Windows 10 vs Windows 11: how are they alike and how are they different

With the release of Windows 11, it is inevitable to make comparisons with Windows 10, its predecessor. When Microsoft announced Windows 10, it claimed that they would not release new Windows numbering, However, we see that in the end it has not been the case, but everything has a very simple explanation.

Windows 11 includes a large number of security features (such as the TPM 2.0 chip requirement), features designed to help make computers even more protected from cyber attacks such as ramsonware. But Which is better? Windows 10 or Windows 11?

The different between Windows 10 and Windows 11, they are more inside than outside. That is to say, visually you will see very few changes, not so in the interior, where a large number of functions have been added not only to optimize the performance of the equipment, but also to protect it even more.

It is increasingly common to see news related to ransomware attacks, attacks that encrypt all content in exchange for a ransom. Thanks to the TPM chip that Microsoft had not taken advantage of until now, this type of attack has its days numbered.

The most important novelty visually striking, we find it in the design. Since Windows 3.11, Microsoft always it offered us the start button on the left side bottom of the taskbar.

With Windows 11, the start button, like all the applications that we place on the taskbar, they are located in the center.

Microsoft, however, has been given that in a 16: 9 monitor (the most common), placing the start menu in the center is much more comfortable for the user since to interact with it you don’t have to turn your head.

With the 4: 3 monitorsIt made all the sense in the world to place the start button on the left side of the taskbar because of the screen ratio, but not currently. This change could have come with Windows 10 or even Windows 7.

Installing Android applications is very easy

Windows 10 has always allowed install Android apps using third-party apps like Bluestacks, to name the most widely used Android emulator. However, with Windows 11 it will no longer be necessary to install an emulator to install any Android application.

Windows 11 offers us the possibility of install apps from the Amazon AppStore and run them as if it were a native application. But in addition, it also allows us to install any application for which we have the .apk.

When Microsoft dropped out of the race to become an alternative to iOS and Android, it devoted all its resources to launch applications of its services and applications for mobile devices.

In addition, it has also launched different applications to be able to manage the smartphone from our PC (Your Phone application), without having to interact with it at any time, very similar to the integration that we find between iOS and macOS.

Productivity improvements

With Windows 10, open two applications and distribute them on the screen equally It is a piece of cake, since we only had to drag each of the applications to the side of the screen where we want it to be displayed.

In Windows 11, this functionality is increased with the possibility of modify the width of each of the applications, that is to say. In addition, we can also open three applications and distribute them vertically, one vertically and two horizontally …

Group applications by desktops

The desktop management in Windows 10 It has never been the best, in fact it left a lot to be desired for all of us who work with several desktops where we have different applications open.

Windows 10 forces us to move the applications to the desktops where we want to place them once we have opened it. With Windows 11 that problem is solved thanks to the Snap Groups function.

Snap Groups allows us assign apps to desktops, desks that have memory and when we open them they know on which desk they have to be placed.

If we connect an external monitor and place various applications on it, when disconnecting it the applications will disappear automatically and if we reconnect it will be displayed again.

Microsoft Teams available natively

Microsoft has a mania for installing applications on its operating system with shoehorn, applications that run when Windows starts. With Windows 10 We already live it with Skype and OneDrive, two applications that run natively on the system and that we have to remove manually

Windows 11 has replaced Skype with Microsoft Teams, Microsoft’s application to organize work and tasks in both companies and homes. Microsoft Teams allows us to make video calls, send messages, manage a shared calendar, create task lists and assign them …

If you only want to use Skype, you can continue to do so, but it is likely that you will give Microsoft Teams a try and if you like it, use it on a day-to-day basis.

Widgets are back

Widgets are not new to Windows. The first version that implemented the widgets was Windows Vista, that infamous version of Windows that nobody wanted to use due to the high resources it consumed.

With the next version of Windows, Windows 7, Microsoft put the widgets in a drawer and completely forgot about them until Windows 11. This new version includes a series of Widgets similar to those available in Windows 10 from the taskbar.

These widgets allow us access weather information, search, display news, to-dos, the photographs … With Windows 11 Microsoft if you have hit the key and the widgets are really good.

Icon and typography redesign

It was a matter of time before Microsoft the font will change so much used in Windows as the design of the icons, icons that have followed the same design for more than 20 years.

The new font used in Windows 11, Segoe, is designed to make it easier to read on the screen, a trifle for many users but not for those of us who spend many hours in front of a computer screen.

More touchscreen support

Although Windows 10 does not work badly with touchscreen devices, had a lot of room for improvement. With Windows 11, Microsoft has implemented new gestures and greater integration with stylus, to facilitate the work of both professionals and students.

Internet Explorer disappears

The maligned and veteran Internet browser Explore now not available in Windows 11, but for now it will continue to be available for Windows 10, at least until mid-2022, when it stops receiving security updates.

For all those users who have the need to continue using Internet Explorer due to its compatibility with public administration web pages, they will be able to continue using Microsoft Edge, browser that supports Internet Explorer compatibility.

Update cycle

Since its launch, Windows 10 received two updates per year, updates that introduced new functions and performance improvements and that in the end the only thing that achieved was to fragment the market, since not everyone updated.

Microsoft has changed the update cycle with Windows 11 and will only release one big update per year, just like Apple does with the Mac operating system. In this way, users will be more tempted to upgrade to see the new improvements that are added.

If you can’t update, no problem

If your computer is not compatible with Windows 11, there is no problem, you do not need to start saving (although you should) to buy a new computer, since you have time until 2025.

Microsoft will stop offering security support to Windows 10 in that year, more than enough time to consider changing teams. Applications that are currently compatible with Windows 11 will remain on Windows 10, so that will not be a problem.