At its Windows hybrid work event, Microsoft unveiled a bunch of new capabilities such as enhanced endpoint management and improved security features that organizations can use in their hybrid working environments. The company has now announced tons of new features that are coming to Windows 11 too.
While many of these features will be familiar to Insiders, it"s still nice to see Microsoft confirming that these capabilities are coming soon. It is important to note that changes present in Dev Channel builds are not tied to a specific release of Windows so there"s no guarantee that they"ll ever even arrive but Microsoft"s latest confirmation lays those doubts to rest, for some of these features.
The headliner is undoubtedly tabbed File Explorer, which we have been covering on Neowin for some time since Microsoft has hidden it in an unfinished state for the past few builds. Basically, the company is offering a tabbed interface, geared towards productivity, that will enable users to multitask and move between different File Explorer directories without needing to spin up duplicate apps.
Microsoft has also highlighted a refreshed experience for File Explorer where it will surface contextualized recommendations regarding files that you should access. This feature is powered by Context IQ, which is used in Microsoft Editor too. You will also be able to pin your most-accessed files and folders to File Explorer favorites.
Next, we have app folders in the Start menu, which is something we have discussed in detail before too. You"ll be able to group multiple apps under a single folder and name it for quick access.
Other capabilities coming to Windows 11 include touch-optimized Snap Layouts, improvements to Focus including an integrated focus timer and do not disturb capabilities, and Live Captions for enhanced accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Finally, Microsoft also wants it to make it easier for you to take online meetings in hybrid working environments. As such, Windows 11 will be able to use AI on capable hardware for Voice Clarity, Automatic Framing, Portrait Background Blur, and Eye Contact to make meetings more personal.
There are other, more enterprise-focused, capabilities in tow too. We have talked about new endpoint management capabilities as well as security features in dedicated articles already, so you can read more about them in the aforementioned links. Although Microsoft hasn"t disclosed exactly when all of these features will be available, we can expect them to make their debut with Windows 11 22H2 later this year.