14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 11 will completely overhaul the desktop, giving it a highly anticipated modern treatment that includes centered icons on the taskbar, a new Start menu, and a refresh action and notification center.
And a screenshot published on reddit provides us with a closer look at the new notifications and the restyled Action Center, confirming that Microsoft tried to maintain its modern approach everywhere across the OS.
And of course, the company has also implemented a dark mode here as well, therefore achieving the critical consistency that a highly complex product like Windows needs in the first place.
The revamped desktop
At the first glance, everything seems to blend it quite nicely, and the notifications, in particular, seem to make more sense now, as they’re easier to read, especially when they include incoming messages.
The new Start menu in Windows 11 is borrowed from Windows 10X, a modern operating system that was supposed to power Microsoft’s dual-screen PC push but which has already been abandoned, with the company apparently focusing on single-screen devices for the time being.
“We’ve simplified the design and user experience to empower your productivity and inspire your creativity. It’s modern, fresh, clean and beautiful. From the new Start button and taskbar to each sound, font and icon, everything was done intentionally to put you in control and bring a sense of calm and ease. We put Start at the center and made it easier to quickly find what you need. Start utilizes the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to show you your recent files no matter what platform or device you were viewing them on earlier, even if it was on an Android or iOS device,” Microsoft explained.
At this point, it’s still not known if Microsoft plans to allow users to align the Start menu and the taskbar icons to the left side of the screen and return to the traditional Windows desktop.