Windows 11, with the 2022 update, is truly an operating system for everyone. Try the news

If Microsoft didn’t decide to call it Windows 11 Update 2022, the correct name would probably be Windows 12. It’s distributed in the form of an update through Windows Update, but it’s really hard to talk about a minor update when Microsoft has made hundreds of innovations, and they’re headed To embrace every potential user of the system. There is news for those who play, for those who study, for those who have to work and also for those who need concrete help using a computer.

More attentive to people with disabilities

On the access front, for example, up Real-time transcription through machine learning of everything that passes through the sound card. It is activated by pressing the key combination Windows + Control + L and initially asks to download the vocabulary locally: System It works even without a permanent internet connection.

If most of the video content is already equipped with subtitles, even automatically, this is not true for example in the case of meetings in Teams or in Zoom. Thanks to the real-time transcription, a deaf person can continue the conversation without any problem.

Caption, as it is called in Italian, occupies the top of the desktop but can be repositioned like a regular window. Among the features of the system is the possibility to include your own microphone and above all to automatically filter vulgar content. The only limitation, at the moment, is that there is only English vocabulary: it cannot be used with other languages.

Still on the topic of accessibility, Microsoft also introduced How to use Windows 11 with voice commands, which follows the one Apple demonstrated at WWDC in 2019: a grid is enforced and the user can, by voice, indicate to the system where the mouse cursor should move by selecting. It only works with English at the moment.

Finally, drag and drop to the taskbar, but tabs in Explorer only for a short time

Windows 11, which we saw last year, was a bit of a work in progress: old apps are hidden under a newer theme, “dark” mode isn’t without flaws in management and many other small limits that stymied many users, who preferred to stay on Windows 10. Many of these things were revised with the update, Especially in the menu and toolbar areas. The latter, and here many will be able to breathe a sigh of relief, Finally supports drag and drop: If you drag a Jpeg file to the Photoshop icon, the application will be brought to the foreground and you can automatically open the file or group of files.

Menu management also changes: Dragging one application over the other is grouped into folders, which can be called . A very “mobile/tablet” approach where space is limited, but it’s a clear indication of Microsoft’s desire to build a hybrid platform that can also embrace touchscreen devices with a small screen, which are actually tablets.

Microsoft has worked very well to improve the design of these new features, trying to make them homogeneous, even if something is still missing, especially from the user interaction side. For example, it is not possible to destroy a folder, all applications must be removed manually, one by one, in the same way we believe that there is a graphical problem with the drag and drop management, because the icon appears anyway warning that the operation is not possible when it is clear that it can be done .

In terms of customization, the possibility to choose different menu formats is tangible: someone would have liked to eliminate the “recommended articles” section altogether, leaving a whole space for applications, but you will have to content yourself with reducing it to one line, expanding the space for saving applications and now also for application folders.

Windows Explorer also changes: in the general view, in addition to quick access to user folders and recent files, it is now possible Leave some favorite files in the directory, integration with OneDrive is also improved.

In the relevant section there is a small icon Allows direct access to account settingswith instant display of remaining space and the ability to recall settings.

The explorer is not yet complete: Navigate to the tabPerhaps one of the most awaited features by users, it is part of the news of this update but it will be released only in october.

For those who like to work in multitasking we find Small improvements also in “Snap” functionality for layoutsIt is perhaps one of the features most loved by those who use Windows on the big screens. Simply move an app to the top to bring up some suggested layout in which apps can be “locked” to organize your desktop automatically. It should be noted that this function reacts dynamically to the resolution of the connected screen, so depending on the dpi, pixels and aspect ratio, it will automatically suggest a series of layouts that can be adapted. A great help for those who use Windows especially in the office and work environment.

Also for those who work, and probably use the same earbuds with their laptop that they also use with an iPhone or iPad, there’s improved support for Apple’s AirPods: Optimizes connection bandwidth and relies on AAC codecBetter quality during video calls.

Focus mode reaches to maintain focus

Always to encourage work and production Focus mode is divided into focus and do not disturb. The second silences notifications, the first allows you to start a kind of “digital hourglass” that gives you some time to focus on a particular thing, disabling notifications and any other form of distraction.

There is also news for gamers, starting with the implementation of dynamic screen refresh rate management. this is It works both in Windows, if the computer is connected to a monitor that supports it, and in games, with VRR-enabled monitors and games unlocked updated. VRR is one of the features Windows is taking from Xbox, like Auto HDR, which deals with extended dynamic range in games that weren’t originally intended for HDR on compatible displays. There’s also a new admin bar for Xbox, which makes it easier to use your PC with an Xbox gamepad.

Windows, in general, has always been designed with the idea of ​​the classic PC under test, despite the fact that Microsoft’s flagship product is a hybrid that also becomes an excellent tablet by removing the keyboard, or Surface. With the Windows 11 update, this point also improves, especially in interaction with touch. It’s finally there Gesture that allows you to control the start menu with the movement of the hand. It is difficult to understand why such a useful interaction has been forgotten even today. Obviously, it’s not the only gesture, many other small interactions have been added to make it easier to use Windows with touch systems, and it’s a sign of wanting to continue in the direction of the perfect hybrid.

Hello, Android app

Last but not least, Android apps arrive too: Microsoft has expanded the distribution of the Android subsystem and Italy is among the countries where you can finally try thousands of Amazon AppStore apps. The beginning of a small revolution, which will materialize with the transition of many ultra-fast Windows mobile devices to the ARM platform, which will facilitate the implementation of native applications and the use of compatibility layers.

Windows 11 in 2022 has hundreds of new features, and we’ve listed just the most obvious of them. There is improved support for Teams, there are many small changes around every corner and soon some news that has already been announced will arrive, first of all tabs in Explorer.

Windows 11 is starting to get right

Windows 11 has been a great work in progress, and with this update we can say we’re almost done. Microsoft understands that the platform is evolving and that it still has to intervene in many aspects, notably removing everything that is, graphically, a legacy, but it does so slowly, so as not to collapse a sensitive castle. The new Task Manager panel, for example, is a small sign that all traces of old Windows, still something from Windows NT, will slowly disappear. Someone was skeptical about the update, and decided to stick with Windows 10: this new version could be the catalyst for the leap.

How to get Windows 11 2022

To get Windows 11 2022 update, just go to Start / Settings / Windows Update and check if the update is available. Due to the split in the distribution, the update may be announced on a specific screen but not yet available for download.