In Friday’s Windows Insider Blog, Microsoft outlined some of the upcoming changes its Insiders – beta testers – should expect in the coming months. Among them are less intrusive Windows Update operations, improvements to Copilot integration, streamlining of the Start menu and taskbar, fewer notifications, a reduced memory footprint, greater stability and much more. They are all welcome – and long overdue.
Microsoft plans to be “more intentional about how and where Copilot fits into Windows, focusing on truly useful, well-designed experiences.”
Additionally, widgets will deliver information “more intentionally by default, keeping content visible and reducing unnecessary interruptions.” The point of widgets is to give the user the ability to understand information at a glance and not be intrusive. This means you will be able to customize or disable them more easily and generally reduce the number of notifications.
One of the biggest performance updates will be a reduction in operating system memory usage, leaving more availability for the programs you run. This is huge, not only because Windows is memory intensive, but also because for the next couple of years at least it won’t be practical to simply configure a new system with more memory.
Microsoft says it will increase the interval allowed for an update pause, make them more predictable, and add the ability to restart or shut down without surprise forced installs if you forgot to postpone. Additionally, the company promises fewer automatic restarts and notifications.
I could definitely live without this screen when installing Windows.
Screenshot by Lori Grunin/CNETYou’ll also be able to skip updates when you first set up a device, which is a nice change since it’s something most people only do once. But at the very least, it should provide a better out-of-the-box experience for beginners.
It’s also a welcome, if small, step forward in creating Windows handhelds (like the ROG Xbox Ally) feel more like gaming devices and less like low-performance laptops, as does the addition of support for controller-based navigation to create a PIN during setup and in settings.
Microsoft also promises faster, more consistent, and smoother overall performance, including a much more streamlined operation of File Explorer. The company claims that Bluetooth and USB will provide more stable connections, fewer operating system crashes, and more consistent wake-up behavior.