Windows 11 was released in the fall of 2021 and a year later version 22H2, the first feature update for the current Microsoft operating system. Among other things, it contained new Start menu options, optimizations for the context menu and a new task manager. Since late 2022, the company from Redmond, Washington, USA, has been delivering so-called snap updates at irregular intervals that unlock new features. Microsoft recently released the Moment 3 update with numerous new features for Windows 11. Ai-lookup reports on what is likely to be in the upcoming Windows 11 updates and whether the 23H2 feature update will appear in the fall, as expected.
Windows 11 updates: What’s new in 2023
Microsoft has been testing a slew of new features for weeks now, and it’s still unclear if and with which update they’ll appear. Here’s an overview:
- Windows 11 co-pilot
- AI in MS store
- Built-in support rar and 7-zip
- New design of Windows Explorer
- Neat improvement in Startup App’s
- Jump Lists for MS Store
- App folders on the desktop
Windows 11 co-pilot
At the start of the Build developer fair on May 23, 2023, Microsoft unveiled a whole bunch of innovations for Windows 11 . The highlight, of course, was Windows 11 Copilot based on ChatGPT , which also integrates artificial intelligence (AI) into Windows 11 in line with Bing , Edge and Microsoft 365 . Instead of the previous “emergency solution” using the Bing button in the Start menu.The new copilot can be found right on the taskbar, and it opens a sidebar on the right edge of the screen where you can type questions or copy text and ask the AI for a summary. In the live demo, the co-pilot also accessed Windows features by running focus sessions and playing music. With the current preview version of Windows ( build 23493 on the Dev channel ), insiders get a first glimpse of the feature, and it could be open to all Windows users with Windows 11 23H2 in fall 2023.
AI in the Microsoft store
Microsoft is not only integrating artificial intelligence into its services, but also wants to promote relevant third-party apps. That’s why in the future there will be a separate area in the Microsoft Store for AI apps, which Microsoft also demonstrated at the show. In the area marked with two asterisks, interested parties will find all applications that use artificial intelligence in the future, such as Skylum’s Luminar Neo.
Built-in support rar and 7-zip
On the sidelines of the Copilot presentation, Microsoft announced a little scoop: in addition to Zip, Windows 11 will soon support many other archive formats such as Tar, 7-zip, Rar and gz . The direct integration of the open source Libarchive project into the operating system makes this possible. The formats mentioned can be extracted as usual via the context menu – so the corresponding packer is no longer needed.
According to The Verge , the feature should become available to all Windows 11 users in September 2023. According to the report, the ability to create said archives with Windows is planned for 2024. Until then, you still need the appropriate packer.
Windows Explorer: a new design
In early January 2023, Microsoft tested viewing a secret gallery in Windows Explorer as part of the Windows Insider program . It’s part of a major update to Explorer that Microsoft didn’t officially reveal at Build 2023, but you could see it briefly in a video . It shows the Windows file manager in a new Windows look, including rounded buttons that now appear just below the address bar.
More information about Autorun
Programs often run unnecessarily with Windows, then run in the background and constantly strain hardware resources. However, many users who screen out such troublemakers through Windows settings after tapping on applications and autorun are overwhelmed by deciding what’s useful and what’s okay. Windows should help better here: after clicking on an application entry in the Microsoft Store, the operating system will display a page with detailed information about the application in the future. In commonly installed programs, so-called Win32 applications, clicking on the name leads to the corresponding storage location, where informative text files can be found. Twitter user PhantomOcean3, who noticed the innovation, presents it in a short video.
Jump Lists for Microsoft Store
Toggle lists have been around since Windows 7: Right-clicking an icon on the taskbar displays a list of frequently used actions in the corresponding program, recently used files, or pinned items. The Microsoft Store icon will soon have a list of shortcuts as well. By right-clicking it, you can return to recently visited store pages and category pages, such as Apps, Games or Movies & TV, with a single click.
Application folders on the desktop
There was good news in March 2022 for Windows 11 users who missed this feature: Start menu folders are coming back . Starting with version 22H2, shortcuts in the Windows 11 Start menu can again be dragged together with the mouse, after which Windows groups them into a folder to save space. Most users are familiar with this feature from their smartphone home screen. Later, a user in a Microsoft video noticed a related innovation that is not yet official, but could come in 2023: program icons grouped in a folder on the desktop.
A reader provided the Windows Latest blog with a shot from a live Microsoft event, see image above. It shows icons on the desktop that have been merged into a folder. Microsoft has not commented on this. So it’s unclear if the manufacturer has envisioned this feature for Windows or if it has already been abandoned.
Schedule: Windows 11 22H3
Microsoft’s new updates schedule ensures that Windows 11 users get new features and notable changes every few months. The first Moment update followed in November 2022 to version 22H2 and, among other things, provided a tabbed feature in the explorer. The Moment 2 update was automatically distributed in March 2023 and brought additional innovations such as artificial intelligence-based Bing search in the taskbar and new features for Smartphone-Link. In mid-June, Microsoft released the Moment 3 update , which mainly made improvements to the taskbar. Until, perhaps, Windows 12 follows that in September or October 2023 should also come feature update 23H2.
Because, according to the current status, Microsoft sticks to the rhythm with annual feature updates, despite the instant updates. In late February 2023, the company announced on its blog , that there will be a major update to Windows 11 in the second half of the year. According to Windows Latest, it’s called 23H2 and will be released in the fall of 2023.
Also read our artcle: https://www.ai-lookup.com/windows-365-microsofts-cloud-pc-at-a-glance/
