The New Windows 11 Photos App Is Here for Insiders

The Dev channel is now getting access to the modern app

A redesigned Photos app is part of Microsoft’s migration to a more modern experience on Windows 11, and the software giant is now making big steps towards the beginning of the public rollout to production devices.

For the time being, however, the new Photos app is going live for insiders in the Dev channel, yet worth knowing is that the whole thing is happening in stages.

In other words, not all Dev channel insiders are getting access to the new Photos app, as Microsoft says it’s increasing the rollout based on the feedback received from users.

The purpose of the Photos app is as simple as possible: provide users with a more modern experience from one end to another, so you’re getting a new gallery, better management, and deeper integration with OneDrive to create online backups in a more straightforward way.

Here are some of the new features that are part of the updated Photos app:  

• Organize your photos with a productive and beautifully redesigned purpose-built experience.
• Easily backup your Photos to OneDrive and keep your memories safe.
• Celebrate a life well-lived with improved “Memories” experiences.
• Be productive with multi-window and multi-screen.
• Easily view your OneDrive storage quota usage and add more storage.
• Import and manage your photos from external sources such as your phone and camera.

Microsoft says it’s also removing the legacy Video Editor because these capabilities are now part of Clipchamp.

“This update to the Photos app (version 2022.31090.16004.0 and higher) will replace the current Photos app experience. Earlier this year, we introduced Clipchamp as our new inbox video editor, which is focused on making video creation easy, fast, and fun on Windows. As Clipchamp is equipped with all the basic tools you’d expect, like trimming and splitting, as well as more pro-style features like transitions and animated text, the new Photos app experience no longer includes the legacy Video Editor. If you would prefer to continue to use the legacy Photos app, it will remain available in the Microsoft Store,” it says.