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ZDNET Highlights
- Windows 11 is testing a network speed test that you run from the taskbar.
- The Speed Test icon takes you to the Bing website.
- For now, you need a Windows 11 Insider build to use the feature.
Running a network speed test is a helpful way to determine whether you are getting the speeds promised by your Internet provider. Typically, you would trigger such a test by opening your browser and visiting a third-party web page. Ookla Speedtest Or testmy.net. But Microsoft is adding an option in Windows 11 through which you can launch the speed test directly from the taskbar.
Now available in Release Preview
The tool is now available to Windows 11 Insiders in the Release Preview channel. Previously, it was limited to Canary, Dev and Beta builds. In short, this means it’s one step closer to general release.
The new speed test takes you to Microsoft’s Bing search site to trigger it. After measuring your connection, the results show you download and upload speeds, as well as latency, which examines any delays in your data’s travel time.
Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – free
This certainly seems like a useful, time-saving feature.
It’s not quite what it could be
First of all, Bing is certainly not bad as a speed tester. I compared its results to other online testing sites, and they were generally similar. But I usually rely on Ookla’s Speedtest, which is one of the most popular and reliable tools and provides a range of network data.
Second, the taskbar icon simply takes you to the Bing website, where you have to run the tool manually. Bing Speed Test also uses Ookla for backend processing. Far more useful would have been an internal feature or app that measures your Internet speed and then delivers the results directly within Windows.
Too: Slow Wi-Fi? This weekend I found 10 proven ways to fix your internet (most are free)
Several Microsoft Store Speed Test apps will run within Windows, including Speedtest by OoklaIt is owned by ZDNET parent company Ziff Davis. Here, you launch the test, and Ookla displays the results not only in the app but in a notification. If other developers can provide this type of integrated speed testing, surely Microsoft could do the same.
Still, the option should prove useful for those who may not be aware of Ookla’s Speedtest or other third-party testing sites and tools. Since it is now being tested with Windows Insiders, it should reach all Windows 11 users relatively soon. I’d just like to see Microsoft turn it into an integrated tool instead of directing people to Bing.
