A month working in Windows 11

I walked into the office and as I made my way through saying hello to my team, I realised that there was another laptop sitting on my desk. As I put my bag down one of my engineers came sprinting over to intercept me as i sat down.

“What’s this” I said

“It’s a Windows 11 laptop, It’s all ready to go I think you should try it” he said

The sweat started to bead on my brow as I thought of all of the things I needed to accomplish that day. Would moving to a new computer lead to the inevitable frustration of not being able to complete things as quickly?

“Trust me” he said

So i logged in and within 2 mins i was up and running.

The operating system after the “last” Windows operating system

With Windows 11 Microsoft has taken a risk by changing up its most successful operating system, though most of the changes on initial use appear to be user experience based. Windows 11 is a response to competition from Apple and Google, both of which have been competing with the market-leading desktop operating system with new designs.

Despite its drastically updated look, Windows 11 functions much as Windows 10 does, with a few added features. Windows 11 looks nicer with rounded corners for all windows, the Taskbar icons in the middle, simpler icons, and more elegant Settings dialogs. But what’s more impressive to me is all of the updates you can’t see - the performance and stability of the new operating system is really quite impressive.

Taskbar, Start Menu, and File Explorer

For decades, the Start button has lived in the lower-left-hand corner of the screen, so one of my initial concerns was getting used to it being in the center of the screen. My panic dissipated though when I realised, a Taskbar alignment option lets you move the Start button back to its rightful position in the left corner. I have to admit I haven’t actually changed it back though. I’ve realised that my default modus operandi is to hit the windows key and then type the name of what i want.

I’m not in love with the new Taskbar itself, many details are hidden from sight - for example the old “tiles” from the bottom of the action center are now hidden in a quick settings submenu which pops off the network, sound & battery settings.

File Explorer is a good example of Windows 11’s new design, though it took me a while to get used to the simplified ribbon along the top

Settings

I’m pleased to say Microsoft have completely overhauled the settings panel of Windows 11. Gone is the inconsistent settings windows and dialogues that were the hangover from Windows 8 where somethings you had to set in settings and some things in the control panel

Widgets

One of the big new features Microsoft touts for Windows 11 is Widgets. These are auto-updating tiles showing things like news headlines, weather, and your calendar, and the concept should be familiar if you spend a lot of time staring at a smartphone.

Windows 11 widgets aren’t far removed from the Desktop Gadgets we saw in Windows 8. Instead of sitting on your desktop, though, Windows 11 Widgets reside in a hidden tray that slides out from the left side of the screen when you hit the Widgets button.

It’s a neat idea, and perhaps in the future I’ll come to rely on Windows 11 Widgets during my daily routine. But right now, Widgets on Windows 11 are quite limited and easily forgotten. When Microsoft first announced they were coming to Windows 11, we were shown demos of a Widgets panel that can be customized, expanded into full-screen mode, and rearranged to your liking.

The final verdict

I wouldn’t go back to Windows 10. After a month or so of working full time in Windows 11 I think it is indeed an upgrade and I’m excited to see where Microsoft take it next.