Windows 11 November update brings menu customisation and a security trade-off

What the November update delivers

Windows 11 has received its November update, and according to TechRadar it packs several long-requested features alongside one controversial security change. The headline addition is full customisation of the right-click menu, which lets users remove context-menu entries they never use and streamline the layout. The menu also opens more quickly, and users can hide the top panel with cut, rename and similar actions.

This customisation is on a gradual rollout, so not everyone will see it immediately. TechRadar describes it as one of the most keenly requested features since Windows 11 launched.

Faster Edge launches and quicker laptop resumes

Microsoft Edge now starts noticeably faster when another instance of the browser is already running. The first launch is at normal speed, but subsequent launches appear much more swiftly. Unlike the menu changes, this speed-up is deployed to everyone at once. Microsoft also plans to extend the same technique to other apps in the future.

Laptop owners benefit from a change to the adaptive hibernate policy. When the battery is above 80%, machines using Modern Standby, a low-power sleep state, will resume faster when the lid is opened. This too is on a gradual rollout.

New recovery options

The update introduces Cloud Rebuild, a recovery option that reinstalls Windows 11 without needing a system image on a USB stick. Instead, the PC downloads a Windows image and the correct device drivers through Windows Update.

A related tweak lets the Windows Recovery Environment, the repair tools that load when Windows cannot start, reuse saved Wi-Fi settings automatically. That allows the machine to get online on its own to run a Cloud Rebuild or another recovery process. Both abilities are on a gradual rollout.

The divisive security change

The most controversial part of the update is that Microsoft is expanding memory integrity protection, known as HVCI, to eligible devices. Previously the feature was enabled mainly on new Windows 11 machines or fresh installs, and Microsoft had only recommended it. Now existing PCs will have it switched on during updates, unless a user or IT administrator has already made a choice, according to the release notes quoted by TechRadar.

The concern for gamers is that memory integrity can reduce frame rates, with past reports suggesting an impact of roughly 5% to 10% depending on hardware. Older processors are more likely to be affected, while recent CPUs reportedly show little or no slowdown.

What affected users can do

Memory integrity is being rolled out gradually, so the change may not arrive immediately. Users who notice a slowdown can benchmark their system to check the extent of it. The feature can be turned off after the update enables it.

TechRadar argues that keeping it on is probably the sensible choice, given a threat landscape where AI is making attacks more dangerous. A compromise for gamers with older systems is to leave memory integrity on generally and disable it only for a gaming session, then re-enable it afterwards. Microsoft's release notes are the official reference for how the feature behaves.