Big Update for Windows 11 Coming on September 26 with New Outlook App
Windows Copilot is one of the most anticipated additions in this update. Powered by technology from Bing Microsoft's Copilot aims to provide personalized assistance and automation right on the Windows desktop. Users can invoke Copilot through a sidebar and use it to launch apps, control system settings, answer questions, take notes, and more.
Copilot can pull information from your Outlook calendar to help schedule meetings or populate text fields.
Alongside Copilot, the update makes stylistic changes to File Explorer with a more modern interface. There's also a new Ink Anywhere feature for pen users to handwrite text which gets converted automatically to typed text. The Snipping Tool gains a useful copy text from screenshots capability, that can detect text in screenshots and allow you to share the text in apps.
Big Update for Enhanced Photos and Gaming Experience
If you are a photo app user, then here is a big update for you all. The photos app on Windows 11 will be getting a background blur option with this update. We have already covered and checked the background removal feature on the Paint app a week ago. Background blur will automatically find the background in a photo highlight the subject and blur out the background. You can customize the intensity of the blur or even change the areas that get blurred out.
The refresh also enables syncing RGB lighting accessories to match your PC's theme and color schemes.
Gamers will appreciate the overhauled volume mixer for easier audio source switching. As for gamers and other users with RGB peripherals, look out for the ability to control lightning, color, and effects from the Settings app without relying on third-party software.
Windows Backup is improved as well for simpler OS migrations and transfers to new devices. Pinned apps and taskbar layouts can also carry over to new PCs.
Some Features Still to Come
We thought that this update would get all the features that experts are talking about like native support of RAR. This 22H2 update doesn't include everything Microsoft originally planned. RAR support, app grouping on the taskbar, and others are not coming with this update and will arrive in a subsequent smaller update later on.
This update will be available for all existing Windows 11 users and roll out automatically through Windows Update starting September 26. It delivers meaningful quality of life improvements through AI integration and should provide a smoother experience for using Windows overall.
This update is not a Windows 11 23H2 update, as maybe Microsoft has planned much for the 23H2 update.
New Outlook for Windows is Here
On this "special event," Microsoft has also announced the new Outlook for Windows email app. The new versions of the app have been available in a public preview version since May 2022. and can now download the app on the Microsoft Store.
The new Outlook for Windows is a best-in-class email experience that's free for anyone with Windows. Easily connect and coordinate your personal and work email accounts and calendars in one app. Write clear, concise emails and get intelligent suggestions with built-in AI. Seamlessly attach important documents and photos to any note. With the new Outlook for Windows, you can stay on top of it all, for free. This app will replace the Windows Mail, Calendar, and People apps beginning in 2024.
Some of the Key points on the new and improved features in the new Outlook Windows app are:
- Streamline your email accounts: Coordinate multiple inboxes and calendars in one app. Send, receive, and easily switch between your various email accounts, including Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, iCloud, and more.
- Write more effective emails: Help keep your sentences concise and error-free with AI-powered suggestions from Outlook as you write,* and make your emails polished and professional with intelligent spelling and grammar checks.
- Enhance your inbox: Get organized and enjoy a number of features to help you better coordinate your world. Schedule email sends in advance, undo a sent email within ten seconds, and get reminders to follow up on important conversations. Access OneDrive files right from your Outlook inbox and use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint web apps for free — perfect for making quick edits and comments.
- An inbox that looks more like you: Personalize your Outlook to fit your unique needs and style. Choose from over 50 themes and fonts, pin important emails to the top of your inbox, and customize how many emails you want to see in your inbox with roomy, cozy, and compact view options.
The new Outlook for Windows offers some of the most popular features and configurations from the current Outlook for Windows and Outlook.com, along with a variety of new tools, with more to come.
Users can use it along with iOS and Android apps for a unified, seamless experience both at home and on the go.
It is a free, ad-supported version for customers who don’t have a paid subscription. If you use a free email service such as Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Gmail without a Microsoft 365 subscription, you’ll see ads in the new Outlook for Windows.
For an ad-free experience on the new Outlook app and expanded mailbox storage, users must purchase a Microsoft 365 Basic, Personal, or Family subscription to remove any advertising served by Microsoft.