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ZDNET's key takeaways
- 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 if you're getting the speed promised by your internet provider. Normally, you have to trigger such a test by opening your browser and heading to a third-party web page like Ookla's Speedtest or Testmy.net. But Microsoft is adding an option to Windows 11 through which you can launch a speed test directly from the taskbar.
Now available in release preview
The tool is now available for Windows 11 Insiders in the Release Preview Channel. Previously, it was limited to the Canary, Dev, and Beta builds. In a nutshell, that 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 the download and upload speeds, as well as the latency, which checks for any delays in the travel time of your data.
Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – for free
That certainly sounds like a handy, time-saving feature.
It's not quite all it could be
First, Bing certainly isn't bad as a speed tester. I compared its results with those of other online test sites, and they were generally similar. But I typically rely on Ookla's Speedtest, which is one of the most popular and reliable tools and one that provides a range of network data.
Second, the taskbar icon simply takes you to the Bing website, where you have to manually run the tool. The Bing speed test even uses Ookla for the 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.
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Several Microsoft Store speed test apps will run within Windows, including Speedtest by Ookla, which 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 test, then surely Microsoft could have done the same.
Still, the option should prove handy for people who may not be aware of Ookla's Speedtest or other third-party testing sites and tools. Since it's now being tested with Windows Insiders, it should reach all Windows 11 users relatively soon. I'd just like to see Microsoft turn this into an integrated tool rather than one that has to transport people to Bing.
