Windows 11’s April update won’t bring a range of revolutionary new features, but it does come with a number of quality-of-life improvements that are more than welcome. A few of them are things we’ve been asking for since Windows 10.
File Explorer is a voice-control accessibility upgrade
Better accessibility is always great to see
File Explorer’s most interesting update is the addition of a voice control option for renaming items. All you need to do is press Windows+H, speak the new name, and the system fills in the text.
The most immediate benefit is an accessibility feature—if you’re using voice controls for your PC for any reason, it’ll be nice not to have to interact with any kind of keyboard, on-screen or otherwise.
However, it also represents another step towards a PC that can be run purely on voice control.
Unblocking files from the internet will be easier
Less fighting with unknown applications
Any time you download a file from the internet, Windows actually flags that the file came from the internet and may not be trustworthy.
Depending on your security settings (especially in enterprise or school environments), it may be difficult or impossible to preview a file like that without first adjusting the system-wide security settings.
The unblock toggle will now more reliably work as a “one time” exemption for a specific file, which allows you to interact with it without tripping any security alerts.
If you check the Zone Identifier, you’ll find an executable from the internet is set to Zone 3. Once you click the Unblock toggle in the Properties window, that information is removed entirely.
Narrator will be able to describe images
An accessibility win that relies on Copilot
Currently, Narrator can generate a description of an image if you’re using a Copilot+ PC. If you don’t have a dedicated NPU, however, you’re out of luck.
The April update fixes that. It allows you to use Copilot to generate a description of what is present in an image or on your screen. Once you’ve opened it, you can use Copilot to get more specific information about whatever it is you’re looking at.
In the time I tested it, I found it worked quite well. It was able to extract specific information and even correctly tell me when the image didn’t contain the information I wanted instead of hallucinating.
To analyze the full screen, press Narrator Key+Ctrl+S. If you want to analyze a specific area, press Narrator Key+Ctrl+D instead.
The Settings app will show you more information
Home tells you more about your device
In the current version of Windows 11, the Home page in the Settings app doesn’t actually tell you anything about your hardware specs. You have to navigate to System > About to get that information.
Starting with the April update, Microsoft will slowly be rolling out a new Home page that displays a quick hardware summary towards the bottom of the page. You will also be able to click About your device to see more detailed information.
The About page includes GPU information
If you look at the current About page in the Settings app (Settings > About) in Windows 11, you’ll notice that the layout is a little strange. There are a few attributes listed on the cards at the top, including your total storage, your GPU, RAM, and your CPU.
If you scroll down, the Device Info lists much of the same information with one conspicuous omission: your GPU.
How to check what graphics card (GPU) is in your PC
Check which GPU is in your PC with just the tools built into Windows itself.
April’s update to the Settings app finally unifies the information that is displayed in Device Info to include your GPU and storage too. If you ever need to quickly send someone a screenshot to show them your hardware configuration, Device Info is now a reasonable way to do it.
Smart App Control can be turned on and off easily
A more secure PC without the inconvenience
Smart App Control is a security feature designed to protect your PC from potentially harmful software by scanning an application before it is allowed to run. For well-known applications with a good reputation, it doesn’t pose a problem. However, some niche or new programs may be blocked by Smart App Control completely.
Previously, once Smart App Control was enabled (or disabled), you couldn’t change it without reinstalling Windows. It was an unnecessarily difficult process for a basic security feature.
Now, you’ll be able to enable or disable Smart App Control via Windows Security whenever you’d like.
To access the setting, navigate to Settings > Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control, then click the toggle.
Slow but steady improvement
The April update for Windows 11 isn’t flashy, but it does fix some small frustrations—something Microsoft has received a lot of criticism for lately. Better accessibility, more user control, and more convenient security options are always a plus. Hopefully, future updates through 2026 will bring many more of the changes Windows 11 desperately needs.
