THE CRUNCH
Microsoft has redesigned the Photos app for Windows 11, pulling photos and videos from your PC, OneDrive and iCloud into a single gallery. The idea is to stop people hopping between apps and devices just to find a picture, while launch and scrolling performance also get a boost.
Getting the combined view working takes a little setup: you need to enable Camera Backup in the OneDrive mobile app on iOS or Android, and follow Apple's guide to set up iCloud for Windows. Once merged, the gallery supports browsing by date, organising and sharing albums, and searching by description or by the people in a photo. Microsoft says photos remain available on your device "even when you're not connected."
The editor has been "rebuilt from the ground up," according to Microsoft, launching 25 percent faster with tools grouped into four categories: Crop, Enhance, Repair and Stylize. It now preserves HDR quality during edits and can save HEIC and WebP images without changing their original format. The viewer launches 15 percent faster and opens HEIC images up to 30 percent faster, and SVG files are newly supported.
The new experience rolls out today to Windows Insiders on Windows 11, with a full launch for all Windows 11 users expected later this year.