Exploring 3 new features in Windows 11

If you have upgraded to Windows 11 on your computer, you’ll find many new features. Here I discuss three of them: Widgets, multiple desktops and new themes. For most users, I suggest upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 to enjoy features like these, in addition to the other security and performance improvements. However, I don’t suggest you do the upgrade yourself like Microsoft pushes you into. I suggest contacting a computer tech and having them do a clean upgrade to Windows 11.

Widgets

Back with Windows 10, Microsoft had live tiles on the Start Menu that acted as simple widgets and clicking on them would bring up their full app. Even further back in time with Windows Vista and 7, you could add gadgets to the desktop of Windows. With Windows 11, Microsoft gives you what they call Widgets. You can access them by clicking on the Widgets icon on the bottom task bar, which should be the fourth icon from the left. It looks like a square vertically divided with the left side translucent and the right-side with shades of blue.

On the Widgets window, you’ll see those that Microsoft adds by default, such as weather, news, stock prices and sport stats. Most of the widgets give you a quick view of the info and a link to click in order to view more details. You can click Add Widgets to add more and customize them.

Multiple desktops

Windows 11 allows you to switch between different virtual desktops. So, you can have a certain set of files, programs and apps open on one virtual desktop and a separate set on another virtual desktop. Then you can flip between the virtual desktops. The usefulness of this feature varies depending upon how much you use your computer and how many users there are on the computer. Maybe have one virtual desktop for work stuff and another for games. Or maybe one virtual desktop for you and another virtual desktop for your spouse.

If you want to try out the multiple desktops, hover over the icon in the bottom task bar of Windows 11. It should be the third icon from the left. It has a small gray square in it with a black L shape in the left-bottom corner of the icon. Hovering over that icon allows you to create new virtual desktops and switch between them. Clicking the icon allows you to do the same, but also shows you thumbnail previews up top of the windows and apps you currently have open on that virtual desktop. If you want to, you can click and drag those windows and apps that are up top down to another virtual desktop.

New themes

Windows 11 adds more themes and personalization options. You can right-click anywhere on the desktop ( just not on an icon) and select Personalize from the context menu that pops up. That brings up the Personalization tab on the Settings app.

On the top left you’ll see the preview of the currently applied theme, and a couple other default themes are displayed on the right of that. You can click on the themes to apply them, but first make a note of the current theme (likely the default Light theme) just so you know if you want to revert back to it. Those are just the basic themes. You can download more: click Themes from the list below and on the next page, click Browse themes to see those listed in the Microsoft Store.

Eric Geier is the owner of On Spot Techs, a computer repair and IT services company offering on-site service at homes and businesses in the Dayton and Springfield areas and also a storefront at 4732 S Dixie Dr in Moraine. For more information, visit www. onspottechs.com or call 937315-0286.