The 5 Best Windows 11 Features to Know

This article explains the top Windows 11 exclusive features so you can make an informed decision whether or not to upgrade.

Snap Layouts

In Windows 10, you can resize windows to take up either half of your screen. With Windows 11 Snap Layouts, you can easily resize and position windows in any quadrant of your screen and set them up however you like.

In between the 'Close' and 'Minimize' buttons at the top-right of a window in Windows 11 is a layout button you can now click to readjust and reposition your windows much more easily.

Windows Updates

For much of Windows 10's lifespan, people have criticized the slow and obtrusive way Windows Updates are handled. In Windows 11, Microsoft is taking another major step to address this by promising Windows 11 updates will be 40% smaller and thus will be delivered faster, too.

On top of this, Microsoft promises Windows Update background installation, so users frustrated by their device being taken over by Microsoft to constantly update itself can breathe a sigh of relief, as updates can be installed while you use your device in Windows 11 more easily.

Widgets

Widgets, and other similar features like Interests on the taskbar, have long since been a part of Windows, but Windows 10 opted to not use widgets themselves and instead concentrate those kinds of features into apps rolled into the Microsoft Store.

Widgets are making a return in Windows 11. At a moment's notice, you can access your Widgets, which encompass a variety of useful tools and utilities often specific to you and your location, from the weather outside to your weekly calendar and much more.

Android Apps

In Windows 11, you can run Android apps natively on your Windows device. No need for an Android virtual machine or another version designed specifically for Windows.

Have a particular game or application only available on Android you'd love to use on your laptop, tablet, or desktop? In Windows 11 it only takes a couple of clicks in the Microsoft Store to get those apps up and running.

Auto HDR

If you've got a modern gaming console and an HDR display, you can enable HDR on a system level, which automatically converts traditional, SDR content into HDR.

Now, this kind HDR isn't nearly as good as content coming with its own HDR implementation, but for users with an HDR display, the ability to actually consume their preferred daily content in HDR is a nice improvement.