Upgrading to Home windows 11 was a no brainer for me, even when it felt much less thrilling at launch in 2021. Nevertheless, in 2024, its enhancements far outweigh the preliminary quirks with the Begin menu and taskbar. If you happen to’re nonetheless on the fence, here is why I would not return to Home windows 10.
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Home windows 11’s UI Is Nearer to Constant
Since Home windows XP, one persistent issue with Windows’ interface has been the lack of consistency. Whereas Home windows 11 hasn’t absolutely earned that “constant” label but, it is actually getting nearer.
With Home windows 11, Microsoft shifted from its ageing Metro design language to Fluent design, a extra mature, minimal, and trendy UI with rounded corners and a hotter coloration palette. Going again, the Home windows 10 UI now feels dated and fewer cohesive.
Microsoft can be addressing the dual-app situation the place a number of apps management comparable settings, such because the Management Panel and the Settings app. With every replace, extra legacy apps are adopting the brand new design language, and extra of the Management Panel settings are transitioning to the Settings app, which can ultimately change the legacy Management Panel completely.
The redesigned Settings app contains a extra streamlined sidebar that lets you shortly swap between completely different settings teams. Moreover, extra system apps, similar to Activity Supervisor, now assist Darkish mode.
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My Favourite Constructed-In Apps Are Higher on Home windows 11
Many built-in Home windows apps, similar to Paint, Images, Notepad, and Media Participant, have been up to date to adapt to the brand new design, some even with new options. An important working example is the traditional Paint app, which now helps layers, a background eraser, and Cocreator on Copilot+ PCs to create artwork with AI.
The common-or-garden Notepad will get tab assist and autosave to robotically save your work and resume once you reopen the app. It additionally helps a number of ranges of undo and redo, Darkish mode, a built-in spell checker, and autocorrect, making it a much more succesful note-taking utility on Home windows.
One other quality-of-life enchancment is the addition of Focus Sessions in Windows 11 to the up to date Clock app. When activated, it allows the Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, muting notifications till the session ends.
Windows Search is faster, a lot more customizable, and feels smoother. I exploit it to shortly open apps or to fact-check data from the net with out opening an online browser. The Snipping Instrument app has additionally been refreshed with a brand new look and options probably the most requested display recording characteristic, although it is capped at 30FPS.
Telephone Hyperlink now helps iPhone integration however solely on Home windows 11. Voice Entry is one other unique characteristic that lets you carry out fundamental duties like opening apps, maximizing or closing home windows, typing through voice, or changing textual content to speech. Moreover, the Windows Backup app supports backup and restore, which is proscribed to solely backup on Home windows 10.
Let’s not overlook File Explorer, which has been enhanced with much-needed assist for a number of and duplicate tabs. What’s extra, the Windows 11 24H2 update additionally addresses a key situation with the brand new context menu by including clear labels for frequent actions like Copy, Paste, Rename, Lower, and Delete.
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New AI Integrations Are Unique to Home windows 11
The future of Windows is AI, and a few of these AI integrations are already a part of Home windows 11. Whereas a few of these options are unique to Copilot+ PCs, others can be found throughout all Home windows 11 gadgets.
As an illustration, the Dwell Caption characteristic works nicely and generates English captions throughout video calls or when watching movies, although I have never discovered a lot use for it. What I discover extra useful is the nifty AI-powered OCR within the Snipping Instrument app, which lets you copy textual content from screenshots.
If you happen to use Clipchamp, AI can robotically add captions to your movies, make video enhancements, or auto-compose a video together with your chosen media recordsdata. Moreover, the built-in Images app now provides background removing and generative erase to take away an object and fill within the components of pictures. A few of these options might also be obtainable on Home windows 10.
Unique to Copilot+ PCs are superior AI options such because the Paint Cocreator to create artwork by coming into a textual content immediate after which drawing on the paint canvas, in addition to Auto Super Resolution to boost FPS and improve visual details in gaming. The now-revoked Recall characteristic is one other Copilot+ unique characteristic that makes use of a pure language processing mannequin that will help you discover and keep in mind actions in your PC by making a timeline.
What’s extra, Home windows Studio Results makes use of your computer’s integrated neural processing unit (NPU) to reinforce your video calls by making use of results to your digital camera and microphone for a house studio-like expertise.
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Improved Snap Layouts and Digital Desktop Enhancements
Home windows 10’s Snap Help instrument made organizing lively home windows simpler, however Snap Format in Home windows 11 takes it additional. You possibly can hover over the maximize icon within the top-right nook of the app window, then select from a number of layouts within the thumbnail view. Alternatively, you possibly can merely drag an lively window to the sting of your display to pick from completely different layouts.
Moreover, Home windows 11 can keep in mind your docking conduct and monitor positions. If you undock your laptop, the OS will reduce all home windows in your exterior monitor. Upon reconnecting, Home windows will restore them to their earlier positions. Moreover, now you can set completely different wallpapers for every digital desktop to visually distinguish between them.
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Home windows 11 Is General a Extra Safe Working System
Due to stringent {hardware} necessities, Windows 11 is much more secure than Windows 10. Whereas it is technically possible to use Windows 11 without TPM, we do not advocate doing so for safety causes. Additionally, such programs will not obtain characteristic and safety updates from Microsoft.
Home windows 11 additionally introduces Presence Sensing on appropriate gadgets, which might auto-lock your laptop once you transfer away or signal you in through Home windows Hi there once you return. Moreover, the Windows Security app now includes Smart App Control, which provides important safety from new threats by robotically blocking untrusted or malicious apps.
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Home windows 10 Is Nearing Finish of Life
Microsoft plans to drop assist for Home windows 10 on October 14, 2025. After this date, Home windows 10 PCs will not get safety updates until you pay for Extended Security Updates.
When you have a appropriate Home windows 10 laptop, you possibly can improve to Home windows 11 totally free. As soon as upgraded, there are many workarounds to repair the issues that you do not like about Home windows 11.
Past that, Home windows 11 merely seems nice, feels snappy, is far more safe, and works equally nicely, if not higher, than its predecessor. Whereas Home windows 10 served nicely for nearly a decade, Home windows 11 is the long run and there is no level going again.
