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Leak reveals 3 big Windows 11 features possibly coming soon

Arif Bacchus
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Microsoft previously confirmed that Windows 11 will be getting some new features this year, but now a leaker just revealed three major features for the operating system that are yet to be revealed by the company.

Over on Twitter, @thebookisclosed has a series of threads that look at the new features in action. Included is a stickers option for the desktop wallpaper, improvements to tablet mode, and changes to notifications. All the features aren’t actually active and were enabled with a debugger, according to the user. The most significant of the new features, the changes in tablet mode, doesn’t have a screenshot just yet, either.

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The new sticker options are apparently intended to spice up your wallpaper. Presumably, you will be able to configure the stickers using a “Sticker Editor” app, and the stickers will stay on the screen if you change wallpapers and show up on one monitor. This is quite an interesting feature, but system admins will be able to disable it for their users if they don’t like it.

Windows 11's new sticker options in use.
@thebookisclosed/ Twitter

As for the tablet mode improvement, it brings back something from Windows 10, according to @thebookisclosed, who believes that there’s a new taskbar setting for hiding the taskbar when holding a Windows 11 device in tablet mode. The ability to “automatically hide the taskbar when using your device as a tablet is in the works,” says the leaker.

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With the remainder of the features, Microsoft could be cleaning up notifications in Windows 11 a bit more. Per @thebookisclosed, Windows 11’s Focus Assist is being rebranded to “Focus,” and Microsoft is also adding more granular notification options. As part of that, notification priorities are no longer tucked away and are more upfront.

A few more improvements coming to Windows 11 🍃
• Sustainability: better energy consumption and device recycling awareness
• Focus Assist is becoming Focus, now schedulable through Outlook & sporting more granular options
• Notification priorities no longer tucked away in UI pic.twitter.com/5V6t51rDP4

— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) February 5, 2022

As a bonus for knowing the energy efficiency your device, Windows 11 could also get a “sustainability” option. This showcases how eco-friendly a device can be in the form of a rating with a leaf glyph icon in a settings page. There are even options to show how you can recycle your device.

It’s unknown when these features will be rolling out to everyone, but Microsoft previously indicated in a blog post that there will be features intentionally disabled in Windows Insider builds. The company claims that this is by design, and it will only communicate about features that are purposely enabling for Windows Insiders to test out. Obviously, that means these features might not ever come to anyone, but there is a small chance, as previous leaks have shaped up to become a reality.

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Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus
Computing Writer
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
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