Tag: Windows 11

Another handy feature of Windows 11 is the improvement to “Snap”. “Snap” is where you can have more than one application visible on the desktop at the same time.

The improvement is called Snap Layouts.

Snap Layouts gives you an easy way to arrange 2 to 4 applications open at the same in various layouts.

Simply click Win Key / Z or hover your mouse over the “Maximise/Restore” icon (Top right between the “-” Minimise and “X” Close icons).

This will bring up :

First open the applications that you want included in the layout.

Then maximise the application that you want as the first image in the layout. I did this a couple of times – so Test 3 starts out as the main pane –  BUT Test 1 is the main pane in the final image (below). You can arrange any way you want.

Then open the Layout Options (Win Key / Z or hover over Maximise/Restore)

Then select the pane that you want for the first App — it will turn blue:

Clicking on the space will put the application on the screen/desktop in this position. Then a split screen will appear to choose the applications to place in the remaining spaces. Just click on them in order until you have filled all the chosen spaces in the layout.

 

THE FINAL with all three in the spaces as per the layout chosen:

Just like with any screen, you can slide/position the individual Apps by clicking on the one you want to move and using the sliders at bottom (For left / right)   and the right (For Up and Down).

I find this handy and use it all the time.

I came across this on thurrott.com.

Settings has been upgraded to include a section for information on your Microsoft Account .

Go to Settings/ Accounts / Your Microsoft account :

This section has various handy details about your Microsoft Account (MS A/C).

I usually access my MS A/C via the Edge browser which I retain as the default browser.

SEE my post “Browsers and Search Engines –  February 2021”.

I have checked and, as yet, there has been no update to Settings / Accounts / Windows backup

This is not a major issue but is another instance of a small change from Win 10.

NOTIFICATIONS  – MAIL APP

As I have noted before, Notifications still appear on the right of the screen but, unlike Win 10, the icon (in the form of a blue circle with a number) only appears when there are notifications. The Mail App also shows unread Emails as a number on the icon in the Task Bar.

However, unlike Win 10, if you clear the Notifications, the unread Emails number also gets cleared from the Mail App icon in the Task Bar. (If you open the Mail App, the number of unread emails still appears on each Email Address.)

Just a small thing, but still something to be aware of if you use the Notifications to keep track of Emails.

When I booted my HTPC NUC this morning, I saw this icon in the Task Bar

It was a notification that Windows 11 was available for this computer. (I thought for sure that my Surface Pro 7 would get it first.)

So I downloaded and installed it. It took about 45 minutes and was very easy.

There was nothing un-expected as I have kept up to date by reading reports of others who have been testing Win 11 in the various Insider Programs –  Mainly Paul Thurrott .

The major changes are the Start Screen and the Task Bar and there is plenty of information available on line.

My only complaint so far is that Apps for things like Facebook/Instagram and other other UNWANTED programs appeared on my Start Screen. However it was easy to uninstall them (Right Mouse / Uninstall).

TASK BAR

The Task Bar is not that different with the icons now aligned by default to the centre instead of being spread out from left to right. Also the notifications icon is not visible on the far right – but when there are notifications, they still pop up as before, with an icon showing a number (for the number of new notifications) appearing on the far right. This icon goes away when you look at the notifications.

ALIGNMENT – I went to Settings / Personalisation / Task Bar / Task Bar Behaviours / Task Bar Alignment – and changed it to “Left”.

TASK BAR CORNER OVERFLOW

The one thing with the Task Bar that will take some getting used to is when you have so many apps open that the Task bar overflows. With Win 10 you simply clicked on the drop-down icon to go to a second level. With Win 11 you get a “Corner Overflow” option. The last App opened is shown here with any other over flow icons shown in the “Show Hidden Icons” pop up (with the other hidden icons as per Win 10).

START SCREEN

The Start Screen is the main difference. You now cannot group and label the pinned apps and there are no live tiles. There are just “Pinned” and “All Apps”. However there is a new “Widgets” icon on the task bar and you can add live tiles for a limited number of selected Apps to this. (Weather / News / Calendar etc.)

The Start icons are easy to drag about and I dragged the icons for various pinned programs into a similar order to my old Win 10 arrangement. (They run over into a second page but it is easy to drag from one page to another.)

SETTINGS – FORMERLY – ALL SETTINGS

All Settings is now called “Settings” and you no longer get a summary page but instead the various sections are in a left pane. MAKE SURE you just put SETTINGS in the search when you go looking for it. It is in All Apps in Start under “S”.

SUMMARY

Not much has changed and it did not take me long to get used to the new items. I will add to this post if I find any other major changes.