3 Windows 11 and Microsoft features you’ll love in 2026 — and 1 you’ll hate

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2025 proved to be a difficult year for Microsoft’s public image. Many accused the company of intentionally making Xbox, Surface devices, and Windows worse over time, and they ended up losing support from those who previously defended them.

As a researcher following the tech landscape, I’ve observed that Windows 11 had a pretty rough year. It was plagued with a lot of bugs, and some of the new AI features felt unfinished and weren’t quite ready for prime time. Overall, it just didn’t quite live up to expectations this past year.

It’s easy to feel pessimistic these days, but I’m seeing a few positive developments. While things like a better dark mode and new Microsoft Teams features aren’t going to magically solve all of Microsoft’s problems, I’m genuinely encouraged by some of the changes I’m hearing about. They feel like a step in the right direction, even if it’s a small one.

Love: Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 support

Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme processors last September. These new chips are designed to compete with Apple’s M4 Max and offer improved performance and efficiency compared to the original Snapdragon X series.

These new chips are made using a cutting-edge 3nm process, which will make them more efficient. Qualcomm says users can expect significant improvements in performance and power efficiency for the chip’s CPU, GPU, and NPU.

I know what you’re probably thinking: what does this have to do with Microsoft? Well, Qualcomm is making the actual chips, but Microsoft is updating Windows 11 to work with these new Snapdragon X2 processors – it’s a key part of getting everything running smoothly. It’s cool to see them working together!

Windows 11’s next major update, version 26H1, will be a complete operating system upgrade. Initially, it’s expected to be available only on devices powered by Snapdragon X2 processors. According to our Senior Editor Zac Bowden, this update is designed specifically to work with and support the latest processor technology.

We observed a comparable situation with the release of Windows 11 24H2. That version was necessary for the first Snapdragon X processors to work properly.

Love: Agenda view in Taskbar calendar flyout

In 2026, Windows 11 will get a feature many Windows 10 users will remember: the ability to see upcoming events and meetings directly from the taskbar calendar. Microsoft left this feature out when they first released Windows 11, but it’s coming back soon.

The calendar that pops up on the Windows 11 taskbar is mainly useful for quickly looking up dates. You can easily scroll through months to see what day of the week a specific date is. Beyond that simple function, it doesn’t offer much else.

Last month, Microsoft introduced Agenda view, a feature that displays your scheduled events and connects with your calendar.

Most operating systems have offered this feature for a long time, even the one before Windows 11. It’s good to see it finally implemented, even if it’s a bit overdue.

Love: Improved dark mode in Windows 11

Since Windows 11 first came out, its dark mode hasn’t worked consistently well. Microsoft has made some improvements over time, but it appears they’ve finally addressed user feedback and are working to make the overall appearance more consistent.

Microsoft started experimenting with new dark mode features later in 2023. We expect to see at least some of these improvements on Windows PCs in 2026. Zac Bowden, our Senior Editor and a leading expert on dark mode development, has identified the following Windows areas that are getting updated:

  • The default and expanded state for copy, move, and delete dialogs
  • Progress bars and chart views
  • Dialogs for confirming states like skip, override, and file selection
  • Multiple confirmation and error dialogs
  • Run prompt window

Bowden also mentioned that Microsoft intends to expand dark mode to other parts of Windows 11 soon.

Hate: Microsoft Teams sharing your location

A recent Microsoft 365 Roadmap update revealed that Microsoft is developing a Teams feature that will use Wi-Fi to determine a user’s precise location. This announcement sparked discussion back in October.

This feature will automatically detect your work location based on the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to, and display the building you’re in.

The feature will be off by default, but it still drew criticism when spotted.

Many companies already track employee location and activity. Microsoft Teams simply adds another tool for doing so.

Honorary mention: Xbox Full Screen Experience

The Xbox Full Screen Experience launched this year, so it’s not brand new for 2026. It first appeared on the Xbox Ally, and we’re gradually rolling it out to more Xbox users now.

The Xbox Full Screen Experience transforms the Xbox app into the central hub for all your PC games and services. It enhances handheld gaming and streamlines your Windows system by minimizing unnecessary background processes, giving your games more power and resources.

Lenovo Legion Go, Legion Go S, and Legion Go 2 devices now have a setting to enable the Xbox Full Screen Experience, which became available on all of these gaming handhelds starting in November.

I’m really excited to see Microsoft expanding that immersive Xbox Full Screen Experience beyond just consoles! It turns out you don’t even have to wait for the official rollout – there are already some clever third-party tools out there that let you get that same full-screen feel right now.

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2025-12-30 21:10