SOLVED: Windows 11’s Best New Features Were Already On Your PC (& How Microsoft Quietly Hid Them) – Up & Running Inc

The latest Windows updates introduce some impressive features you won’t want to miss out on.

Below are three minor enhancements that don’t require an advanced “AI PC” or NPU. These are simple usability tweaks that many users believe should have been integrated years ago:

1. Quick Machine Recovery (Self-Healing PC): This impressive feature may not get the attention it deserves. When your PC faces a serious crash, it can now directly connect to Windows Update through the recovery environment, download necessary fixes, and apply them automatically. This “self-healing” capability, part of version 25H2, significantly enhances reliability without needing an advanced AI PC.
2. Phone Panel on Start Menu: For users with the PHONE LINK setup (which is straightforward and incredibly useful), a concise overview now appears, as illustrated in the blue section of the screenshot above.
3. Your Start Menu, Your Way: Fed up with the “Recommended” section listing documents you opened just once? Version 25H2 lets you completely remove this area. Plus, you can choose between three view modes: category, alphabetical, or classic grid—all without needing an AI PC, just a little common sense.
4. Battery Percentage at a Glance: This small yet impactful enhancement allows the battery icon in the taskbar to display the exact battery percentage without hovering over it. It also employs colour coding (green for charging, yellow for Battery Saver), making it a simple but effective update in 25H2 that benefits all laptops.

Exciting AI Features in Windows 11 That May Require an NPU

Some of the most powerful and noteworthy new features depend on what Microsoft refers to as an AI PC—a machine equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Though these additions might function on older hardware, the performance advantages are evident, and monitoring access to these capabilities has become essential.

1. AI Photo Editing in the Right-Click Menu: There’s no need to open a separate app for quick photo edits anymore. Now, simply right-clicking on a photo in File Explorer unveils options such as Blur background or Remove background. Enabled by default in version 25H2, while it’s accessible on any system, those with an AI PC and NPU will experience rapid on-device processing.
2. Smooth Voice Typing: The upgraded Voice Access feature now includes Fluid Dictation. It not only transcribes your speech but also understands the context, automatically erasing filler words like “um” or “ah,” and correcting grammar and punctuation on the fly. This dynamic, real-time enhancement showcases a feature that is functional on any PC but performs best on a dedicated AI PC NPU.
3. On-Device AI Privacy Monitoring: This aspect is vital. Windows now permits users to see which applications have recently interacted with on-device generative AI models. If an NPU powers this processing, the new monitoring panel in 25H2 acts as a dashboard to track usage and gives you the option to revoke access. This feature acknowledges the importance of privacy in the age of AI.
4. A Photos App That Finally Delivers: The built-in Photos app now incorporates true AI editing tools, enabling effortless background or object removal, frequently integrated through Microsoft Designer. Once again, this is part of the 25H2 enabling features, requiring high-speed, on-device AI for optimal performance.

Understanding Deployment vs Activation

The Windows update process has long been a source of confusion for both IT professionals and everyday users. Traditionally, a “Feature Update” meant a cumbersome download followed by an anxious wait. However, with the newest architecture in Windows 11, Microsoft is rolling out new features while keeping them inactive on your hard drive, sometimes for months.

This shift in approach—separating code delivery from feature activation—is key to grasping the advancements in Windows 11 version 25H2. This means that most of the genuinely useful additions you are about to discover were technically available in earlier 24H2 cumulative updates but only just switched on.

In version 25H2, Microsoft isn’t reinventing the wheel; they are simply finishing what they began with 24H2. This quieter strategy involves deploying feature code in one cumulative update and then activating it remotely (via an enablement package) months later.

This method proves to be more efficient and reliable, sidestepping the compatibility issues often associated with massive annual updates. It also clarifies why you might wake up one morning to find new, useful features seemingly appeared overnight. They didn’t just materialise; they had been waiting quietly on your hard drive.

In Conclusion

These eight new features are incredibly handy, and we encourage you to take advantage of at least a few of them.