When your internet isn’t as fast as it should be, it can be helpful to check a network speed test tool. If the results are slower than expected, you’ll know it’s your network that’s acting up. If it’s performing well, perhaps it’s the website in question, your web browser, or the device itself that’s in need of a tune up. You have plenty of options across the internet to choose from, of course, but if you have a PC, you’re about to get one built right into the OS—at least, in theory.
As part of the latest Release Preview Channel update for Windows 11 Insiders, Microsoft rolled out a network speed test tool, though “shortcut” might be a more appropriate word. This shortcut isn’t its own app; rather, you access it directly from the taskbar. You right-click the network icon, choose the “Perform speed test” option, and, subsequently, Windows fires up your browser. You’ll see Bing load up—even if you have another search engine of choice as your default—where a simplified “Internet speed test” tool appears.
While I wouldn’t blame you for assuming this tool was a Microsoft creation, it’s actually made by Speedtest, of speedtest.net fame. (Disclosure: Lifehacker’s parent company, Ziff Davis, owns Speedtest.) As Tom’s Hardware highlights, the integration itself isn’t actually new, as Speedtest first started running a network speed tool within Bing back in December of 2023. The news now, of course, is that this tool is available as a shortcut within the Windows taskbar itself.
It’s a neat addition to Windows, and makes sense to include within the network icon in the taskbar, but something that actually runs natively on your PC would certainly be better. Maybe the convenience of quickly right-clicking the network icon whenever my internet was slow would win out, but I imagine I’d rather head to the full Speedtest tool, especially to avoid using Bing.
What do you think so far?
Other new features in this Release Preview Channel update
This shortcut isn’t the only thing new here. Microsoft also added new settings options that let you pan and tilt connected cameras. There are new emojis on the way, including face with bags under eyes and harp, and the Widget settings menu now takes up a full page. You can also now set .webp files as your desktop background, so you don’t need to convert these images ahead of time.
You can try these features out now if you enroll in the Windows Insider program. While you run the risk of unstable software by enrolling your PC here, the Release Preview Channel is much less risky than the Dev or Beta channels, since the Releaser Preview Channel issues updates that have gone through more testing.
