Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update comes with energy use and Wi-Fi enhancements

Microsoft said Thursday that it’s starting the process of releasing a broad update to its Windows 11 operating system for PCs.

Today, Windows accounts for just 9% of Microsoft’s $245 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue, acquisitions of public companies Activision Blizzard and Nuance Communications. But revenue from Windows is highly profitable, and the widespread use of Windows on computers has helped Microsoft attract clients to its Azure cloud. So the product enhancements keep coming, before support for the popular Windows 10 ends in October 2025.

Following its introduction in 2021, Windows 11 is still quickly growing in popularity. The number of active devices was up 50% year over year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told analysts on the company’s earnings call in July.

The Windows 11 2024 Update, also known as version 24H2, is meant to boost basic PC functions, such as downloading files over Wi-Fi, compressing documents and managing energy use.

Here are some of the other new capabilities coming to PCs that can run Windows 11 in version 24H2:

More energy consumption controls. You’ll have an option to reduce the power draw of your PC while it’s plugged in, even if it doesn’t have a battery.

Supercharged hearing aids. If you have hearing aids that support Bluetooth LE Audio, you’ll be able to connect them to your computer and directly stream audio and adjust volume levels and balance.

Faster internet. There’s a new kind of router that adheres to the Wi-Fi 7 standard, and these devices can send data at a higher throughput than Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. Your PC should now be able to make the most of these routers at home or at the office, so you can download files more rapidly and have more devices running at high speed.

Simpler Wi-Fi sharing. In the Settings app, you’ll be able to bring up a QR code showing information for logging on to your Wi-Fi network, so you can quickly get other devices connected.

Rich backgrounds. If your device or display supports high dynamic range, or HDR, signals, then you can select an image file that uses the .JXR file extension and make it your desktop background. The result will make for higher contrast between light and dark parts of an image.

Control mobile files. If you connect your phone to your PC over Bluetooth, you’ll be able to turn on a control in the Settings app that will show files on your phone in a folder inside the File Explorer app. It’s a wireless alternative to connecting your phone to your PC with a USB cable.

Smaller clock. You can make the time take up less space in the System tray. To do this, open the Settings app, select Time & language. Under “Show time and date in the System tray,” you’ll find a new option that says, “Show abbreviated time and date.”

Compression choices. You won’t have to download a program from the web if you want to bundle up your files in the 7-Zip or .tar format. Select a group of files in File Explorer, right-click, hover over “Compress to…” and then select from the ZIP, 7z or TAR options. Or you can pick “Additional options,” which brings up a box where you can increase or decrease the compression level and choose a compression method.

To find version 24H2 of Windows 11, open the Settings app and go to Windows Update. The update will show up for you to download when Microsoft expects that your device will be ready for it. The company will first push 24H2 out to devices running versions 22H2 and 23H2 that have the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option in Windows Update turned on.

Schools and companies that want to distribute version 24H2 to their devices can consult a Microsoft blog post.

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