What to expect in Windows 11: «Start» and «Explorer» menu improvements in the latest insider builds

Windows 11 has several new features. For example, the context menu in the «Start» menu has been updated to make it easier to locate pinned programs. Microsoft is also moving some old mouse control options from «Control Panel» to «Settings» and adding a new image editing tool to «Share». These changes are currently available in test builds.

Updated context menu in the «Start»

Microsoft recently released Windows 11 Build 26120.357 for version 24H2 and Build 22635.5090 for version 23H2.

These versions include an improved context menu for pinned programs in the «Start» menu. The updated menu provides more options for organizing programs.

menu

As you can see in the screenshots, Microsoft has simplified the process of organizing pinned programs. Previously, you could only drag and drop them, but now you have the option to move them left or right in the context menu.

Now you can quickly arrange programs in the order you want without having to drag and drop them. Also, the ability to create «program folders» and move programs between folders without any extra steps has been added.

«Share» with image editing tools

Microsoft has updated the Windows Share UI to include image editing and compression tools. The «Share» window now has a «Edit» button that allows you to crop images and add labels.

The editing interface is similar to the «Photos» app and has four main tabs:

• Crop – allows you to rotate an image by 90 degrees, change its aspect ratio, or flip it horizontally or vertically.
• Adjustment – contains sliders for adjusting brightness, contrast, shadows, highlights, and more.
• Filters – offers ready-made filters to change the tone of the image.
• Markup – allows you to quickly add notes or emphasize important details.

In addition, a new function «Compress» (Compress) has been added, which allows you to reduce the file size without opening third-party programs. The user can adjust the compression level, balancing between file quality and size.

Previously, you had to open «Photos» or Paint to edit an image before sending it. Now you can do it right in the «Share» window.

Mouse settings in the menu «Options»

Microsoft continues to move features from the Control Panel to the «Settings» section. In new builds, mouse settings have been moved to the Accessibility → Mouse section.

Among the new features:

• Ability to change the cursor icon.
• Turns the cursor trace off or on.
• Options for double-click speed and key lock.
• New switch «Activate window on hover», which allows you to change the active window without clicking the mouse.
• Function «Control the cursor with the numeric keypad» (Mouse Keys).

Improved text scaling in the Explorer interface

Update KB5053648 for Windows 11 23H2, which has been released to the Insider Program Beta Channel, brings several improvements. Dialog boxes in Explorer have received an important accessibility update: they now support text and interface scaling.

Previously, when a user resized text in the accessibility settings, the scaling was not applied to all elements of the dialog box. For example, in Windows 11 24H2, if you zoomed in to 150%, the top header of the dialog box resized, but the main text and buttons remained too small.

Windows 11 update 23H2 fixes this issue. Now all items in the dialog box are correctly adjusted to the new text size.

All of these updates will be available in future major Windows 11 updates.

Microsoft recently fixed a Windows 11 errorwhich many would like to keep, andintroduced a new «battery».

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Source: windowslatest 1, 2