5 Surprising Windows 11 Features Hidden in Plain Sight

You use the same apps on your computer every day. But what if those simple tools had hidden features you’ve never seen?

Windows 11 has quietly upgraded many of its standard apps with some surprisingly powerful new tricks. And the best part is, you don’t have to download anything extra to use them.

So, before you pay for extra software, you might want to check what your computer can already do. Here at Computer Expert Adelaide, we’ve found a few that are genuinely useful, and we’re going to share them with you.

Your File Explorer is Now a Photo Gallery

Finding a specific photo on your computer used to mean a lot of clicking. You had to remember which folder you saved it in, whether it was in ‘Pictures’ or ‘Downloads’, and then scroll endlessly through files.

Windows 11 has a new feature in its File Explorer that fixes this.

On the left-hand menu, you’ll now see a button called “Gallery”. This view gathers all the photos from across your computer into a single place. It looks and feels just like the photo gallery on your phone. You can scroll through everything sorted by date, which makes finding that picture from last month incredibly fast.

The Built-in Notepad is Finally Good Again

For years, one of the first things many people did on a new computer was replace the basic, built-in Notepad with a more powerful third-party app like Notepad++. The old Notepad was just too simple and couldn’t even handle basic tasks well.

The main problem was, if you needed to work with more than one text file, you had to open multiple, separate Notepad windows. This quickly cluttered up your screen.

But with Windows 11, the built-in Notepad has finally gotten a modern update that makes it genuinely useful again.

It now works just like a powerful editor or a web browser, allowing you to open multiple text files as tabs within a single window.

This means you may no longer need that extra software you used to install. The simple Notepad that comes with Windows is now a great tool for keeping your notes and thoughts organised without all the clutter. It’s a massive improvement.

The Snipping Tool Now Records Video

For years, the Snipping Tool has been the best way to take a quick screenshot on Windows. But if you wanted to record a video of your screen, you had to use a different, often more complicated, application.

Now, that same simple tool can do both.

When you open the Snipping Tool (the fastest way is to press Windows Key + Shift + S), you’ll see a small video camera icon next to the familiar camera icon for screenshots.

Once you click it, you can simply draw a box around any part of your screen and start recording. This is perfect for creating a quick how-to video for a colleague or, even better, for recording an error message as it happens on your screen. It’s a surprisingly powerful feature hidden inside a tool you already use.

Edit Photos Like a Pro (Without Photoshop)

If you ever needed to remove the background from a photo, you probably thought you needed expensive and complicated software like Photoshop to do it properly.

But now, a powerful editing tool is already built into your computer.

The free Windows Photos app, which is the default program for viewing your pictures, has been given a major upgrade. When you open a photo and click the “Edit Image” button, you will now see an option called “Background”.

With a single click, this tool can automatically remove the background from your photo, leaving you with a clean cutout. It also has an option to blur the background, which is perfect for creating a professional-looking portrait effect. It’s an incredibly useful feature that most people don’t know is hiding in a standard app.

The Clock App Can Help You Focus

When you need to concentrate on a big task, it’s easy to get distracted. You might set a timer on your phone or just try to rely on willpower to stay off social media.

But Windows 11 has a surprisingly powerful productivity tool built right into the standard Clock app. It’s called “Focus Sessions.”

This isn’t just a simple timer. It’s a full-featured focus tool based on the popular Pomodoro Technique. You can set your work intervals and your break times, and it will help you stay on task by tracking your progress.

It even connects to your Spotify account, so it can automatically play focus-enhancing playlists while you work and then pause them when it’s time for a break. It’s a fantastic way to manage your time and attention, and it’s already on your computer.

Making the Most of What You Already Have

Windows 11 is full of these small but powerful improvements that can make your daily workflow feel much smoother. Before you look for extra software, it’s always worth checking what the tools you already have can do.

But to use them, you first need to be running Windows 11.

If you are still on an older version and want to upgrade without the hassle, we can help. Here at Computer Expert Adelaide, we offer a professional Windows 11 upgrade and installation service. We’ll get your computer running on the new system safely and efficiently.

Give us a call today to get started.