Microsoft has announced that it is updating the Windows 11 Start menu, in addition to introducing new AI features over the coming month. In a recent blog post, the company clarified that these upgrades will first be rolled out to Windows Insiders, with many of the AI upgrades being exclusive to Copilot+ PCs.
The Start menu overhaul, which was initially discovered in April, will bring improvements to the size and layout of the menu. There is also a new apps category view, which is organised based on what apps and categories are used most. Additionally, Microsoft has added a phone companion feature, where the user can connect their Android or iOS device and have access to their contacts in a menu next to the Start menu.
As for the AI features, Microsoft is integrating an agent with the Settings menu that allows the user to describe the changes they want to make and receive recommendations on the actions they need to take to achieve these changes. In a video demonstrating this feature, Microsoft showed how typing “my text is too small” would prompt the AI to suggest an option to increase the text size that the user can select. The user can also allow the agent to complete actions on their behalf.
Other AI additions include more actions for Click to Do, such as scheduling meetings, as well as new capabilities for Photos, Paint, and Snipping tool. For the Photos app, Microsoft is introducing a relight tool that adds dynamic lighting controls. Meanwhile, the Paint app is getting a sticker generator as well as an object select tool for isolating specific elements on the canvas. The Snipping tool gets a perfect screenshot function that automatically frames on-screen content. It will also gain a text extractor tool for copying text directly from images and screenshots, and a colour picker for grabbing exact hues from the screen.
While these AI additions are for Copilot+ PCs, there are some AI-powered features coming for everyone on Windows 11. For instance, Notepad is gaining a tool that allows users to create summaries for longer content, among other things.
(Source: Microsoft blog)
