Windows 11 Photos App Update: A Leap Forward with New Features and Significant Improvements

Microsoft is rolling out a major update to its Photos app for Windows 11, introducing a series of new features and improvements that aim to provide a better user experience.

The update comes with a new slideshow experience, a feature that has been in high demand since the launch of the new Photos app last fall. This feature allows users to view their photos in a slideshow format, complete with transitions, animations, and a selection of 25 original music soundtracks. Users can click on any photo to start the slideshow or choose multiple photos to display together.

Another significant addition is the reintroduction of the timeline scrollbar. This feature groups photos by year and month in the All Photos, OneDrive, and iCloud Photos gallery views. With the scrollbar, users can now easily jump to any point in time and find the photos they want.

Also featured in the update is the Spot Fix feature, which allows users to remove blemishes or unwanted areas from their photos.

Among other improvements in this update are:

- The Auto Enhance feature is now available for use without having to install a 93MB add-on.
- Importing photos from external devices has been made easier with a new drag-and-drop feature and a quick toggle to confirm the selected files.
- Hidden iCloud Photos will no longer display in the gallery.
- An issue where audio on video files was muted by default has been fixed. The app now plays the audio by default and maintains user settings across videos.
- Copying and pasting a photo from the Photos app into Outlook and Teams now inserts the image inline by default, rather than adding it as an attachment.
- The multi-select feature has been enhanced. Holding down the SHIFT key while selecting photos in the gallery now selects multiple consecutive photos in a row, and holding down the CTRL key selects multiple non-consecutive photos.

To take advantage of these new features and improvements, users should update their Photos app to version number 2023.11050.2013.0 or higher.

As always, Microsoft is looking forward to receiving user feedback on these updates, in their continuous effort to improve the Windows experience.