each app. It’s baked into the Quick Settings. You can control each app’s volume or change the output device and spatial audio from there. To quickly access it, use the keyboard shortcut Windows + Ctrl + V.

Windows Spotlight

The company has also released an update to Windows Spotlight. The experience of the Windows Spotlight now includes the preview image, full screen, multiple opportunities to learn more about each image, and a minimised experience. To use the Windows Spotlight experience, you only need to right-click on the Spotlight icon on the desktop and then double-click on the image to launch the Bing landing page.

You can enable this from Windows Settings by heading to Personalization and then Backgrounds. Select the Personalise your background option. This is only available to a handful of Dev users and will roll out to others after extensive testing.

Passwordless Improvements

Microsoft recently added support for passwordless login to improve privacy and security and has now received another major update. You can sign in to websites or applications without entering a password. This will help keep you safe from threats. However, there are only a few apps and sites that support passkeys. Also, users need to enable the passkey on their end. Some apps and services do support passkeys, like GitHub. Also, browsers need to add support for the passkeys. Some popular browsers, like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, have added support for passkeys.

To manage the passkeys on your Windows device, all you have to do is open Windows Settings and then click on Account. After that, click on Passkeys, and then from the list of all Passkeys saved on Windows, you can search for and delete any Passkeys from your devices. Also, the passwordless experience with Windows Hello for Business has been improved for enhanced privacy protection.

Unsafe Password and Paste Warning

Privacy is further enabled with the enhanced phishing protection in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. It helps to protect Microsoft school or work passwords against phishing and unsafe usage on sites and apps.

Narrator’s Natural Voice

This is another major update. There is a new natural voice for Chinese, Spanish (Spain and Mexico), Japanese, and English (United Kingdom), which allows Narrator users to easily read, write, and do such things. On top of that, you can use the Narrator without needing to have an active internet connection.

File Sharing Improvements

The company has updated the File Sharing Sheet and improved Nearby Sharing for local file sharing from the PC. It now matches WinUI. Additionally, you can send files directly within the Windows Share window via Outlook. Instead of a dropdown, there is a button to enable or disable Nearby Sharing. Nearby Share can now be used to share files with other PCs using Wi-Fi Direct.

Apart from these, minor improvements include the camera failing to start or the closed camera shutter pop-up dialogue, urgent or important notifications, and the taskbar never combining mode. You can access this from Windows Settings, then go to Personalization, and then from the taskbar, you can enable Never Combine. Even more, developers can end tasks directly from Windows 11. To do this, you need to enable developer mode.

As for the taskbar, new sliding animations will show when you change the desktop. Windows 11 Insider Preview also brings the new Unicode Emoji 15, and now these emojis on the keyboard have a Fluent Emoji. Windows Copilot is also starting to roll out to other insiders in the Dev Channel, and it might not appear at first. For this, you do need to reboot after enabling it.