Subj : Windows 11 gets a bunch of small but useful changes including so To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Fri Sep 01 2023 12:15:04 Windows 11 gets a bunch of small but useful changes including something nifty for Notepad Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2023 11:00:29 +0000 Description: Microsoft has had a busy week tinkering under the bonnet with Windows 11 and some of its default apps. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Microsoft has pushed out a new preview build for Windows 11, and made some useful changes in the earliest development channel plus the company has applied some nifty tweaks for default apps in testing, too. Lets start with the freshly deployed preview build 25941 in the Canary channel, which introduces a toggle to turn on dynamic refresh rate (in Advanced Display settings). This allows Windows 11 to adjust the refresh rate of the screen on-the-fly, so when you dont need to be running at the displays maximum refresh, it can be toned down, thus saving a bit of power with your high refresh rate display . Another related tweak is that when choosing a refresh rate, Windows 11 will now mark rates (with an asterisk) that cant currently be selected due to the resolution youre running at (but could be used at a different resolution). Build 25941 also has a raft of bug fixes as detailed in Microsofts blog post introducing this new preview version. Elsewhere in testing, Microsoft has rolled out updates for the Snipping Tool and Notepad apps in Windows 11 (for Canary and also Dev channel testers). With the Snipping Tool, users now get the benefit of a combined capture bar, a panel that easily allows you to switch between capturing screenshots and video clips. And with those videos, screen recording has been bolstered so you can record the PC audio and a voiceover using a microphone should you wish. As for Notepad, this is getting an auto-save feature. Anything you write will be saved, and sessions will be saved when you close Notepad, coming back up when you next start the app. Analysis: Small tweaks with bigger results Dynamic refresh rate is a neat feature to see arrive in Canary (it was previously in Dev channel, too), and hopefully this will be inbound for beta builds before too long, and shuffling its way through to the release version of Windows 11 . Its going to be of considerable benefit to laptop owners, as the energy savings to be made by lowering the refresh rate (where possible such as when you have a screenful of text youre reading, which really doesnt require any smoothness) will add up to longer battery life when out and about. As for the beefed-up Snipping Tool, thats a more streamlined experience, and the support for voiceovers will doubtless be welcomed by those knocking up, say, a quick help video on how to do something on the Windows 11 desktop. Its certainly useful to give Notepad auto-save its a favorite app for some folks for obvious reasons (and theres the ability to switch it off, if you dont want it). Whats also cool about this is that you dont have to engage with any dialog boxes (such as confirming Do you want to save?). Notepad just keeps the content saved without prompting you when you close the app, bringing the text back when its reopened. Via Neowin You might also like 5 annoying Windows 11 problems and how to fix them Microsoft seems to have fixed Windows 11's horrible SSD slowdown Dont make these 5 big mistakes when using Windows 11 ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/windows-11-gets-a-bunch-of-small-b ut-useful-changes-including-something-nifty-for-notepad --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .