Windows 11: Microsoft teases full-screen widget board, modern sidebar for Explorer

At its Hybrid Work event, Microsoft officially announced new features and improvements for Windows 11. This includes enhanced phishing protection features supported by Microsoft Defender Smart Screen and tabs in File Explorer. In addition to security improvements, Microsoft also introduced a new design for File Explorer’s sidebar and full-screen support for widgets.

In Windows 11, there is a new feature called Widgets, which has a dedicated button on the taskbar that opens the board on the left side of the display. With Windows widgets, you can access Microsoft news, weather, traffic, sports scores, and more.

The concept of widgets is not entirely new. In Vista and Windows 7 we had "gadgets" that allowed users to customize their desktop with clocks and other features. Although gadgets were useful, they were never particularly popular and were eventually killed. Unlike widgets, widgets cannot be pinned to the desktop, they appear on special boards.

As you can see in the screenshot above, Windows 11’s widgets menu currently pops up on the left side, and it only covers half of the screen. Limited space is used for various native widgets such as Weather, News, Stocks, Sports, Photos, Microsoft Store, Movies & TV, Maps, and more.

Microsoft also confirmed third-party support for widgets, and the board may have more widgets in the coming months. Ahead of third-party integration, Microsoft has quietly teased a new full-screen widget mode.

# The widget panel will soon take up the full screen, covering the desktop or open applications/games. In theory, this would increase the number of widgets and news items displayed at one time. It also means touch users have better access and access to more news updates.

Apparently, full-screen mode was teased during the original June 2021 Windows 11 event.

Additionally, you can switch between work and personal accounts. If you use your personal account from the widget panel, you'll see updates from OneDrive, Xbox, and more. On the other hand, if you connect your work or school account to the widget panel, you'll also get updates relevant to your organization.

File Explorer’s New Sidebar

As we reported last week, File Explorer received a slew of enhancements as part of Sun Valley 2, with one major change Yes native tab support.

During the Hybrid Work event, Microsoft confirmed that it is developing a new sidebar for File Explorer that will be based on WinUI design principles.

There also appears to be Dark Mode improvements to better match the overall look and feel of Windows 11.

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