Windows 11 brings many changes users have been excited about. Across the board, from its look and feel to its performance and integrations, the potential for improved productivity is greater than with any recent Windows update.

Although the interface looks pretty different at first, it doesn’t take long to figure out how Windows 11 works.

Here are 5 new features in Windows 11 to know about.

1: The New Look

One of the first things users notice in Windows 11 is that the taskbar is centered and smaller on the screen. The Start button is still to the left of the other icons.

While the centered taskbar is a pretty simple update that makes a world of difference in accessing apps faster, the fastest option is still the go-to shortcut of simply pressing the Windows button and typing in the first few letters of an app’s name to quickly open it.

Other updates to the look in Windows 11 include changes to the transparencies, animations and icon designs. It looks more modern and evolved than ever.

2: Integration with Teams

Microsoft Teams—the Microsoft app that countless businesses use as a catch-all for both Zoom and Slack functionality—is now integrated into the Windows OS in Windows 11.

Teams is prominently featured in the interface, making a new session easy to start.

3: Greater Accessibility

Windows 11 offers several updates to improve accessibility for users. One of those updates is the Live Captions feature. This generates captions automatically on any content with audio. The captions can be displayed on the top or bottom of the screen.

Another update to accessibility is Voice Access which allows users to control a PC with their own voice. Microsoft’s “Narrator” voices are more diverse now, too, moving away from the previous robotic sound. (No one will miss the previous voice once they hear the new ones.)

4: New Snap Layouts

Windows is the superior interface for opening, closing, minimizing, positioning and getting a big-picture look at all apps running at a time.

The newest improvement to positioning apps on the screen is called the “Snap Layout.”

Snap Layouts let users choose between multiple window layouts that can be easily populated again in the future. These layouts are saved and can be opened from the app taskbar to use them again and again.

5: Seamless Experience Across Devices

When you dock or plug a laptop into a monitor or tablet with Windows 11, the last app layout you were using will automatically populate. This makes setting up or tearing down multi-screen setups easier than ever.

As a related update, Windows 11 also allows users to set different desktop backgrounds (or colors) for each virtual desktop in use.

Windows 11 feels familiar enough that it’s easy to learn, but its updates are robust. The new features are ones that users are enjoying in a big way, and businesses are celebrating the greater efficiency they foster.

Do you have questions about Windows 11 and what other features to use for improvements to your business? Contact our team to talk.