Microsoft is working on new Windows 11 features: floating widgets and QR codes in Snipping Tool

Microsoft is working on two new features: a floating panel with widgets and a tool to allow QR codes in Windows 11’s built-in Snipping Tool.

Windows 11 is getting some new features. Microsoft has started testing a new Windows 11 feature in the Start menu in the background. It would be about a floating panel with widgets. In addition, Microsoft is working on a tool to allow QR codes in the built-in snipping tool of Windows 11, allowing links to be quickly opened from the computer. The functions are currently in the testing phase.

The “Start Menu Companions” would allow developers to extend the Windows 11 Start menu with widget-like functionalities, which appear floating next to the Start menu. Those companions can be configured in the main section ‘Institutions’ of Windows 11, with the option to install or disable several.

https://twitter.com/thebookisclosed/status/1788628122008498682 noticed this in the test version of Windows 11 that was recently made public by Microsoft. If this feature actually makes it through, it could be a replacement for Live Tiles, which are gone in Windows 10X and Windows 11. Microsoft itself has not yet announced the feature.

QR codes

In addition, Microsoft is adding an easy way to use QR codes in the Windows 11 Snipping Tool. Automatic QR code detection detects QR codes in screenshots so that the links can be opened quickly from the PC. The new update has been rolled out to Windows Insider testers and also includes emoji support.