Microsoft's new Windows 11 has been available since October 2021. While the new operating system is still being rolled out step by step, the first package of new features has already been put together. Under the working title "Sun Valley 2", a series of new features and updates are planned from autumn 2022. Below, we show you which new features the first feature update for Windows 11 (Windows 11 22H2) is most likely to include and how it will improve your system and network.
New: Windows 11 feature updates now only once a year
Unlike Microsoft Windows 10, major updates for Microsoft Windows 11 will only be released once a year. Probably between summer and autumn 2022, Windows 11 users can look forward to the following improvements and enhancements:
1. Taskbar with additions and improvements
As we noted in this blog post during the introduction of Windows 11, the taskbar in the new Microsoft Windows 11 is more of a step backward compared to Windows 10. This is now changing a little, as minor additions and improvements to the menu are planned. Much of this sounds old and familiar, but these are new possibilities and functions in Windows 11.
- Drag-and-drop options are once again available for folders, files, and programs in the Windows 11 22H2 taskbar. So you'll soon be able to simply drag a file from any folder in Windows Explorer onto an app in the bottom bar, and thereby launch the program.
- Also new: The time can again be displayed on multiple monitors simultaneously in the taskbar. This is not really a new feature, but rather a well-known function. Displaying the time on both screens, or the option to do so, is more of a bug that has now been fixed.
- Users can quickly see the desired weather by simply moving the mouse pointer over the weather icon on the taskbar.
Further improvements to the taskbar for volume and Microsoft Teams
- The volume can also be regulated even more conveniently. Users simply have to move the mouse over the speaker icon and can then turn the sound up and down using the scroll wheel, thus operating the app.
- Controlling Microsoft Teams also becomes easier: By displaying a microphone icon on the taskbar during calls and meetings via Teams, the sound can also be conveniently controlled here.
- Sharing screens and specific windows in a Teams meeting is also simplified. To do this, simply move the mouse pointer over the icon of the application you want to share in the taskbar. The size of the windows can also be better adjusted here.
Also clever: For convertibles – portable computers that are a hybrid of a laptop and a tablet – there will be two modes for the new taskbar.
First mode: You minimize the taskbar to have more space on the main screen. The second mode displays the taskbar and icons extra large. The latter is much more pleasant, especially for touch control.
2. Numerous apps benefit from the feature update and the release of Windows 11 22H2
- The Windows Media Player is easier to use and offers more settings after the new update. Especially for users who prefer to use the keyboard rather than the mouse, there are new operating options.
- The frequently used app Windows Editor receives a new design and some long overdue functions and settings. This includes: Inserting colorful emojis, a function to search for and replace specific words in a text, and multi-level undo. The old version did not have this feature. Here it was only possible once. While this doesn't turn the editor into Word, these new features significantly simplify short text snippets and spontaneous notes.
- Amazon Appstore: Preview and access to popular apps like Audible, Kindle, etc. are now possible. This feature will probably only be available in the US for the first time.
- Android apps: Windows 11 had already announced support and use of Android apps at its launch in October 2021. This is now to be implemented in the 11 22H2 feature update. However, this feature could also initially only be available to US users and will only come later for other parts of the world.
Efficiency Mode for Task Manager
- An Efficiency Mode is planned for the app Task Manager . This throttles the performance of programs that are not needed and only run in the background, in favor of applications that are currently in use. Even if this function in the new Task Manager probably does not yet come close to the possibilities offered by PC tuners like TuneUp Utilities, it is nevertheless a very interesting innovation.
As mentioned at the outset, the Windows 11 22H2 feature update is planned for summer/autumn 2022. Probably for September. According to rumors and a preview, the planning phase for Microsoft's release has already been completed, and the new features are only being tested and bugs are being fixed. We will therefore know for sure in a few months what the final version of Windows 11 22H2 will contain from the announcements and which settings and functions will make it into the menu/Start menu – once the update with the innovations and the new design has become part of the new devices and operating systems.
