Microsoft Brings the Windows 11 Makeover to More Parts of the OS

Microsoft keeps working on making Windows 11 as a whole feel more modern, and part of its effort is the expansion of the new look and feel to the entire operating system.

Obviously, this isn’t by any means easy and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in this regard, but Microsoft uses the Windows Insider program specifically to make sure everything is working exactly as planned.

As a result, every Windows 11 build brings news on this front, with Microsoft therefore continuing the refresh of the Windows experience with such refinements ahead of a production launch.

Windows 11 build 22581 makes no exception, as the software giant has now revamped the system tray icons experience to align with the rest of the operating system.

If you’re currently running the stable version of Windows 11, when you hover the Show hidden icons button on the taskbar, you should see the old visual style that’s been used in Windows 10.

Currently live only for insiders

The introduction of the aforementioned build changes this, as the flyout has been updated to look more modern, with Microsoft bringing the same refresh to more parts of the system tray.

“Keyboard focus and mouse hover for Win32 system tray icons and the “Show hidden icons” flyout have been updated to match the rest of the visual style of the taskbar. You may also notice that drag-and-drop is no longer supported to pin/unpin these items — you can show/hide these icons using by right clicking on the taskbar and choosing “Taskbar settings”. We also introduced an optional setting to hide the “show hidden icons” button completely, supporting users who want a simpler taskbar,” Microsoft explains.

Keep in mind this build is exclusive to users in the Windows Insider program, but given it’s live in both the Dev and Beta channels, it’s probably just a matter of time until people running stable Windows 11 get their hands on these refinements too.