Windows 11 looks set to get some exciting new features in upcoming updates, with a Twitter leak emerging that apparently shows off Microsoft’s plans for its Windows 11 operating system, which was publically launched in October 2021.  

What might change?

The first is a new “Stickers” feature for Windows 11. Users will be able to edit stickers and add them to the desktop. These stickers can be placed over your desktop wallpaper, and will apparently remain there if you change wallpapers – though the leak suggests this feature won’t work if you use a slideshow as your background, or if you have multiple monitors.

With the new “Stickers” feature, users will be able to edit stickers and add them to the desktop.

It’s also not currently clear if these “Stickers” will be purely decorative, or if they could offer some sort of functionality, such as displaying the date and time.

More Changes

Focus

Changes are also said to be coming to how notifications are shown in Windows 11. According to the leak, there will be a new “Set priority notifications” setting, which should give users more control over what notifications they get. Focus Assist, which is a quick setting for turning off or minimising notifications, is also getting a new name – it’ll just be known as “Focus.”

There will also be new options for the “Focus” setting, allowing you to hide badges on taskbar apps (and stop them flashing) and mute notifications. The aim of this mode is to minimise distractions so you can keep focused on the task at hand.

Sustainability

A new “Sustainability” page is also being added to the Settings app. This will allow you to manage the power settings of your device so that it runs more efficiently, and there's also a link to information about how to safely recycle your device.

A new “Sustainability” page is also being added to the Settings app.

The page also has leaf-shape icons, and these look like they'll be used to give your device a rating for how energy-efficient it is.

Tablet mode

It also looks like some form of “tablet mode” will come to Windows 11 that automatically hides the Taskbar when you use your device as a tablet (for example when using a 2-in-1 laptop in its tablet configuration).

It’s not clear when these new features will appear in Windows 11, if indeed they appear at all, but as some have been spotted in early builds it's possible that we could see them in Windows 11’s upcoming major update, known as Sun Valley 2, which is likely to come out in the second half of 2022.

Looking Ahead

Assuming this leak proves to be the real deal, these new features would broadly be welcome. Giving users more control over notifications, and information on how they can make their device run more efficiently, would certainly be great additions to Windows 11.