The next big Windows 11 feature update, version 25H2, has arrived without any loud marketing campaigns from Microsoft. While it doesn’t technically bring any new features, Microsoft has been adding new features and improvements each month using its cumulative update mechanism.
If Windows 11 was feeling like a work in progress to you, this update might actually change your mind. Between the mandatory AI features each Windows app must now receive for no apparent reason, there are a few hidden gems that make the Windows 11 user experience better.
These features are still being rolled out globally and may or may not be available in your region at the time of writing.
The redesigned Start menu is probably the first thing you’ll notice, and it’s a welcome change. Instead of the old, rigid layout, you can now view your apps in three different ways: by category, alphabetically, or in a classic grid. Even better, you can finally ditch the recommended section if you’re tired of seeing random documents you opened weeks ago.
Being able to remove the recommendation section finally lets you claim the Start menu for yourself. Regardless of whether you want more space for your pinned apps or prefer a massive scrollable app list, you can finally get rid of unnecessary sections in the Start menu and use the space however you like.
There’s also a handy Phone Link panel that slides out next to the Start menu. This gives you instant access to your phone’s photos, messages, and notifications without having to open a separate app
6
Actually useful battery information
No mouse movement needed for battery checks
This is a change that Windows 11 should’ve shipped with, but better late than never. Up until this point, your laptop’s battery has shown a dynamic icon that changed to indicate battery levels or charging status. If you wanted to check the battery level, you had to hover your mouse over the battery icon.
The icon has now been simplified to use colors to indicate battery status in addition to showing a clear battery percentage. You’ll find the setting as a Battery percentage toggle in the Power & battery section of the System settings in the Windows 11 Settings app.
Your battery icons turn green to indicate charging, yellow to indicate battery saver mode, and red when you’re running on fumes. It’s a small change, but it makes checking your battery from a task to a simple glance.
5
Right-click Photo editing
The File Explorer has gained a couple of AI tricks that can help if you work with a lot of images. Right-click any photo, and you’ll see new options like Blur background, Erase objects, or Remove background.
These tap into the improvements done to the Photos and Pain apps, but let you access those features without having to actually open said apps. There are apps that can make the Windows 11 right-click menu make sense, but seeing useful options built in natively is always good.
Another option you’ll see in the context menu is Bing Visual Search. It’s essentially reverse image search, but instead of opening a browser, navigating to a search engine, and uploading your image, you get to run the search from the File Explorer itself. For anyone with a Microsoft 365 subscription, there’s also a Summarize in Copilot option for documents.
The File Explorer is something that every Windows user interacts with almost daily, so improvements that speed up otherwise time-consuming and repetitive tasks are refreshing to see. Windows File Explorer has been getting new features you probably missed, so it’s worth taking a look around again.
4
A Photos app that rivals your phone
The built-in Windows Photos app is looking in good shape
Speaking of editing options, the built-in Windows Photos app also gets some genuinely useful features. For starters, you get a whole host of AI editing tools that let you remove the background or unwanted objects from your photos.
You can also change the background color or add blur to give your photos more depth. There are also other object transform features that let you move the subject, cut out objects, crop photos, and create stickers. Most of these features are available in the Microsoft Designer app that you can access via Photos.
You don’t get a lot of flexibility when using these features. Select your image, the edit you want to apply, and the program will spit out a result in a few seconds. It does a reasonably good job, but don’t expect to be able to fine-tune the result.
3
Voice typing now cleans up after you
Microsoft finally fixes voice typing
Another feature that benefits from AI is Voice Access on Windows. It now gets an improvement called Fluid Dictation, which automatically removes filler words like “um” and “ah” while fixing grammar and punctuation as you speak.
Additionally, Windows isn’t just transcribing anymore—it’s actually understanding what you meant to say. You can also create custom voice shortcuts for repetitive tasks. For example, you can say “open work email” and Windows will launch Outlook with your work account. Say “insert email signature” and it’ll type out your email signatures and so on.
This feature now works across multiple monitors as well. Using your voice to control Windows is a rather underrated feature that can help you work faster. If you’ve dismissed voice controls on Windows in the past, and I don’t blame you, it’s time to check them out again.
2
Better privacy monitoring options
Know when your apps are using local AI models
There are also several end-user experience improvements in the form of better privacy controls and monitoring. You can now see a list of apps that have recently used on-device generative AI models provided by Windows. If you want to revoke a program’s access to these AI models, you can do so as well.
When an app requests access to location, camera, mic, or other device sensor or hardware, Windows now shows a redesigned system dialog box. This emphasizes the privacy prompt and dims the screen to ensure you know what you’re doing.
The Windows Hello interface has also been redesigned to “support fast, clear communication that appears across multiple authentication workflows,” according to Microsoft. This basically means you get clearer prompts on the lock screen if an authentication method you’re using didn’t work out, and the alternatives you can take.
1
Added safety net for machine recovery
Your PC now self-heals if something breaks
One of the most underrated new features in Windows 11 is Quick Machine Recovery. You’ll likely never notice it, and that’s the point.
When your PC hits a critical error that would normally cause it to crash or show a blue screen, it now connects to Windows Update through the recovery environment, downloads a fix, and applies it automatically. Windows now has the potential to automatically fix anything that’s broken without you having to search cryptic error codes and try manual troubleshooting.
This is, of course, not perfect and will fail from time to time. However, the fact that a self-healing feature in Windows exists and hopefully gets worked on in the future does a lot for the reliability issues Windows users face. It can also come in handy in situations where a bad update can crash thousands of PCs simultaneously. Combined with Microsoft’s more cautious approach with the 25H2 update, Windows finally seems to be on track to be a more reliable and easier-to-fix OS.
Microsoft is putting in the work
Microsoft isn’t reinventing the wheel with 25H2. Most of these features have been gradually rolling out to Windows 11 24H2 users throughout 2025. version 25H2 simply enables them by default and packages everything together.
That might sound underwhelming, but it’s actually the smartest approach to updating Windows Microsoft has taken in years. Instead of massive annual updates that can cause compatibility issues and frustrate users, you’re getting continuous improvements that make daily tasks easier.
The best technology is invisible until you need it, and Windows 11 25H2 gets that.