Here are the improvements coming to Windows 11 in early 2025

It’s been a long time since Windows 11 last received optional updates with new features included. As usual, the developers at Microsoft took a well-deserved break over the holiday season. But now that we’re in 2025, Windows 11 users can expect to start seeing new features again.

As reported by Windows Latest, the optional updates coming in January and February are going to be bigger than usual, with February in particular being an important month for improvements. All of this is based on the released notes for Windows 11’s Beta Channel.

What’s coming to Windows 11?

The following features and improvements are what’s known so far, slated to be released in either January or February via optional updates for Windows 11 24H2 and even some for Windows 11 23H2:

Magnifier improvements: Microsoft is tweaking the Magnifier app so that users can reset the zoom level with one click. The last selected level will then be restored. Available for both 24H2 and 23H2.

File Explorer improvements: Microsoft is bringing some quality-of-life boosts to File Explorer, like users being able to create a new folder directly in File Explorer’s context menu instead of having to switch back to the navigation pane (as it is right now). Windows 11 will also retain previously opened tabs after a restart, but only if you enable it in File Explorer’s settings. (This intelligent tab control helps consume fewer system resources compared to launching multiple windows.) Lastly, file sharing via File Explorer will also be simplified.

Time zone improvements: Users who don’t have administrator rights will be able to change the time zones on Windows 11 PCs. Previously, there was a bug in Windows 11 24H2 that prevented even system admins from changing time zones. This should also be fixed.

When are these changes coming?

All the changes described above are expected to release as optional updates in January and February 2025 at the latest. You can regularly check for optional updates in the Windows 11 settings and manually install them as soon as they’re made available.

Further reading: Windows 11 updates are now faster and cleaner