The Windows 11 preview builds continue to make subtle changes and improvements to the UI of the OS. And one feature that has been getting a look recently is the context menu.
Windows 11 build 22000.71, the latest Insider preview out in the wild, packs tweaks to the context menu that has given this most used feature of the operating system a Fluent Design inspired look with an Acrylic finish that goes with the rest of the operating system.
Perfect time, now, then for Microsoft to highlight how it is improving its design.
And that is exactly what the software titan has done in a new post on the official Windows Blog that provides insights to users and guidance to developers when it comes to the Windows 11 context menu.
Redmond highlights a few issues in the current context menu that is available in Windows 10, taking note of the fact that not only is it overly long and contains options that are barely used, common commands are also not grouped together, and they are too far from the cursor.
These are all the fronts where that the software titan wanted to improve things, hence the new design.
Emphasizing that it has not removed any of the functionality in the current context menu, the company talks about how common commands are now right next to where the context menu is invoked. Furthermore, commands like “Open” and “Open with” are now grouped.
There are a bunch of enhancements made to the share dialog as well, including how Nearby Sharing is now much easier to use, and the first entry in the Mail app now lets you send an email to yourself.
The company also highlighted the best practices that developers should follow when registering their apps with the Windows 11 context menu.
