- Microsoft shifted Windows 11 development in 2025 to continuous feature delivery through cumulative updates instead of one major release.
- Core areas like Start, Taskbar, File Explorer, Settings, and Search received the most visible refinements.
- The biggest new capabilities, such as Quick Machine Recovery, Xbox Full Screen Experience, data transfer over local network, and expanded accessibility, reshaped how users use Windows 11.
Windows 11 received more features and changes in 2025 than in any previous year since its launch. Instead of concentrating improvements into a single annual release, Microsoft delivered a steady flow of refinements through cumulative updates for versions 25H2 and 24H2. As a result, many of the most important improvements rolled out gradually and may still be rolling out, depending on your device, configuration, and location.
This recap highlights the most notable Windows 11 features and changes introduced throughout 2025, focusing on real, user-facing improvements across the Start menu, Taskbar, File Explorer, Settings app, accessibility tools, gaming, and system recovery. These updates include a redesigned Start menu and Widgets board, long-requested Taskbar enhancements such as smaller icons and battery percentage, smarter Windows Search, and a more consistent dark mode experience in File Explorer.
In addition to visual and usability refinements, Microsoft introduced new capabilities this year, including Quick Machine Recovery to repair systems that fail to boot, the Xbox Full Screen Experience for handheld gaming devices, camera multi-stream support, expanded passkey integration, and improved Windows Share and file transfer tools. Together, these changes define what Windows 11 will look like and how it has evolved in 2025.
Everything Microsoft added to Windows 11 in 2025
In 2025, the software giant delivered a steady stream of Windows 11 improvements through cumulative updates for versions 24H2 and 25H2. Rather than focusing on a single major release, the company rolled out fixes and visual changes incrementally, refining core experiences and introducing several entirely new features.
Redesigned Start menu with a unified layout
In 2025, Microsoft introduced a redesigned Start menu for Windows 11 that consolidates previously separate experiences into a single, scrollable layout. The new design merges the Pinned, Recommended, and All apps sections into a single unified interface, reducing navigation friction and improving app discovery consistency.
The Start menu frame is noticeably larger than before, but it dynamically adapts to the screen resolution and scaling settings. However, manual resizing is not supported. As a result of the expanded layout, you can now pin up to eight apps per row, allowing more content to appear at a glance without additional clicks.
At the top-right of the menu, the company added a toggle to show or hide the mobile device sidebar when a phone is linked to your computer. This provides quicker access to cross-device features while keeping the interface optional for users who prefer a cleaner layout.
The Recommended section has also been updated. It now displays up to six suggestions across apps, files, and web activity. Also, for users who do not want recommendations, Microsoft finally added the ability to disable this section entirely by turning off all “Recommended” options in the “Start” settings.
The All apps section now defaults to a category-based view that automatically groups applications. However, you can switch to a grid layout or revert to the classic alphabetical list, offering more flexibility than previous versions.
To reflect the new design, the development team reorganized the “Start” settings page, removing the legacy “Layout” option and streamlining the remaining settings to better align with how the Start menu now works.
Improved Windows Search with clearer results
Windows Search received several practical improvements in 2025 to deliver faster results and make them easier to understand. While the core search experience remains familiar, Microsoft focused on clarity, visual discovery, and improved feedback during indexing.
When searching for images from the Taskbar, Windows Search now uses a grid-style layout, making it easier to visually scan and identify the right image without opening multiple files.
Search also became more transparent when the results are incomplete. If the operating system is still indexing files in the background, the search interface now displays a status notification indicating that indexing is in progress, along with an option to view progress. File and folder results also show clearer availability indicators, indicating whether content is stored locally or only available online in the cloud.
On the settings side, Microsoft consolidated search controls into a single, modern page. Instead of managing options across multiple locations, all Windows Search settings are now available under Settings > Privacy & security > Search, making it easier to review permissions, indexing behavior, and search preferences in one place.
These updates don’t reinvent Windows Search, but they make it more predictable, more visual, and easier to understand when you’re trying to quickly find apps, files, or images.
Smaller icons, sharing, and mobile sidebar on the Taskbar
The Taskbar also received several practical updates in 2025 to improve functionality, multitasking, and cross-device interactions.
If you prefer a more compact interface, a new, smaller icons option allows you to reduce the size of Taskbar buttons. This feature is configurable in Taskbar settings, with three options, including “Always,” “Never,” and “When taskbar is full.” Smaller icons make it easier to fit more applications in the available space, preventing icons from overflowing into the secondary menu.
Microsoft also added file sharing directly from the recent files context menu. For example, right-click an app like Notepad, select a recent file, and use the “Share” button to quickly send the file via the Windows Share interface to any available application.
Additionally, the Emoji Panel can now be accessed from the System Tray with a dedicated quick-access button. You can control this feature using the “Emoji and more” toggle in the “Taskbar” settings.
Although Taskbar height remains fixed, these updates focus on making it (a little bit) more functional, customizable, and integrated with modern workflows.
Notification Center gets clocks and multi-monitor support
In 2025, the Notification Center gained several features, including a full clock with seconds and the ability to display multiple clocks. In addition, Microsoft is finally adding multi-monitor support.
One of the most notable updates is the ability to display a clock with seconds, giving you a more precise time view. You can enable this through Settings > Date & time > Show time in Notification Center.
In addition, the Notification Center now supports multiple clocks, ideal for users who work across different time zones. These secondary clocks can be configured under the “Show time and date in the System tray” feature on the “Time & time” page from the Settings app.
Finally, the system introduced granular hardware indicator placement, allowing you to move on-screen indicators (brightness, volume, airplane mode, etc.) to the bottom center, top left, or top center of the screen. This setting is found at the bottom of Settings > System > Notifications, giving you more control over the visual layout of system alerts.
Widgets board redesign with new settings and discover integration
The Widgets board received a major overhaul, improving navigation, customization, and integration with AI. The new design integrates the settings page directly into the board, allowing you to choose your default board and rearrange boards more easily. A navigation pane now simplifies switching between different boards, eliminating extra clicks.
Clicking the Taskbar weather icon no longer opens the last-used board but instead opens your default dashboard.
The Discover board also received a significant upgrade, now offering Copilot-curated content with a visually aligned interface to the Discover page in the Copilot home.
Show battery percentage and improved power icons
In 2025, Windows 11 improved the battery and power experience, giving you more precise information and visual cues. For the first time, you can display battery percentage directly on both the Taskbar and the Lock Screen. This feature is available through Settings > Power & battery > Battery percentage.
The battery iconography was also updated to make the status more intuitive. Colors now indicate the device’s current state:
- Green – charging, and the battery is healthy.
- Yellow – on battery and energy-saving mode.
- Red – low battery warning.
- Black or white – on battery, depending on light or dark color system mode.
Although these are small tweaks, they provide both clarity and control, making it easier to manage power and monitor device status at a glance.
File Explorer with better dark mode, AI Actions, and menu tweaks
File Explorer received several key updates to improve usability, visual consistency, and productivity. The dark mode experience is now much more consistent, extending to dialogs for copy, move, delete, progress bars, charts, confirmations, and error messages.
While “Folder Options’ and some other areas remain unchanged, the update makes File Explorer feel more polished and cohesive.
The right-click context menu was also refined, now including dividers between key actions such as Cut, Copy, Rename, Delete, and Share for greater clarity. Microsoft introduced AI Actions, allowing you to perform tasks directly from the context menu on supported files:
- Images (JPG, JPEG, PNG): Bing Visual Search, Blur Background, Erase Objects, Remove Background
- Microsoft 365 documents: Summarize in Copilot without opening the file.
If you don’t want to use these actions, you can disable them from Settings > Apps > Actions.
Also, the context menu for the location listed in the left pane now includes a “New” option to create a folder without navigating to that location.
File Explorer’s homepage now includes a “Recommended” section that surfaces files you frequently use or recently downloaded. This makes it faster to access recent documents, media, or spreadsheets without navigating multiple folders. The feature is available to all users, including personal Microsoft accounts, and can be enabled or disabled from File Explorer > Options > Show Recommended section.
The Drag Tray now supports multi-file selection, making it easier to share several files at once. When dragging files, a flyout appears at the top of the screen with suggested apps or destinations. You can also disable the Drag Tray entirely in Settings > System > Nearby Sharing, providing flexibility for those who prefer a cleaner interface.
In File Explorer, you can also disable the legacy “MAX_PATH” limitation, allowing you and apps to work with file paths longer than 260 characters. This change resolves a long-standing frustration for power users, developers, and anyone working with deeply nested folders, ensuring compatibility with modern workflows and complex directory structures.
The option is available on Settings > System > Advanced.
Windows Hello gets a visual refresh and third-party passkey support
Windows Hello received an interface refresh. For example, the sign-in screen now features animated icons for the selected authentication method (Face, PIN, or Fingerprint), making it easier to see which option is active. The elevation and passkey dialogs also received updated designs to make entering and recognizing credentials more intuitive.
Another key improvement is support for third-party passkey providers (such as 1Password). You can now store and use passkeys from external providers directly with Windows Hello. This feature is configurable under Settings > Accounts > Passkeys > Advanced options, giving you more options and security when signing in across apps and websites.
Quick Machine Recovery makes system repair easy
One of the most significant features released in 2025 is Quick Machine Recovery (QMR), designed to repair Windows 11 installations that fail to boot. When a problem is detected, the system automatically launches the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and sends diagnostic data to Microsoft. If a solution is available, it automatically downloads and applies the fix, helping you recover without manual intervention.
If QMR cannot resolve the issue on the first attempt, it presents additional troubleshooting options and guides you through potential solutions. The feature is enabled by default on Windows 11 Home and Pro (unless the device is managed) and can be controlled through Settings > System > Recovery > Quick Machine Recovery, including an option to automatically check for solutions.
Quick Machine Recovery provides automation and reliability that can prevent data loss and reduce downtime, making it one of the most practical and user-focused additions to Windows 11 in 2025.
Windows Backup adds local file transfer
In 2025, Windows Backup evolved beyond a basic cloud restore tool into a more complete recovery experience. The biggest addition is PC-to-PC transfer, which allows you to move files, settings, and preferences from an old computer to a new one directly over a local network during setup. This eliminates the need for syncing files to the cloud first, significantly accelerating the upgrade process.
The experience is integrated into the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) and the Windows Backup app, guiding you through device pairing, selecting what to transfer, and restoring content automatically.
Although this feature sounds similar to the retired Windows Easy Transfer, it is intended for a different scenario, as you cannot transfer files between desktops. Instead, the feature is intended to transfer files during the initial setup of a new device, and it’s available only for computers that were never backed up to the cloud using a Microsoft account.
Xbox Full Screen Experience brings a console-like experience
Windows 11 introduced a new Xbox Full Screen experience, signaling Microsoft’s push to blur the line between computers and console gaming. When enabled, the operating system boots directly into a controller-first, full-screen interface optimized for gaming, closely resembling the Xbox dashboard. This mode minimizes traditional desktop elements, prioritizing performance, immersion, and ease of navigation with a gaming controller.
The experience is designed primarily for handheld gaming PCs, offering faster game access, simplified system controls, and tighter integration with Xbox services. System resources are optimized for gaming workloads, reducing background distractions, and making Windows 11 feel more like a dedicated console environment than a general-purpose desktop operating system.
While still evolving, the Xbox Full Screen Experience represents a major shift in how the operating system adapts to new hardware categories, positioning Windows 11 as a flexible gaming platform that can scale from a mouse-and-keyboard computer to a console-style device without compromise.
Advanced settings with Virtual Workspaces
The Settings app has undergone numerous changes in 2025, but the new Advanced page with Virtual Workspaces settings has been among the most noticeable.
The Advanced settings page is the experience that replaced the “For Developers” page. The update introduced a new design and organization, with new groups for different settings, and added features such as long paths, version control for File Explorer, and Virtual Workspaces.
The “Enable Long Paths” feature removes file path length (MAX_PATH) limitations, while version control brings a file versioning tracker for files for systems like Git directly into File Explorer.
“Virtual Workspaces” let you manage virtualization features without relying on the legacy “Windows Features” settings. On this page, you can enable or disable features like Hyper-V, Virtual Machine Platform, Windows Hypervisor Platform, Windows Sandbox, and others.
Settings app visual changes and tweaks
In addition to the new features, the Settings app itself continued its gradual evolution. For example, throughout the year, we’ve seen the search box move from the left pane to the top center of the app.
On Copilot+ PCs, the search experience even added an AI agent to help you find and customize settings more quickly using natural language without having to remember the actual name of the settings.
Home page
The Home page introduced a new “Device info” card that surfaces the top technical specifications, including processor, storage, graphics card, and memory.
In addition, the “Recommended settings” card now shows the AI agent’s recently modified settings.
About page
The About page has undergone several design changes. For instance, the page begins with the “This device” section, which displays a desktop thumbnail, the computer name, and an option to rename the device.
The “Device specifications” section is now called “Device info,” which still shows the same basic technical specifications as before, but excludes storage and graphics information.
Also, the “Frequently Asked Questions” section has been removed from the page, and the “Windows specifications” section has been renamed to “Windows Info.”
Finally, under the “Related” section, Microsoft is adding an entry point to access the “Storage” settings.
Mobile Devices page
On the “Bluetooth & devices” section, the “Mobile Devices” page is new, but the features are not new to the operating system.
Although you have been able to control mobile device settings in the Settings app, this action required you to open a secondary page separate from the experience. However, the company added an option to connect your mobile devices directly from the “Mobile devices” page.
Keyboard page
In the “Bluetooth & devices” section, the “Keyboard” page is new and includes the “Keyboard character repeat” feature from the Control Panel in the Settings app.
Also, on this page, you’ll find the options to control the Copilot key and the Print key screen behavior.
Finally, the development team added a new Gamepad layout for the on-screen keyboard to make it easier to navigate and type using the Xbox controller.
The new layout maps specific buttons, such as X, Y, LB, RB, LT, and others, to common keys like Backspace, Space, Left and Right, and numbers. It also introduces a slightly different keyboard design with vertical alignment.
This gamepad experience also expands to the sign-in screen when using the PIN pad to access your account.
Date and time page
In the “Time & language” section, the “Date & time” page has been updated to port settings from the Control Panel, including the ability to change the time server address and add multiple clocks to the Notification Center.
In addition, it’s now possible to show a clock with seconds in the Notification Center.
Finally, you’ll find a new entry to access the date and time format, with the option to change the AM/PM symbols.
Language & region page
In the “Time & language” section, the “Language & region” page has been updated to include more Control Panel settings, including the ability to copy the current user’s settings to user accounts, the welcome screen, and system accounts.
Also, you can manage the number, currency, and date and time format settings from this location.
Finally, this page now shows the device setup region, and under the “Windows display language” setting, Microsoft added the option to enable the Unicode UTF-8 language support.
Text cursor page
In the “Accessibility” section, the “Text cursor” page has also been updated, bringing the “Cursor blink rate preview” from the Control Panel.
Mouse pointer and touch page
In the “Accessibility” section, the “Mouse pointer and touch” page introduced additional mouse settings in the Control Panel.
On this page, you can now find the mouse indicator, mouse pointer trails, and further mouse behavior and pointer customization.
Also, there’s an option to adjust the hover time to bring a window to focus. In addition, the “Mouse pointer speed” and “Enhance mouse pointer precision” settings now have new icons in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
Finally, on Settings > Accessibility > Mouse, the page includes new options previously available in the Control Panel, such as “Snap to default button,” “Hide pointer while typing,” “Double click speed,” and “Active on hover.”
Other Settings changes
Across the Settings experience, Microsoft has also updated the design for various dialogs, including for activation.
Microsoft also added a new “Recent activity” option in Settings > Privacy & security > Text and image generation, which lets you view recent requests to use AI-powered text and image generation from third-party applications installed on your computer.
Resume new feature
In 2025, Windows 11 introduced the “Resume” feature, which Microsoft calls “work across devices.” When you enable the feature, if you start working on a document from your OneDrive account on your phone after unlocking your computer within five minutes of last working on the file, a desktop notification will appear to pick up where you left off.
You must use the same Microsoft account across devices. It doesn’t work for work and school accounts, and it’s only supported for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and PDF files.
You can enable the feature by going to Settings > Apps > Resume and turning on the “Resume” toggle switch.
Lock Screen widgets customization
Microsoft has also replaced the legacy “Weather and more” settings with new “Widgets” settings that let you enable and disable widgets on the Lock Screen. Also, you can now customize the widgets that appear in the Lock Screen.
Microsoft Edit text editor for Command Prompt
The operating system now includes a new “Edit” text editor that you can use in Command Prompt. It’s a tiny (under 250kB) command-line app that works with text files without requiring you to leave Command Prompt to use Notepad or another GUI application. It is similar to Linux text editors such as Vim and Nano.
The new editor is a 64-bit application and an open-source project from Microsoft. Additionally, this CLI text editor also works on Windows 10.
It includes support for mouse navigation, multiple-file editing, find-and-replace, word wrap, and more.
Narrator new AI image descriptions and better privacy controls
Narrator receives a major set of accessibility upgrades focused on faster navigation, better content awareness, and improved assistive feedback across the system and apps.
Scan mode now includes new navigation shortcuts that make it easier to move through long content. Users can press the comma (,) key to jump to the start of an item, such as a large table or long list, and the period (.) key to jump to the end. This significantly improves reading efficiency for long emails, news articles, and wiki pages, where quickly finding context is critical.
A new Speech recap feature lets users review what Narrator has recently spoken. This makes it easy to reference past announcements, follow live transcription, or copy the last spoken output using simple keyboard shortcuts, reducing the need to re-navigate content.
On Copilot+ PCs, Narrator introduces AI-powered image descriptions that generate detailed explanations for images, charts, and graphs. This feature improves access to visual content for blind and low-vision users, especially in documents, web pages, and data-heavy layouts.
Privacy and focus are also improved by the Screen Curtain feature, which dims the display while Narrator continues reading aloud. This allows users to work with sensitive information in public or shared environments without exposing on-screen content.
Windows Narrator also makes it easier to discover and learn about its evolving capabilities. A new in-product guided experience guides users through new and updated features, helping both new and advanced users stay informed.
For Braille users, Narrator now includes a built-in
Viewer. This floating window displays on-screen text alongside its Braille output in real time, providing better visibility into how content is translated on a refreshable Braille display.
Finally, Narrator delivers a more polished experience in Microsoft Word, with smoother voice feedback, more reliable continuous reading, and improved navigation for lists, tables, comments, and footnotes, making long-form document editing and review more efficient and predictable.
Voice access becomes more natural and helpful
Voice access continues to evolve into a more powerful hands-free control system, with updates focused on natural speech, dictation, broader language support, and easier discovery of features across the operating system.
Users can now speak more naturally with Voice Access, using filler words and synonyms instead of memorizing rigid command phrases. This makes voice interaction feel more conversational and lowers the learning curve, especially for new users.
The feature also introduces Fluid Dictation, a smarter voice-typing experience powered by small on-device language models. It improves grammar and punctuation and removes filler words in real time, while keeping processing fast and private. Fluid Dictation works across most text input apps and is enabled by default, providing a smoother, more accurate dictation experience without relying on the cloud.
Accessibility expands further with new language support. Voice access now supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese, allowing more users to navigate, dictate, and interact with Windows entirely by voice.
Customization and control are improved with new personalization options. You can add custom words to the voice access dictionary to improve recognition accuracy, and configure a delay before voice commands are executed to reduce accidental actions.
Voice access is also easier to find and learn to use. It now appears directly in Quick Settings under Accessibility, making it faster to enable, and includes an in-product experience that highlights new features and improvements so users can explore what’s new at their own pace.
Voice Typing adds filtering for inappropriate words
Voice Typing receives a focused yet meaningful improvement that gives users more control over how spoken language is rendered on screen.
Windows 11 now lets users decide how inappropriate words are handled during voice typing. When the filter is enabled, spoken swear words are automatically masked with asterisks. When the filter is turned off, words are transcribed exactly as spoken, without censorship. This makes voice typing more flexible for different contexts, such as professional writing, casual conversations, or personal notes.
The setting is accessible directly from the Voice Typing interface. You can open Voice Typing with the “Windows key + H” keyboard shortcut, open settings, and toggle the filter on or off, allowing quick adjustments without leaving the current app.
Other changes
The company also pushed a slew of small changes and improvements for Windows 11.
HDR settings
For example, in the “HDR” settings, you can now stream HDR video even when HDR is turned off, and enable Dolby Vision independently of HDR on supported PCs.
Haptic feedback
Microsoft also added haptic feedback to pens on touch-enabled devices, so you’ll now feel small vibrations that simulate touch when interacting with certain interface elements, such as the close button, snapping, and resizing windows.
Camera with multiple stream support
As part of the 2025 updates, the “Advanced camera options” page in the camera settings now unveils two new features: “multi-app camera” and “basic camera.”
The “Allow multiple apps to use camera at the same time (multi-app camera)” feature allows you to stream the same camera across multiple apps.
Also, the Media type feature appears after enabling the “multi-app camera” feature and lets you choose the preferred camera resolution and frame rate.
Finally, the “Turn on basic camera (basic camera)” feature enables basic camera functionality for debugging. Microsoft recommends using this option as a last resort when your camera is not working correctly.
Keyboard shortcuts
Instead of having to open the Emoji Panel to access the symbols section to enter an En dash (–) or an Em dash (—), Windows 11 is updating its shortcut system so that you can use the “Windows key + Minus” to insert En dash, and “Windows key + Shift + Minus” to insert Em dash.
Task Manager improvements
The company also updated the Task Manager version to ensure CPU usage information is consistent. You’ll now see the same CPU workload across all pages, in line with industry standards.
If you need the previous CPU value, you can display the “CPU Utility” column on the “Details” tab.
Gaming controller
Xbox controller support has been enhanced. A short press now opens the Game Bar, a long press opens Task View, and holding the controller still powers it off. Also, game performance has been optimized when using overlays such as Game Bar, particularly on setups with multiple monitors at different refresh rates.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech in 2010. With over 22 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
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