In the new Windows 11 preview build, Microsoft is changing the way it displays notifications in the taskbar.
At issue is Build 23511, which is available to Insiders in the Dev Channel. Microsoft is trying new features in the build, with the intention of rolling them out to the general public in a few months. The most notable update focuses on showing notifications in the taskbar.
The current Windows 11 version shows the operating system a number at the bottom right of the screen. This number represents how many notifications you, the user, have open. When you handle the notifications, the number returns to zero.
The number system disappears in Build 23511. In its place is a bell icon. When there are new notifications, the icon will light up. It takes into account the accent color of the system. When there are no notifications, the bell icon will be blank. The image below shows what that looks like in practice.
Build 23511 also shows a new way of a preview of a file in the start menu. For example, when a user places their cursor on a Word document, they will see the title and location of the file, among other things. This feature is available only to users logged into Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise with an AAD account (soon to be Microsoft Entra ID).