Microsoft has started to develop a new widget panel for Windows 11, which is currently available to subscribers of the Canary channel through Build 25324. new design now has a three-column layout to display news, weather, traffic data, stock quotes and other personalized content.
According to the Windows blog, the widget panel will be more organized with the new configuration. There will be sections for widgets and personalized information in a feed that will display news and other content based on users’ interests. See in the screenshot below provided by Microsoft:
New widget panel will have three columns and better organization of content (Image: Microsoft)
The expanded panel will only be compatible with devices that support its larger dimensions, although details on the minimum resolution and screen ratio required for the area to be divided into three columns have not been released.
Microsoft has said that the feature is only available to a limited number of users, as it intends to gather feedback from channel member testers before rolling out the feature to more people.
It is possible to force the activation of the new widget panel using ViveTool, but this practice is not recommended, since the tool changes system settings that can cause bugs, errors and other failures. However, if you want to test the new feature on your Windows 11 device (Build 25324 for the Canary channel), follow these steps:
- Download ViveTool (GUI version) from Github;
- Install the application on your device;
- Open the app and search for the resource “ID 43028164” in the search field;
- Click on the “Perform Action” menu and select the “Activate Feature” option;
- Restart the device.
Windows 11 is undergoing several improvements in terms of design and stability ahead of a next generation release. Rumors indicate that Microsoft is already working on Windows 12, which may stand out for its integration with artificial intelligence resources and other innovations.