Windows 11 vs Windows 10: 7+1 Things That Windows 11 Does Better

It's been seven months since October 5, the day when Windows 11 was officially released, though many users were already trying it out before thanks to the Windows Insider program.

In these seven months, many users have gone from simply testing it to using it on a daily basis, including for their productive activity, discovering the major advantages of Windows 11 and many of its lesser known aspects: from the first impression, which everyone agrees is that of an extraordinarily fresh look and feel, even in the most resource-intensive operations, to more or less prominent details.

Other users are still stuck on Windows 10, either undecided or unable to make the switch: maybe too old hardware is stopping them from changing, or the fear of being lost while having to use a new system, after so many years on the previous one; while for others it's just a matter of time before their company decides to take the step.

For all users who have not yet switched to Windows 10, here is an interesting look at those aspects that, in my humble opinion, are the 7 things that Windows 11 does “significantly” better than Windows 10 and that alone are worth the switch.

Is that all? Certainly not: there's an eighth Windows 11 feature that deserves our attention, and it's coming soon.

Windows 11: what has changed (for the better) from Windows 10?

1. Start up

If you get the chance to try booting up a new PC with Windows 11, you'll find from the get-go that the first step in using the new system really takes you to a new world compared to that of Windows 10: Microsoft has ditched the shades of black and electric blue for a far more modern experience with lighter tones and much more modern icons, as well as offering an easier path to initializing the device for the first time.

This process, coupled with the ability to use Autopilot to automate the initialization of a whole fleet of PCs in “Zero Touch” mode, significantly improves the often-critical first approach to the PC and makes Windows 11 take the leap into a very modern age.

2. Look & Feel

We don't know if you've noticed, but the icons in the App bar now move asynchronously, meaning that the animations are different based on the different states of the App. These are small details, let's be clear, which taken in isolation don't change the general overview, but it's worth pointing out that if Microsoft was this careful and spent resources on such small details, it means that the attention to detail is at the highest level.

We've always said that Microsoft puts the user at the center of their own experience, but here this notion goes very deep indeed: the developers wanted the users to enjoy using Windows 11 like never before, with the smallest of treats that aren't actively noticed but that make otherwise unremarkable steps more pleasing.

3. The command center

The command center now summarizes some of the most important features of the operating system directly in a single window, small and concentrated, and, most importantly, convenient to access.

This includes the network connection, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, battery, notifications and accessibility (critical for many), display brightness and volume.

In addition to these commands, you can add others to customize your user experience in a command center that can often fully replace the Settings and be as quick as it is convenient.

4. The Settings Menu

In all honesty, the transition from Control Panel to Settings has been too slow with Windows 10. The point is that there are still too many developers who, out of laziness or for whatever other reason, continue to keep enterprise apps connected to the Control Panel.

Removing the latter altogether would make many of these apps unusable, which would be a disaster, although more for corporate users than for Microsoft itself: that's why we really appreciated the enhancement of the Settings menu, with very important new modules.

Among these, Networks and Internet allows you to change network preferences on the fly, such as moving from DHCP to Fixed IP or changing DNS: operations that used to require a number of clicks with Control Panel can now be done much faster.

5. Multitasking and window management

Nowadays, every PC user can be said to be multitasking, because doing only one thing at a time is virtually impossible. For example, right now I’m using Word to write this article, but also listening to background music on Spotify (with headphones), while in the background I have Teams, WhatsApp and Telegram for quick messages, Outlook for longer ones. And that's not taking into account a lot of other services that run under the hood and that we usually only call up when we need them.

Sometimes, however, you need to set up more “well-defined,” compartmentalized multitasking. The eponymous feature present in Windows 11 makes this possible, unlike in Windows 10, by selecting Apps and open windows and grouping them into groups, which can be selected one at a time and brought to the foreground, together with all their content (which closes that of the other groups).

It’s a function that is at the same time simple and advanced, which will make the most astute users happy, without affecting those who don’t like novelties much, because the function can be completely ignored by those who aren’t interested.

6. Multimedia center

The new Media Player definitively puts Groove into retirement and sets a standard for movies, audio and music on Windows 11. A new interface, advanced basic functionality for all types of video formats (MP4 to Avi, Mov to MKV) as well as music, which can be organized into playlists, accepting both local and online resources.

The player also offers an automatic importing function for all the resources, being able to add folders for the automatic management of media, starting from the standard ones (Music and Video) all the way to other customized types.

It’s an essential update for all users who work seriously with multimedia content, from simple enjoyment to offering a test environment.

7. External display links and unlinks

There's been little talk about this, but the new external display link and unlink feature included in Windows 11 is something phenomenal, especially when viewed from a hybrid work perspective. Basically, it works like this: if you have a laptop connected to an external display (via USB-C, Thunderbolt or HDMI) and you're using it with documents open on this display, when you unlink it, all the open windows move to the laptop's main display; but when you reconnect the external display, Windows “remembers” the open windows and puts them back in the original position.

A great feature for those who work in a hybrid regime, moving around often.

7+1. Windows 11 vs Windows 10: Working with Android Apps

But that's not all. The seven features listed above, selected from among many others, are just a few of the most interesting ones that are available today for those who upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. But there's a really incredible one to add to the list, which is, however, not yet available.

This is the ability to use Android Apps natively: currently this feature is in beta for U.S. users, on a select number of Apps, but it is likely to arrive very soon to the desktops of all users.

When it arrives, it will be possible, in a completely native and simple way, to download some Android Apps from the Microsoft Store (which has an agreement with the Amazon App Store) and use them as if they were native Apps for Windows 11. In the same way, it will be possible to launch private .apk files, developed internally, without necessarily needing a physical Android device.

This feature opens up a myriad of functions, from home automation to gaming, all the way to being able to control smart objects on Windows without a Windows-specific App; plus, of course, the fact that many developers will be able to use their PCs as a test environment.

Upgrading to Windows 11 makes sense

These are seven things – eight if we take a broader outlook – among many others that are enough by themselves to drive users to switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11: seven features that can change the use of Windows and Apps in a revolutionary way and lead to significant improvement.

And to think that Windows 11 is not even a year old, but already offers much better structured and more mature functionality than Windows 10. What about you, are you ready to step foot into the future? Which operating system are you on?

Tell us what you think in the comments!