Skip to main content

6 upcoming Windows 11 features worth upgrading for

Windows 11 launched late in 2021 with plenty of fanfare and controversy. I reviewed it, and said that it was an exciting new era of Windows. Nearly half a year later, there are still some reasons to be just as excited about Windows 11.

With help from Windows Insiders, who beta tested upcoming and new Windows 11 features in the Dev Channel, there’s a lot of new things that are coming soon to the new Microsoft operating system. Some of these were requested by long-time Windows users familiar with Windows 10, and some are entirely new. From folders on the Start Menu to tweaks for tablets and even Live Captions, here are six of those upcoming Windows 11 features you really need to try.

Recommended Videos

Folders in the Start Menu

 

The first feature is one that many people have requested — the ability to create folders in the Windows 11 Start Menu. With the Start Menu having limited space compared to Windows 10, this lets you organize your apps in a more efficient way. It works as you’d expect. Just drag one app icon over another, and then you get both apps together in a folder.

Unfortunately, though, at the moment, it’s not possible to name the folders, or change colors. Microsoft says that it’s working to improve on the feature in future Windows Insider builds. Still, it’s plenty useful, I have folders on my Start Menu for work and personal apps, to keep myself organized.

Live captions

Second on the list is live captions. If you’re an Android user, you might be familiar with the feature. On Android phones, when live captions are turned on, autogenerated captions show up over your video, or whatever you’re watching, letting you read what’s being spoken on the screen. Well, it’s the same thing on Windows 11, too, but with some cool tweaks.

On Windows 11’s Dev Channel, you can also enjoy this feature. Just hit the Windows Key > Control Key > L on your keyboard. After being prompted to set up and download the feature, you’ll get a bar at the top of your screen that will have captions. It’s a bar that matches Windows 11’s mica effects, cleanly fitting in its own space on top of your existing content. I’ve found it useful for when my speakers are muted, so I can read what’s happening in a Teams meeting or what’s being said in a video.

Changes that make Windows tablets more useful

I’ve written before about the need for changes to tablet mode in Windows. The public non-beta version of Windows 11 delivers a lot of tweaks in that regard. It’s mainly thanks to a newer touch keyboard and increased spacing between icons. Yet in the Dev Channel versions of Windows 11, Microsoft is testing a ton of new features that make Windows tablets even more useful.

The first of those are new touch gestures. Like in Chrome OS or iPad OS, you can now swipe up on the Taskbar to bring up the Start Menu. You also can swipe up on Quick Settings to summon controls for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This just feels so natural, rather than having to tap your finger over an icon.

Also included in this is a new Taskbar state designed just for tablets. There are now “collapsed” and “expanded” modes. In collapsed, the taskbar is more out of the way, so you get more screen space and won’t accidentally summon it when holding a tablet in your hand. In expanded mode, the taskbar is more optimized for touch. You can easily switch between the two states by swiping up and down from the bottom of a device.

The setting option is available in Settings>Personalization>Taskbar>Taskbar behaviors. You can then check if automatically hide the taskbar when using your device as tablet is available.

“Microsoft is finally matching hardware with software, and it feels awesome.”

One more thing in this area has to do with Snap Layouts, Windows 11’s signature feature. Previously, it wasn’t catered for tablets, but rather keyboard and mouse. You’d hover over the maximize button to see ways to “stack” your open windows. Well, in the Dev Channel version of Windows 11, you can now hover over the window with your fingers to the middle of the screen, and you’ll get the Snap Layouts UI. Just drag the window on top of one of the layouts in the UI, and you’re in on the multitasking fun!

Some smaller changes for tablet mode in the Dev Channel version of Windows 11 include new audio controls on the lock screen and cleaner volume sliders. As I said nearly two years ago, Microsoft is finally matching hardware with software, and it feels awesome.

Easier ways to manage your Microsoft Account

A screenshot lists easy ways to manage your Microsoft Account in Settings.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One thing that is great about iPads, iPhones, and Macs is the ability to manage your Apple ID and subscriptions directly from the operating system’s settings app. Well, this is now possible in the Windows 11 Dev Channel, too. Instead of having to go online to check on your Microsoft Account, you can now do it directly from the Settings page.

There’s a new Your Microsoft Account option for all this. You can peek at your Microsoft 365 subscription status and OneDrive storage plans, manage payment options, and even view benefits. Microsoft says even more experiences may come to this Microsoft Account settings page, as it’ll be using Online Service Experience Packs to add more features here.

Improved Task Manager

A screenshot of the improved Windows 11 Task Manager app showing a graph.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Task Manager is an area where many Windows 11 power users spend a lot of time. It is used to kill unresponsive tasks, peek at system performance, and more. However, the design has not changed much since Windows 8.1. Windows 11’s Dev Channel, though, finally tweaks the design a bit — and it never looked better.

Unlike before, Task Manager now has a dark mode, supporting your system’s theme. It also has a new sidebar, matching Windows 11’s thematics. The Sidebar has a tabbed interface for Processes Performance, App History, Startup apps, users, details, and services. There’s even a new dedicated settings menu, too. It all looks so clean and modern, and after 10 years of the old design, it’s a sight for sore eyes used to Windows 10 and Windows 8.1.

Improved Search experience

A screenshot shows the search highlights feature of Windows 11.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last, but not least, on the list is an improved search experience. Microsoft is calling this “Search Highlights,” and it adds some cool improvements for the search box in Windows 11. Though it hasn’t rolled out at the time of writing, Microsoft promises that this makes the Search box a little more timely and periodical. You’ll see fun illustrations that help you discover more, be connected, and stay productive. You’ll also see notable and interesting moments — like holidays, anniversaries, and other educational moments in time both globally and in your region.

Each day will bring more things to see. And, if you’re signed into Windows with a work or school account, the Search Box will even showcase your organization’s people chart, documents you collaborated on, and things going on at your company. And don’t worry your recent apps, as the actual search bar is still there. Recently opened apps now show to the left of the box instead.

Sign up today to try these features out

All of these features are being tested in the Dev Channel branch of the Windows Insider program, and you can check them out, too. Though this is where you’ll get new Windows 11 features first, it’s also the most unstable version of Windows 11, with a lot of bugs and risks of experiencing PC crashes. Features in the Dev Channel aren’t guaranteed to make it to final Windows 11 releases, but they are the latest and greatest. Sign up today by heading to Windows Settings, choosing Windows Update, then going to Windows Insider Program. Sign in with a Microsoft Account, and choose the Dev Channel. Your PC will restart a couple of times, and you’ll be in on the action.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Copilot is Microsoft’s cue to redeem Windows and edge past macOS
The new Surface Laptop 13 on a white table.

There is always going to be a big divide between macOS and Windows. Much of it has to do with the functional disparities that are deeply ingrained at an OS-level. Or if you dive into the heated community debates, you will see it broadly as a battle between seamlessness and flexibility. 

Gaming remains the guiding star for Windows adherents. A handful of highly specialized niche industry tools also remain locked to the Microsoft platform. On the other hand, macOS fans swear by the fluid software, plenty of firepower options in the M-series silicon era, and fantastic hardware. 

Read more
Windows 11’s controversial AI Recall feature is coming to your Copilot+ PC very soon
The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

As AI strides on, it inevitably finds its way onto our personal devices, with tech giants announcing new features that rely on accessing our private information and media to serve us better. While some might find this useful, others are bound to find it creepy, and one such feature is Microsoft's controversial AI Recall, which takes screenshots of everything you do on a Copilot+ PC so it's easier to trace back your steps and find something specific later. After being announced last year, and then witnessing a few delays, Recall is finally rolling out to a broader group of Windows 11.

Microsoft recently announced Recall is coming to Windows 11 with the latest Release channel update with build 26100.3902 (KB5055627). The feature's availability in the Windows 11 Release Preview channel, which succeeds the Beta channel in the Windows Insider program, means it is in the initial phases of being available to a wider audience of folks who own Copilot+ PC. This category of PCs currently includes a whole wide range of laptops with specialized hardware in the form of a neural processing unit (NPU) dedicatedly for running AI tasks, though we might see desktops joining the club soon.

Read more
Windows 11 and 10 users find new inetpub folder after April update
Shutdown menu in Windows 11.

Windows 11 and 10 users have reported a mysterious 'inetpub' folder after installing Microsoft's April 2025 updates, as Bleeping Computer reports. Although the folder is typically associated with the Internet Information Services (IIS) web server, it's now appearing on systems without it installed. Microsoft has confirmed that the behavior is intentional but has not fully explained why.

The unexpected folder is empty, and you can find it in the root of the C: drive even if you don't have IIS installed. If you had IIS installed (web server platform by Microsoft), it would use the inetpub folder to save logs, website content, and server-related files. So, it's weird you have one without the other after installing Windows 11 KB5055523 update or Windows 10 KB5055518. The SYSTEM account owns the new inetpub folder, meaning an elevated process made it.

Read more