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- The best Windows 11 productivity features - Fri, Aug 25 2023
- New features in Windows 11 23H2 - Mon, Aug 21 2023
Snap layouts
Snap layouts is a new feature in Windows 11 that helps you resize windows and arrange them into layouts.
You can access it by hovering your mouse over the maximize button of open windows or by pressing the Windows key + Z. When you do this, Windows will show our different layouts, and you can select the one that fits your needs. When you select a layout type, Windows rearranges your display and allows you to attach windows.
In the screenshot below, I demonstrated this using my Word document.
Open snap layouts by hovering over the maximize button of the Word document
You can enable, disable, and configure snap windows by navigating to Settings > System > Multitasking. There are several options available, including when and how to use snap windows.
Configure snap layout behavior
In addition, you can choose how many tabs you want to show when you press Alt + Tabs. You can disable this by selecting Don't show tabs.
Show tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt Tab
Task View
Task View can be very helpful, especially if you have a single monitor. Task View allows you to create multiple virtual desktops with a single click, enabling you to move open windows from one virtual desktop to another.
You can access Task View by clicking the icon on the Taskbar. Task View will show all open apps, documents, and desktops. You can create additional desktops by clicking the + symbol.
Task View in action
In Windows 11, virtual desktops are easily accessible with just a single click via the taskbar. However, to remove them, you need to navigate to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
Show or hide the Task View from the taskbar
Widgets
Widgets are small blocks that display dynamic content, such as weather, news, Outlook updates, and more. You can access widgets by clicking the widget icon in the taskbar or by pressing the Windows key + W shortcut.
After accessing Widgets, you can add new widgets by clicking on the + symbol and then selecting from the available options, including entertainment, family safety, Outlook Calendar, photos, to-do, and others. Anything missing? You can explore more by clicking Find more widgets.
Access widgets
You can resize the Widget window to fill the entire screen by clicking the arrow located at the top-right corner next to your user account icon.
You can remove Widgets from the taskbar by going to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
Focus sessions
Focus is all about minimizing distractions and focusing on what matters. Microsoft introduced Focus in Windows 11, fully integrated with the Clock app. You can access it by navigating to Settings > System > Focus.
Once you are there, you can start your focus time by clicking Start focus session. As shown in the screenshot below, you can define how long your focus time should last. The default time is 30 minutes.
During your focus session, by default, Windows will hide badges on taskbar apps, stop flashing taskbar app notifications, and enable Do Not Disturb mode. You can deselect these options based on your needs.
Start focus session
When you click Start Focus Session, a new focus window pops up in the top right corner of the screen.
The focus period is on
You can expand it further by clicking the expand button on the top left of the focus period pop-up window.
Focus period
Voice to text
By pressing the Windows key + H, you can access a very cool feature called Microsoft Speech Services. This is an online-based service that helps you turn your voice into text. It is straightforward to use: click the microphone button to start voice typing.
Please be aware that this service doesn't support all languages, but only certain ones. You can find a list of supported languages on the Microsoft website.
When you click it, it will automatically install device-based speech recognition that improves voice typing performance.
Microsoft Speech Services
If you click the Settings button, you can enable the voice typing launcher and automatic punctuation, and select which microphone you want to use.
Configure Microsoft Speech Service
Improved clipboard
Microsoft has improved the clipboard functionality in Windows 11. Now, you can copy multiple clips, view them in a list, and choose the one you need to paste. Clipboard history is disabled by default, but you can enable it by pressing the Windows logo + V keys, and then clicking Turn on.
Configure Microsoft Speech Service
Once enabled, you can copy various types of content. They are all shown in the clipboard history list, which can also be accessed by pressing the Windows logo + V.
Clipboard history
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is now available on the taskbar in Windows 11. This is a productivity booster, as you don't need to open it as a third-party application or via the web. It's right there on your taskbar, accessible by clicking the Microsoft Teams icon or by pressing the Windows logo + C.
Access Microsoft Teams from Taskbar
Wrap up
Windows 11 includes several native features to improve your productivity. In this article, we talked about Snap layouts, Task View, widgets, focus sessions, voice typing, improved clipboard, and Microsoft Teams.
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Are you using any of these productivity features? Do you have any favorite Windows 11 features? Please leave a comment below.
