- Microsoft is working on several new improvements for Windows 11.
- Some of these new changes include an option to remove the date and time and the notification counter from the Taskbar.
- Soundscape page to manage theme sounds from the Settings app and new shortcut for open screen recorder.
Microsoft is currently experimenting with a number of features for future updates of Windows 11. In particular, the company plans to bring back the ability to disable the date and time and the notification counter from the Taskbar’s System Tray.
The option to disable, hide, or remove the date and time from the System Tray has been available in previous versions of the operating system. However, that’s not an option on Windows 11 since the company is still building the new Taskbar experience.
At the time of writing, the feature is still hidden and cannot be easily enabled manually. However, the Registry shows that the “HideSystrayDateTimeValueName” key is the responsible option to enable or disable the feature.
In addition, in future updates of the operating system, it might be possible to disable the notification counter that appears in the bottom-right corner of the Taskbar. However, instead of removing the counter altogether, you will see an element that will keep the counter at zero. (This is also a hidden feature that cannot be enabled manually)
In the legacy version of Control Panel, you were able to install and manage themes with sound schemes. On Windows 11, you can also personalize the desktop experience with themes, but you still have to access Control Panel to manage related sounds. However, this is expected to change in future updates as the company plans to port the sound settings to a new “Soundscape” page available through the “Sound” section in the Settings app. This is yet another hidden feature, and currently, you can only see the entry as the page isn’t working.
Finally, Microsoft also plans to integrate the “Windows + Shift + R” keyboard shortcut to launch the Snipping Tool in screen recording mode. Furthermore, the company has also said that in future updates, it will change the default screenshot setting to open the Snipping Tool in screenshot mode when pressing the “Print” key on the keyboard.
In addition to these settings, the development team is also working on several other features you can enable manually and test right now, including a new interface in the Settings app to create ReFS Dev Drives and virtual hard disks (VHDX). Also, in the “Start” settings page, the company is testing a couple of options to enable or disable recent websites in the “Recommendation” section and badge notifications in the Start menu.
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].