5 new Windows 11 features should hit your PC soon

The only question is when.

- MARK HACHMAN

Microsoft tips and tests new Windows 11 features throughout the year as part of its Windows Insider programs. But there's an almost surefire way to tell what features will actually arrive on your PC in the near future: a new Windows 11 Release Preview build. And one recently dropped.

Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 26100.3321 (fave.co/3DFcdqG) to the Release Preview Channel in February, with a list of new features, including a new battery icon, an improved File Explorer, and tweaks to the Windows Spotlight screensaver. Given that it's a Release Preview, Microsoft should be releasing it relatively soon.

This collection of new features isn't as momentous as, say, a fall feature release. What's important about it is the relative certainty that even if you don't opt in for the Release Preview build, these features should be pushed to mainstream PCs. Let's look at what to expect.

A SWEET NEW BATTERY ICON

In January, Microsoft announced a color-coded battery icon (fave.co/3FsEi59) for your Taskbar, along with a percentage indicator. Microsoft has this pegged as the first feature within the new Windows 11 build.