Microsoft is changing how Xbox controllers work on Windows 11

Microsoft has started testing a change to how Xbox controllers operate on Windows 11. The change will allow Xbox controllers to easily access the Task View on Windows 11 to tab between apps and games, using the Xbox button.

“A new change we’re introducing is when you long press the Xbox button, it will open Task View,” explains Microsoft’s Windows Insider team. “Pressing and holding the Xbox button continues to turn off the game controller.”

The task switcher on handheld gaming PCs.

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The change will align Xbox controllers with the work Microsoft is doing for handheld gaming PCs with Windows 11. The upcoming Xbox Ally devices will have an Xbox button, which opens a handheld-friendly task switcher with a long press. Microsoft has tweaked the task switcher on handhelds so it has new animations, and it’s not clear if this same interface will come to all Windows 11 gaming PCs.

You can already use a single press of the Xbox button on handhelds or controllers to open the Game Bar in Windows 11, and access widgets, games, and performance information. Microsoft has started testing this change with Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, so they should be available to all Windows 11 users in the coming months.