The Preview of Windows 11 is here, let's take a look at what's new

The first preview version of Windows 11 is available for those registered in the Insider program, with reduced hardware requirements, in theory allowing as many people as possible to test its new features. They are numerous, both in its aesthetics and its ergonomics, through the integrated functions.

The Sun Valley project, which had been rumored to be getting a major graphics update for Windows 10, eventually referred to Windows 11. compatibility checker app – the new system is here.

There is no shortage of novelties or advantages. We installed this preview to test these contributions. As we will see, Windows 11 presents both good surprises and annoying points. These are not set in stone and the company has full latitude to correct them over the coming months.

Our articles on Windows 11:

Windows 11 has everything to prove

Microsoft publishes the preview of Windows 11, the Store and reconsiders the compatibility

Windows 11 update via Windows Update: not before early 2022

How to download Windows 11 and test it in a virtual machine

New installation: the legacy configuration of Windows 10X

For this test, we recovered an ISO image of Windows 11 build 22000.51. This is not currently subject to the restrictions that could be active with the final version of the system. Microsoft had indeed announced that it would be reserved for certain CPUs, machines with TPM 2.0, etc. This subject is suspended.

In case of a fresh install (or system reset), you will face the new machine setup wizard. These are generally the same questions as those asked so far and taking into account the remarks made in recent years by the CNIL and its equivalents in other countries.

The change is more visual than functional, but it is welcome. There are steps for the search for updates, the possibility of specifying the machine name on the local network and the acceptance of the conditions of use. Also offered is a restoration of settings and applications from the last backup from OneDrive, a practice usually found on mobile devices, rare for computers.

Restored apps can only be restored from the Store. Also note that a simplified connection to the Microsoft account, without a password, via a security key, is also offered at this stage.

For the rest, the choices are known: connection to the Microsoft account (mandatory with the Family edition), authorizations for several parameters (geolocation, improvement of handwriting, personalized "experiments", etc.) or even choice of the quantity to send (telemetry). Warning: since this is a pre-release, the complete sending of the data will be necessary to obtain the next pre-releases.

This welcome experience is followed by an environment preparation screen, also modernized, with colorful and blurred animations to keep you waiting. Depending on the performance of the PC, this step takes between 30 seconds and a few minutes. After which the new desktop is revealed, with a Start menu already open. Note that, like everything we will see today, changes may occur in the coming months.

The great renewal of the interface

In Windows 11, what mainly catches the eye is the interface. Yes, we feel the difference between Windows 10 and the newcomer, because most of the visual elements have been modified, sometimes in their details.

When we arrive on the desktop, the taskbar announces the color with centered elements, which work like the Dock of macOS. This set of icons always remains centered: if you open other applications, the icons will move so that the newcomers are always aligned in the center.

Of course, you can change this alignment in the settings, but the taskbar is now frozen at the bottom of the screen. It is therefore impossible to put it at the top, on the left or on the right as some liked. Open applications are indicated by a small "capsule" under their icon, again as in macOS. On the other hand, the active application is indicated by both a line and a translucent frame. A discreet and effective choice.

The difference is also felt when opening the first windows. We find the famous rounded corners, and the presentation changes depending on the case. Explorer is modernized, minimally. It is above all a reorganization of the existing one and there is no function, such as the tabs, which have been requested for a long time.

The Start menu is completely redesigned to take over what we knew from Windows 10X. We remain in a rectangular format, divided into two areas: at the top the current and newly installed applications, at the bottom the recently opened files. Windows can place recommendations in this second zone (it's even its name), for example "Getting started" when the system is still young.

At the top, a link provides access to the complete list of applications. At the bottom, there is a banner with the avatar of the user, his name and the power button (standby, shutdown, restart, logoff). The applications part recovers the same capabilities as in Windows 10.

From a right click, you can detach or uninstall an application. This is managed differently depending on whether it is a classic application or one from the Store. In the first case, the procedure is very fast and transparent, in the second we will find a classic assistant. You can pin other apps from the full list.

The organization of the icons changes on the other hand. You can no longer create folders, but you can rearrange them as you wish. When the number of applications becomes more important, they can be scrolled with the wheel. On the other hand, it is no longer possible, unlike Windows 10, to modify the size of the Start menu.

After the Start menu, there are three more icons: Search, Task View, and Widgets. The first displays a view very similar to what we have known for a while under Windows 10. Although we can understand the interest of a dedicated function, this panel is somewhat redundant: the new formula of the Start menu already displays recently opened documents and you can type the first letters of an application or a file to launch a search. The result is therefore identical on this point.

The search panel additionally displays some links to recently used applications or functions like Translate. One wonders if this content would not have more of a place in Start.

Other general improvements include two additional items. First the notification center, in a more compact form, with two distinct areas: the notifications themselves, and the calendar, each in a dedicated frame with rounded edges. A lighter display but whose font seems slightly too small to us.

Then, the functions hitherto present at the bottom of the center have moved and taken up residence in a frame that can be brought up by clicking on the network or sound icon. The panel is configurable and includes the volume gauge. The arrow to its right opens the list of output devices. Too bad, because the toggle requires one click more than in Windows 10.

This general modernization is reflected in the themes and sounds. Windows 11 currently provides six themes: three light and three dark. Each offers a specific wallpaper and adapts the colorization of the windows, even if the effect is very slight. However, it is enough to give the whole a proper identity, and the dark themes are successful in this regard. Windows 11 avoids the pitfall of contrast shocks with soft environments.

A softness that we find in the sounds, shorter and more discreet than the current ones. Of course, you'll have to get used to this new set of sounds, since system events – in particular notifications – will be signaled in a new way. Most of the time, it will be a set of three notes that sound like they came from an instrument reminiscent of the xylophone. There is even a sound at the opening of the session, also discreet.

The animations have also benefited from special care. They are numerous and accompany most actions. They are found when opening menus, opening and closing windows, enlarging them or returning them to their previous size, minimizing them in the taskbar or restoring them, opening the Start menu, notification center, etc.

As always with this kind of detail, none of this is necessary, but they bring a touch of life to the system, less austere than Windows 10.

Finally, some context menus have radically changed. This is the case on the desktop or in Explorer for example. The latter could also destabilize more than one, because it is simple to the point of being simplistic. Microsoft has planned the coup and the last line allows you to find the old menu, containing the entries of all compatible applications. This gives a good overview of how Windows 11 intends to clean up.

Multitasking and docking management

This function of the system, relatively effective under Windows 10, is enriched. The biggest contribution is undoubtedly the “snap layouts” system. By leaving the mouse cursor on the maximize button of a window or by performing Win + Z, a new menu appears with six layouts.

We select one, then Windows 11 asks how we want to fill the other slots. Just select the windows one after the other, the process being very easy to approach.

The function has clearly been designed for people with large screens, or even multiple screens. It is very easy to organize the space to display a maximum of information. Note that the manipulations inherited from Windows 7 – you take a window and make it touch a side or the top of the screen – still work.

This separation into two is also the first thumbnail in the new menu, the second corresponding to a two-thirds + one-third separation. A result that is also obtained by dragging the central separation when two applications are half and half. The proposed figures are classic, but seem suitable for most scenarios, with a maximum of four zones.

The work on Fancy Zones in PowerToys seems to have inspired Microsoft.

This function is complemented by a good find: the “snap groups”. Clearly, as soon as you create a configuration with at least two windows, hovering over one of the applications in the taskbar displays the window or windows concerned in thumbnails, as well as an additional one for the group.

This allows the passage to correct the main deficiency of the system brought by Windows 7, namely to easily return to its group of applications, without having to clear the others.

The multitasking icon in the bar triggers the display of all windows as well as any open virtual desktops. From this point of view, nothing changes compared to Windows 10. If you want to display these desktops or create one, it is now enough to leave the cursor on the icon to bring up a small menu containing these controls. Note that the task view is also accessible by the shortcut Win + Tab.

On the question of virtual desktops, we keep the possibility of freely moving windows from one to the other. A window can be declared as present on all desktops, as for the taskbar. New, it is now possible to assign a different wallpaper for each desktop.

Although it is not strictly speaking multitasking, we remain in work efficiency with a new “docking” system for external screens. For example, if you have a laptop connected to such a screen, unplugging it will automatically minimize all windows to the taskbar. When you plug the screen back in, apps return to their original shape and size.

Widgets, the return

Widgets are an extension of the current panel added in recent months to Windows 10, bringing together weather, news and stock prices. The concept is expanded and Windows 11 provides a large panel on the left of the screen, in a much cleaner and more pleasant format, with sports results and a OneDrive widget displaying by default a selection of photos (often those taken on the same date the previous years).

In the second half of the panel at the bottom, we find the news which, in France, does not shine by their quality. The few serious subjects are quickly drowned in the mass of news items, seductive titles, various advice and sometimes uninteresting Top 10. We would have liked to be able to place our own RSS feeds there. This new panel is opened from the blue icon located just to the right of the multitasking one or by the Win + W shortcut.

The biggest change in this version is that like iOS or macOS, it is no longer a fixed structure. You can add, delete or modify widgets. The Add button is located right in the center of the panel. Windows provides modules for Calendar, Tips, Esport, Tasks (related to To-Do) and Traffic.

This panel is open to third-party developers. Translation, an application could within a few months receive an update integrating a widget. In which case, the user will find it in the list of those available.

The modification goes through the circle containing three dots at the top right of each widget. You can then choose its size – small, medium or large – the question of information displayed obviously depends on the surface. Personalization gives access to widget options. For Weather for example, you can choose another city or the preference for the type of degree (Celsius or Fahrenheit).

This area of ​​the system has potential, but we are waiting to see if and how other publishers will take it up. This is the epitome of the type of function that could be very practical, but requiring the ecosystem to follow, which happens all too rarely. In addition, Microsoft is criticized for confining itself to Edge to open all the links contained in the widgets. They do not honor the default browser choice, which will annoy some people.

The brand new store

Here is now one of the main novelties according to Microsoft, which will be offered both within Windows 10 and 11. It must be said that the store was one of the great weaknesses of the platform.

The editor offers him a complete revision, and we are far from the simple stroke of the brush. If you installed the preview and you don't see, there is a "trick": open the old version and go to updates, the new application will appear in the list after a search. It still allows installation without an account.

We realize it quickly, the performance of the new version does not have much with those of the old one: the Store opens faster and is much more reactive. It is equipped with a column on the left dividing the store into several categories. We land on the home page, and we can go to Applications, Gaming and Entertainment.

The titles couldn't be clearer. At the bottom of this bar, we find the Library, which centralizes everything that has been obtained, free of charge or not. This list can also be sorted to show only apps, games, or movies and TV. At the top of the window, there is a large space for research. To its right, a small icon provides access to account-related settings, such as the payment method.

Whatever the category, clicking on a content displays its dedicated page. Again, it is that the whole is clearer than in the old version. We find ourselves there quickly, with frames pointing to the description, new features, screenshots, reviews (which become more visible), before the required configuration, technical characteristics, etc.

As indicated by Microsoft, this is a young preview of the store, which should therefore evolve significantly in the coming months. The new base seems much more solid than the old one, and the refinement should make it a key component of the system, especially since the company has great ambitions for it, since almost any development technique can lead to the publication on the Store, whether we are talking about Win32, .NET, UWP or PWAs. The Reunion project must also play a crucial role in this gathering.

Note in passing that winget, like the new Terminal, are present by default in Windows 11. The same is true for the improvements made to the Linux subsystem and its quick installation.

Build 2021: Microsoft strengthens Terminal, winget, WSL and its Reunion project

WSLg: How to use Linux apps on Windows with GUI and GPU

A successful settings panel

The settings are, since Windows 10, a subject of friction. Microsoft was annoyingly slow to switch from the control panel. This transition does not have time to be completed for the company to begin another. Fortunately, this time she gives herself the means to succeed.

The new panel is intended to be simpler, denser and more pleasant. The first two challenges are completed hands down, but weren't the hardest. Are the settings now complete? A priori yes, we have not yet faulted these new parameters. But conversely, we sometimes get a little lost, as in the multitude of possibilities in those related to privacy for example.

We also note that some elements require additional clicks, such as activating remote desktop.

Topics are organized in a logical order, broadly the same as Windows 10, but with more seamless ordering fluidity. The latter comes mainly from the new organization of the main menu items on the left, and no longer in the form of a grid, avoiding back and forth.

We find ourselves in a more natural left-right reading flow. The new display of headings on the right is nice, each in a dedicated section, visually isolated from the others. Depending on the one you want to open, there is sometimes a slight delay, as if the system needed to think about what it should display. We hope for better responsiveness in the next betas. Some features may also appear duplicated, such as BitLocker, which is found in both Security and System Information.

Inputs: touch and voice in the spotlight

Windows 11 includes a series of improvements to simplify the use of voice and touch. For the first, the system generalizes the use of the transcription engine. It is disabled by default and must be unblocked in the settings. Once active, it can be called by the shortcut Win + H in any input field, including in forms. On the tactile side, we start with a series of new gestures:

Three fingers to the left or right: quick navigation between the last applications used

Three fingers down: all windows are minimized to show the desktop, a reverse swipe right after restores the windows

Three or four fingers up: opens task view

Four fingers left or right: switch between virtual desktops

The virtual keyboard is enriched with themes. Windows 11 provides thirteen, three of which are designed to match Surface colors. The feature lets users choose their own background. Finally, an option allows you to resize the keyboard as you wish. For styles, there are two improvements.

The first is the availability of the menu at the bottom right of the taskbar. The menu can be modified and it is possible to choose up to four favorite items (drawing, sketching, writing applications...). The second is the arrival of dynamic refresh. On compatible screens, this function allows you to increase up to 120 Hz when using a stylus, in order to significantly improve the fluidity and responsiveness of the tools.

It can also be used in certain contexts, such as scrolling a page. It should start and stop automatically. However, it is only available on a few laptops at the moment.

Microsoft has also made improvements for the accessibility of its system.

Many points to refine

For the first time in a long time, we can talk about elegance in Windows. Some parts of the system are very successful, and we almost take pleasure in surveying the Store panels and more settings. However, if you have examined the screenshots provided in this article, you must have noticed that many details remained to be refined, including the very partial French translation.

Windows 11 is once again attempting what Microsoft has been unable to do so far: affixing a uniform system-wide look & feel. This preview gives hope, but we quickly realize that there is still a lot of work to be done by the company, which only has a few months left to polish it all up.

All you have to do is open the properties panel of a file to find the same view as from... Windows XP. Depending on the theme used, the impression is even very strong, accentuated by the return of rounded buttons with a blue border. Not to mention that this panel takes no account of dark mode.

The shock is even more brutal from the Settings panel. Even if the work of Microsoft is almost – and finally! – finished, we sometimes receive small electric shocks by brutally opening a door on the past. As in Personalization, when the link is clicked to display desktop icon settings.

Same thing for system sounds, mouse cursor choice or task manager, while its potential is immense through WinUI 3, used for all revised interfaces. Rebelote with the device manager, everything related to the MMC (Event Viewer, Disk Management, Computer...) or the Winver panel displaying the current version of Windows, the progress during copies or moving files and the famous panel for enabling/disabling optional features.

Old stuff that Microsoft has to deal with, they've gone on for too long without ever following the aesthetic lines of the systems they passed through. Let's not talk about the question of backups and versions (outside the integration of OneDrive), storage management in general, which are struggling to really modernize.

Windows 11 or Windows 2000?

The outline of the windows, especially in dark mode, is very marked. Too much. These bright colors are losing some of the impression of lightness of the system. This is particularly noticeable in windows whose entire interface has changed, such as the Store, Settings or Explorer. Some borders show rough curves, like in the Store or even on the rounded corners of some windows. It's not always clean.

We also wonder why Microsoft does not make a serious effort on the quality of the images provided. On the clear themes, we see almost nothing. But on dark themes, the color curves are so striking that one wonders how the editor could have missed it. A point to improve, because impressing visually requires quality wallpapers, so without compression. The problem is always the same for lock screen backgrounds when they come from Bing and exceed 1080p.

This preview therefore provides a good first impression, which will not only need to be confirmed, but developed. There are still too many points left aside to speak of success. It will also be necessary to see if the developers take advantage of all the improvements made available to them … or not.

Because – and this has been Microsoft's problem for a long time – part of the success depends on other publishers. Like Apple platforms that regularly pass this test, it is up to Microsoft to motivate the troops enough to offer real graphic consistency to its environment.

The other publishers, precisely, will have to complain about a point which should crystallize the tensions: the choice of default applications. It's still there, but Microsoft has made it so granular that it loses all of its effectiveness. The most emblematic example, the default browser. Currently, if installing a third-party browser like Firefox, you will have to select the newcomer for each supported file type: htm, html, xml and so on. The list is long. An inane change that is sure to annoy.

Finally, note that all the functions presented by Microsoft are not there yet. For example, compatibility with Android applications will arrive a little later. Ditto for Auto HDR or DirectStorage in games.

On the other hand, elements that we would gladly do without are still there, when you open the Start menu: Office, Spotify, Netflix, PicsArt, Twitter, Instagram, Photoshop Express... These applications are not installed, and click on the one of these icons will trigger its download. They do, however, clog up the menu.

Especially since some display ergonomics that have nothing to do with Windows 11, such as Instagram and its interface taken from iOS. Even if it means promoting third-party services, you might as well push those that integrate well. There is no trace of Teams yet, announced as integrated during the presentation.

In short, Microsoft is expected to do a lot of work in the coming months. The trial needs to be transformed, so that Windows 11 is more than an answer to a question no one asked.

How to revert to Windows 10

From the installation of Windows 11, you have ten days to revert to the old system. Just go to Settings > System > Recovery. In this panel, you will find a "Previous version of Windows" line with a "Go back" button.

We are then invited to select one or more reasons (applications or peripherals not working, older pre-versions that are faster, reliable or simple, etc.) and to validate. After which, Windows offers to first check the availability of updates that would be able to solve problems. Just refuse.

The system then displays a final warning: the applications will have to be reinstalled, as they are deleted in the maneuver. Personal data remains in place. We will get the equivalent of a reset Windows 10. The final validation requires the account password.

If you're not planning to dive back into Windows 11 right away, be sure to change the Insider setting in Windows Update after reverting to the old system.