Windows 11 gets a much improved taskbar with drag and drop. Resource-hungry apps can now be slowed down in the task manager. And many other improvements. An overview.
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Windows 11: Drag and drop for taskbar, task manager stops resource hogs
©Microsoft
Windows Insiders from the Dev Channel can try a new trial version of Windows 11 (not for ARM64 PCs). The new test version is called Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22557. It brings a wealth of improvements, here is a brief overview of the highlights.
Windows 11 Pro for 70 euros in the PC-WELT software shop
Taskbar with drag and drop
The taskbar gets back a sorely missed feature: drag and drop. You can now quickly drag files between application windows by hovering over applications in the taskbar to bring their windows to the front. For example, you can attach a file to an Outlook email by dragging the file over the Outlook icon in the taskbar to bring the window to the front. Once Outlook is in the foreground, drag and drop the file to the email.
You can also customize your taskbar with your favorite applications from Start’s All Applications list by dragging and dropping the apps onto the taskbar. Besides, you can also drag and drop the apps to the desktop via “Show desktop” on the right corner of the taskbar.
Create new folders
New folders can now be created like on a smartphone: you drag one app icon over another with the mouse and a new folder is created. You can arrange the apps as you wish within the folder.
reduce distraction
If you don’t want to be disturbed, you can now simply switch off the notifications. All missed notifications can be found in the notification center for reading later. The focus mode is also part of the “Do Not Disturb” theme. When you start a Focus session, the taskbar will be muted, applications will no longer flash, and notifications will not appear. A focus timer also appears. If desired, soothing music can also be played.
Improved task manager
Microsoft has also revised the look of the task manager. It now automatically adopts the theme from Windows 11. But the new “Efficiency mode” is much more important. This allows you to limit the resource consumption of non-system-relevant apps and hopefully make other, much-needed apps faster. Simply right-click on the relevant process in Task Manager to select “Efficiency mode”. Processes treated in this way are then displayed in the task manager with a green leaf symbol. However, not all testers can use the new task manager immediately, Microsoft is gradually rolling it out.
More improvements
Live subtitles automatically superimpose text on any audio content. You can display this text window above or below the video. Currently, these live subtitles are only available for English language content.
There are also improvements to File Explorer and new touch gestures.