Even with Windows 10’s latest feature updates and improvements
to the Windows Update algorithm, Microsoft updates can
take quite a while to update and install. Fortunately, Windows
11 will be to download and install Windows updates faster than
Windows 10, according to Microsoft.
When Windows 11 starts receiving its monthly cumulative,
security or driver updates, it will happen in the background.
The company is promising seamless updates that will happen
invisibly in the background. According to Microsoft,
Windows updates will now be 40% smaller on Windows 11.
It’s not yet clear how Microsoft is making Windows Updates
faster, but it’s possible that Microsoft has achieved this by
using “experience packs”. With Windows 11, Microsoft will be
pushing certain features to users outside of the major updates.
These updates will be delivered via separate updates called
“feature experience pack” or “web experience pack”.
Microsoft has been testing the ins-and-outs of the new Windows
update delivery method with Windows Insiders for a while now,
and full-fledged experience packs will be released to consumers
with Windows 11.
With feature experience packs, Microsoft is able to improve
certain features and experiences independently of the
OS. The plan is to improve features like Windows Widgets
by releasing updates to the “web experience pack” via Microsoft
Store. As a result, users will get some additional features
early and the security updates size will be smaller.
On an overall level, this is a major improvement for Windows
where Windows Updates are generally problematic and it’s
something that Microsoft also wanted to address with Windows
10X, a cancelled operating system for dual-screen devices.
In addition to Windows Updates, Windows 11 will also bring
some design changes to native apps,
Settings,
File Explorer and other areas of the operating system. The
redesigned lock screen and first-party apps are expected to
show up in the upcoming preview builds, or at least these
tweaks are present in the internal builds and official teasers
from Microsoft.
Microsoft is also working on design improvements for Office,
Notepad, Paint and other apps. According to Microsoft, Windows
11 preview builds will be released to testers in the coming
days and those with the incompatible systems can also upgrade
to Windows 11 via the Insider program.
