- Microsoft to bring back the “Home” page for the Settings app.
- The new page appears that will further promote online services, such as Microsoft 365.
- Also, the “Accounts” page will now alert users of applications that have reached the end of support.
Microsoft is experimenting with additional visual improvements for the Settings app, including a new Home page and alerts for products that reached the end of support. According to a few posts on Twitter from @PhantomOfEarth and @thebookisclosed, the latest preview of Windows 11 hides a new page that will open by default every time you launch the app. The experience is still a work in progress, but the early preview shows that the page will focus on displaying information about Microsoft 365 products, such as Office and OneDrive.
If you use a local account, the end user will see a “Try Microsoft 365” banner encouraging you to sign up for the service with a free trial. Since a local account doesn’t use a Microsoft account, the user will also see a “Finish securing your account” message that promotes switching to an online account.
Microsoft is testing multiple variants of the design. For instance, another screenshot shows storage detail information about OneDrive and another banner to lure users into switching to an online account instead of a local account with the “It’s all here with Microsoft account” message.
On the “Accounts” page, the system will now inform users if a specific product has reached the end of support. For example, the screenshot below shows that Office 2013 has reached the end of support and will no longer receive security updates.
Although the Settings app already promotes Microsoft services on Windows 11, they only appear on the “Accounts” page. However, it seems that the company is now trying to use the “Home” page to further increase the visibility of its products for those users who refuse to use an online account and don’t yet have signed up for the subscription.
In addition to the changes planned for the Settings app, the company is also gearing up to roll out badge notifications in the Start menu for users with a local account to encourage users to switch to an online account and sign up for a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].