Articles about Windows 11 apps

Having already started to redesign the Windows 11 Start menu, Microsoft has revealed that there are even more changes afoot. As part of an upgrade to Windows Search, it will soon be possible to find and install apps from the Start menu.

What is happening is that the Microsoft Store is being integrated into the Start menu -- thanks to the fact that it is going to be integrated into Windows Search. The idea is that it reduces friction and makes it quicker and easier to get hold of apps that have not yet been installed.

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New Insider builds of Windows 11 are usually about Microsoft testing out new features of the operating system, but sometimes the company tries something a little different. This is something that is true of the latest Canary release, build 25330, and Dev release, build 23424.

In both of these new releases, there are important changes to the Microsoft Store. The latest version of the app gives Insiders a new way to install free apps and games faster than ever.

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Here's an odd one: when Windows 11 launches in a couple of weeks, it will include a number of pre-installed apps... except they won't really be pre-installed. Eh?

This slightly strange state of affair comes as a result of Microsoft taking steps to reduce the size of Windows 11's footprint to help improve performance. What it means in practice is that in order to use apps such as Microsoft To-Do, you'll click the shortcut -- which is really just a placeholder -- and the app will then be downloaded for you.

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It is almost too easy to joke about the Paint app that has been included with Windows since time immemorial. Sure, it's basic when compared to… well, just about anything really... but it's a tool that people love regardless.

With the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft is giving Paint a much-needed overhaul and Panos Panay has given a sneaky peak at what we can expect from the redesigned app. As ever, it's Windows Insiders who will get first dibs, but for now, a quick video will have to suffice.

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