new features added to Windows 8

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The transition from Windows 7 to Windows 8 introduced a number of new features across various aspects of the operating system. These include a greater focus on optimizing the operating system for … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Features_new_to_Windows_8
Features new to Windows 8 - Wikipedia
August 11, 2025 - The transition from Windows 7 to Windows 8 introduced a number of new features across various aspects of the operating system. These include a greater focus on optimizing the operating system for touchscreen-based devices (such as tablets) and cloud computing.
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Purdue
social.education.purdue.edu › edit › wp-content › uploads › 2013 › 02 › Windows-8-Features.pdf pdf
Windows 8 Features
Desktop app looks almost identical to the desktop in Windows 7. (Windows 8 uses the word app
Discussions

What are some good things about Windows 8.x?

The charms. They’re criminally underrated, specially in Metro apps, where you could easily access settings, share, search, or send data to a device.

The start button hot corner is always on the bottom left. No matter where you move the taskbar, you can always launch your mouse into the same corner, and you always get the button. I use StartIsGone to remove the permanent button, and have the taskbar on the left. It just feels right.

The search, specially web. The W8 search was nothing special, but they made it incredibly good on 8.1. The integration with other apps, the Bing search (which you could easily disable, thanks for nothing 10), the speed, it was all amazing, specially when the OS was actually supported (technically it is supported, but the apps are mostly dead).

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October 8, 2018
Cannot add features to Windows 8.1 Pro

EDIT: using retail keys work. For those who still use microsoft toolkit (XD) or volume either get a retail key or simply invest in buying a key. Hope it helps!

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April 1, 2018
IMO this is one of the best features of Windows 8

And even better, when you start another transfer, it just appends in the same window!

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February 8, 2009
Microsoft’s new Windows Feature Experience Packs are smaller updates to Windows 10
Meh. I wish they would just finish changing the OS and be done with it. I don’t like how they keep tweaking it and have more and more bugs instead of having a stable base of code and then going off of that. Honestly the release model before where you had a major refresh every few years was a lot better. Windows 10 being in flux is just making things more broken (besides firing the q/a staff). More on reddit.com
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December 2, 2020
People also ask

What are the key features of Windows 8?

Windows 8 introduced several key features, including a Start screen with live tiles, a full-screen immersive user interface, a Charms bar for accessing system functions, improved search functionality, and native support for a universal serial bus (USB 3.0). It also brought enhanced security features such as Windows Defender and Secure Boot.

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lenovo.com
lenovo.com › home
What are the Key Features of Windows 8? | Can I Still Use Desktop ...
Can I still use the desktop mode in Windows 8?

Yes, Windows 8 still includes the desktop mode that resembles the traditional Windows interface. In desktop mode, you can run traditional desktop applications, access the file explorer, and perform tasks just like in previous versions of Windows. However, the Start button is no longer present by default in the taskbar, which some users found confusing.

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lenovo.com
lenovo.com › home
What are the Key Features of Windows 8? | Can I Still Use Desktop ...
How do I switch between the Start screen and desktop mode?

To switch between the Start screen and desktop mode, you can press the Windows key on your keyboard or click the Start button (if available) to go to the Start screen. Similarly, you can press the Windows key or click the desktop icon on the Start screen to switch back to the desktop mode.

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lenovo.com
lenovo.com › home
What are the Key Features of Windows 8? | Can I Still Use Desktop ...
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LifeHack
lifehack.org › home › technology › 30 windows 8 features you should know before you upgrade your pc
30 Windows 8 Features You Should Know Before You Upgrade Your PC - LifeHack
March 6, 2024 - If you sign in your windows 8 device with Microsoft account, your personalization, desktop background, and settings are all there, which is similar to the synchronization feature of Google Chrome. You can now start a project on one PC, and finish it on another.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Windows_8
Windows 8 - Wikipedia
1 week ago - Windows 8 also added support for USB 3.0, Advanced Format, near-field communication, and cloud computing, as well as a new lock screen with clock and notifications. Additional security features—including built-in antivirus software, integration ...
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Hongkiat
hongkiat.com › home › 5 windows 8 features you’ll love
5 Windows 8 Features You'll Love - Hongkiat
December 11, 2023 - Windows To Go lets you copy your entire OS, including settings, wallpapers, files, and apps, onto a USB thumb drive. Plug this into another Windows 8 computer, and it boots up to look exactly like your own system, with all your settings. ... This feature has many practical uses.
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Puget Systems
pugetsystems.com › home › hardware articles › important new windows 8 features
Important New Windows 8 Features | Puget Systems
October 11, 2012 - While Task Manager is not a new feature exclusive to Windows 8, Microsoft has made some great changes to improve its usability. Most notably, Task Manager now uses a heatmap-like interface where the more system resources a process is using, the darker the shading of that specific cell.
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GCFGlobal
edu.gcfglobal.org › en › windows8 › windows-81-features › 1
Windows 8: Windows 8.1 Features
These changes include a redesigned interface, online features, and improved security. The first thing you'll notice about Windows 8 is that it looks totally different from previous versions of Windows.
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Computer Hope
computerhope.com › jargon › w › windows8.htm
What Is Windows 8?
November 26, 2025 - A guide to Windows 8, highlighting its features, improvements over previous versions, new interface, system requirements, and historical context.
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Lenovo
lenovo.com › home
What are the Key Features of Windows 8? | Can I Still Use Desktop Mode? | Lenovo US
Windows 8 introduced several key features, including a Start screen with live tiles, a full-screen immersive user interface, a Charms bar for accessing system functions, improved search functionality, and native support for a universal serial bus (USB 3.0).
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BizTech Magazine
biztechmagazine.com › article › 2012 › 12 › simply-best-features-windows-8-infographic
Simply the Best Features of Windows 8 [#Infographic] | BizTech Magazine
April 25, 2014 - Among the top items is Windows To Go, which comes with Windows 8 Enterprise and allows users to boot Windows 8 from a USB thumb drive.
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Protect Your Bubble
protectyourbubble.com › blog › windows-8-top-ten-features
Top 10 Features Windows 8 | Protect Your Bubble
Not even a year old and Microsoft is releasing an update to Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 Blue. Since the OS works on tablets and PC’s, the new system is turning heads with a new concept – the ‘Convertible.’ Windows 8 was not without its share of critics originally, and most were because ...
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MSI
forum-en.msi.com › home
What is the Windows 8/8.1 Feature in BIOS?
August 16, 2014 - Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
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PCWorld
pcworld.com › home › news › business news
Five Windows 8 Features Businesses Should Watch | PCWorld
April 30, 2025 - Windows 8 includes Internet Explorer 10, which Microsoft refers to in two ways. “Internet Explorer” is the touch-based version of the browser that runs on the Metro interface, while “the desktop version of Internet Explorer” looks like IE9 and runs in the desktop interface. While most of the security, management, and performance features from past versions of IE are still available to both, the Metro version is “plug-in free”. Business applications that rely on Active X controls, now described as “legacy”, will only work in the desktop version.
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PCMAG
pcmag.com › home › news › operating systems › windows
The Top 6 New Features in Windows 8.1 | PCMag
October 17, 2013 - In Windows 8, you could do a few ... to nearly quadruple the number in Windows 8. Basic things like Display settings, Devices, mouse and keyboard, AutoPlay, and more are now readily accessible there....
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Fandom
microsoft.fandom.com › wiki › Windows_8
Windows 8 | Microsoft Wiki | Fandom
4 weeks ago - Windows 8 also added support for USB 3.0, Advanced Format, near-field communication, and cloud computing, as well as a new lock screen with clock and notifications. Additional security features—including built-in antivirus software, integration ...
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Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › lifecycle › products › windows-81
Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Learn
As a reminder, Windows 8.1 will reach the end of support on January 10, 2023. After this date, this product will no longer receive security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates. If devices do not meet the technical requirements to run a more current release of Windows, Microsoft recommends replacing the device with one that supports Windows 11.