In 2024, Home windows 11 acquired various new options and small enhancements for a greater person expertise. Despite the fact that its main replace, model 24H2, is what many take into account one of many worst updates when it comes to bugs and stability, there are nonetheless constructive issues in regards to the launch and smaller patches the OS acquired within the outgoing yr.

Listed below are ten cool issues Microsoft delivered in 2024 for Home windows 11 customers (in no explicit order).

1. Quicker Home windows updates

Many take into account Home windows updates the least favourite factor about Home windows, so in 2024, Microsoft made some adjustments within the 24H2 replace to make the method quicker and fewer “painful” for the top person. Enhancements, akin to parallel processing of element manifests, larger RAM utilization (if obtainable), and different adjustments enabled Microsoft to ship as much as 43% quicker set up time, 33% quicker restart time, and 25% much less CPU utilization.

2. Higher efficiency on AMD techniques

Home windows 11 model 24H2 (this was additionally ported to model 23H2) works higher on techniques with AM5 processors, such because the Ryzen 7000 and 9000 collection. Department prediction optimizations ship fairly spectacular efficiency uplifts, leading to as much as 11% higher FPS in video games.

3. Native assist for extra archive codecs

Home windows 11 is now extra succesful in terms of file compression. Along with the great outdated ZIP, customers can compress recordsdata to 7zip and TAR, choose a compression methodology (Retailer, Deflate, BZip2, LZMA1, LZMA2, or PPMd), specify the compression degree from 0 to 9, and use further options, akin to arduous or symbolic hyperlink retention.

Third-party purposes would possibly nonetheless be higher performance-wise, however for an informal person, these adjustments eradicate the necessity for a devoted file compression app.

4. Type-of fastened context menus

With model 24H2, Home windows 11’s context menus acquired a neat accessibility enchancment. Widespread file actions, akin to reduce, copy, paste, rename, share, and delete acquired labels in order that inexperienced customers can higher perceive what every button does. Sadly, context menus are nonetheless very sluggish in comparison with Home windows 10, however hey, it is one thing.

5. Android gadgets can now work as webcams

If in case you have an Android telephone, you should utilize it as a webcam on your Home windows 11 laptop with out putting in or buying any third-party software program. The Cellphone Hyperlink app now lets you flip a suitable Android smartphone into a strong wi-fi webcam that may beat virtually any consumer-oriented webcam available on the market. Even cheap Android telephones can ship a greater expertise than what webcams in most Home windows laptops do.

Extra conveniences embrace the power to watch your telephone’s battery, swap cameras, choose further results, and extra. Very neat!

6. Wi-Fi refresh button

A small however very welcome and pleasant change. In case your laptop computer can not detect a Wi-Fi community from the primary attempt, clicking a refresh button on the community flyout will pressure the machine to rescan for obtainable networks.

7. Higher mouse settings

One other comfort that eliminates the necessity to modify the system registry simply to tweak a sure mouse setting. Lately, Microsoft added two mouse-related choices to the Settings app: the power to toggle mouse acceleration and alter the scroll path. You will discover these settings in Bluetooth & gadgets > Mouse.

8. Voice Readability

Home windows 11 has a number of cool AI-powered options, however most of them require particular {hardware}, akin to Copilot+ PCs. Luckily, Microsoft managed to make a kind of options obtainable to all Home windows 11 customers. Voice Readability now makes use of a greater underlying mannequin that’s simpler on system sources and doesn’t require a devoted NPU. It could eradicate background noise, cut back echo, and suppress reverb in order that others can hear you higher in noisy circumstances.

9. Higher QR code integration

Sharing hyperlinks to your smartphone or different machine is now a lot simpler due to a built-in QR code generator. When sharing a hyperlink, you possibly can click on a QR code to shortly generate one and scan it along with your cellular machine. By the way in which, Home windows 11 additionally permits you to share a Wi-Fi password with a QR code. Go to Community & Web> Wi-Fi > Your Community and click on Present.

10. Entry to your telephone’s file system in File Explorer

If in case you have a contemporary Android telephone, you possibly can pair it to your Home windows 11 PC utilizing the Cellphone Hyperlink app and entry its file system immediately in File Explorer. The function additionally permits you to transfer recordsdata to and out of your machine with none cables.

Honorable point out: HDR wallpapers

Now you can use high-dynamic vary photos as desktop backgrounds on techniques with HDR assist (JXR format). Discovering some may be difficult, although.

Additionally it is price noting that the Copilot+ PC program that was launched this yr introduced new AI-powered options to Home windows 11. I skipped them on this article to deal with issues which are obtainable to most Home windows 11 customers. Nevertheless, if you want to know what unique options Home windows 11 Copilot+ PCs have, try this text.

Bonus: wallpapers

Right here is the wallpaper from this text (courtesy of Microsoft Design). Gentle:

Darkish:

These are a few of the most fascinating and helpful adjustments applied in Home windows 11. In case your favourite change from 2024 was not talked about within the listing, tell us about it within the feedback.