Windows 11 includes several new features and improvements that enhance the touch screen experience on laptops, tablets, and 2-in-1 devices. Here is an in-depth look at how Windows 11 makes using touch screens easier and more intuitive.
Enhanced Gestures
Windows 11 expands the number of gestures supported on touch screens and improves the responsiveness of existing gestures.
New Gestures
Windows 11 adds several new touch gestures:
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Swipe from left to switch apps – This gesture replaces the old task view button. Swiping in from the left with your finger shows all your open windows spread out like cards that you can switch between.
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Swipe from bottom to see Taskbar – In tablet mode, swiping up from the bottom of the screen now brings up the taskbar temporarily. This makes it easy to switch apps or access system functions.
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Long press for more options – Touch and hold an app icon or other element to bring up a context menu with more options. For example, long-press an app icon on the Start menu to get options like uninstall.
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Three-finger swipe for Task View – Swipe up or down with three fingers to enter the Task View and see all your open windows.
Improved Gesture Responsiveness
Windows 11 also makes gestures like swiping, scrolling, pinching, and panning more fluid and snappier on touch screens. There is less lag when performing gestures.
Optimized Interface
The Windows 11 user interface is optimized for touch in several ways:
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More space between icons and text – Items like app icons on the Start menu and system tray are spaced further apart to be easier to press accurately with your finger.
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Bigger buttons and scrollbars – Buttons for closing windows and scroll bars have been increased in size to be easier to activate by touch.
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Rounded corners on windows – Windows now have rounded corners that do not get hidden under your finger when dragging them on a touch screen.
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Tablet-friendly taskbar – The taskbar icons are spaced out and include larger touch targets. The notification center and quick settings are also more touch-friendly.
Improved Handwriting Recognition
Windows 11 improves handwriting recognition when using a stylus to write by hand on a touch screen:
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Lower latency – The ink appearing on screen now keeps up better with the actual movements of the stylus with less lag.
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Palm rejection – Resting your palm or finger on the screen while writing with the stylus will be ignored.
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Eraser awareness – Windows 11 knows when you switch to using the eraser end of the stylus.
Better Touch Keyboard
Typing on the touch keyboard of Windows 11 is a smoother experience:
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Larger keys – The on-screen keyboard has slightly bigger keys with more space between them for fewer typos.
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Swipe typing – You can now swipe your finger from key to key without lifting to type words.
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Emoji picker – The new emoji panel makes finding and inserting emojis easy on a touch keyboard.
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Voice typing – The integrated voice typing lets you dictate text instead of typing on the screen keyboard.
Snappier Touch Navigation
Navigating Windows 11 by touch feels faster and more fluid thanks to optimizations like:
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Faster screen wake – Touching the screen now wakes it faster, so you spend less time waiting to start using a sleeping touch screen device.
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Minimized latency – Microsoft smoothed out the system animations and transitions so using touch feels more instant with less lag everywhere.
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Touch-ready apps – Apps like Office and Edge are now better optimized for touch navigation in Windows 11.
With its enhanced gestures, optimized UI, handwriting recognition, better keyboard, and snappier performance, Windows 11 marks a major improvement for touch screen experiences on laptops, 2-in-1s, and tablets. The multitouch support allows you to interact with Windows 11 in more natural and intuitive ways using your fingers.
