Next Windows 11 update will revamp Settings design
Microsoft is working to make changes to the design of Windows 11 based on customer feedback to improve the user interface. Improvements will be made to the Settings section, which is “redesigned for clarity.”
March Rogers, Partner Director of Design at Microsoft, highlighted these efforts on X, adding that these changes will be released in the upcoming April update.
The Settings page gets an improvement in loading performance, and users can now find GPU and storage information on the Device Info card. Speaking of which, the device information card has been pushed to the top of the About page. Rogers said on X that these changes would be “nothing extraordinary” but aim to make Windows “more refined and more consistent.” This sentiment holds true for these settings changes. They’re not revolutionary, but faster access to key device information and homepage loading performance in Settings are positive changes nonetheless.
In addition to the settings changes, the new update will also improve account dialogs so that it works better in dark mode. Narrator would also receive support for working with Copilot on all Windows 11 devices. Windows Narrator already allowed users to generate image descriptions, but this feature was only available on PCs equipped with Copilot+ and having a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) to run the AI function locally. With this update, Windows Narrator will now use Copilot, allowing all Windows 11 devices to fetch image descriptions. Changes would also be made to File Explorer, allowing users to use voice input to rename files and folders.
A user Rogers responded that Microsoft is still working to bring all the old Control Panel controls into the Settings section. More importantly, he emphasized that Microsoft is careful to integrate Control Panel options into Settings, so that Microsoft doesn’t end up breaking devices and drivers.
There are a few other queries in the X thread that Rogers has actively responded to. Active customer feedback is being considered for Windows 11 design changes, which is an overall positive step from Microsoft. Design and layout changes based on what users want, expect, and need are more likely to improve the Windows 11 user experience than experimental changes made by Microsoft.
How to make Windows 11 look like XP
Windows XP remains the best.
This effort from Microsoft expands on its commitment last month, where it promised a more customizable taskbar and fewer Copilot buttons spread throughout the operating system.
There are several positives for Windows 11 users that come with new updates, but it was only a few weeks ago that a Microsoft account breaking update was released and ultimately rolled back.
