Clippy is back in latest Windows 11 update

Clippy is back in latest Windows eleven update

(Paradigm credit: Microsoft)

Windows xi users are getting a new batch of emoji this calendar week via an optional OS update. One of the nearly 2,000 modernized emoji is none other than Microsoft's (infamous) office assistant, Clippy. The emoji won't help y'all when you're writing a give-and-take document, just his return is welcome — at least, for those who liked Clippy's animated hijinks.

This update is part of Microsoft'due south push button to bring Microsoft 365 products like Office and Teams more in line with its Fluent Design System. Windows xi's softer, rounder look is a articulate case of Microsoft's Fluent blueprint language, and the i,800 updated emoji — Clippy included — certainly fit into that design philosophy.

Though the abundance of updated 2d emoji is welcome, they aren't exactly what Microsoft promised. Dorsum in July, Microsoft showcased 3D emoji as a new characteristic coming to Office, Teams, Skype and various other Microsoft products and services with Windows 11. Many fans assumed this meant that the 3D emoji would be bachelor as a core feature of Windows xi itself. Even so, when Microsoft began testing the new emoji in Windows 11 last calendar month, the 3D designs the visitor originally unveiled were nowhere in sight.

As reported by Windows Central, Microsoft spokespeople have acknowledged that the company didn't properly communicate where the 3D emoji would actually appear in the original announcement post, which went alive on Medium in July. It has since been updated to clarify that the 3D emoji will only be accessible in Windows 11 apps that support them, and there are no plans to make them available across Windows xi.

Will nosotros ever see 3D emoji in Windows 11? It'due south yet unclear, though as The Verge points out, it'southward possible that the absenteeism of 3D emoji could be related to the technical limitations of the color font format the company uses to show emojis inside Windows. If this is indeed the case, Microsoft would need to devise a way to circumvent this hurdle.

If you're a Windows eleven user and desire to install the November 2021 Windows xi preview update to check out the new emoji, you can do and then by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and choosing "Check for updates." After that, press the Windows cardinal + catamenia to pull up the emoji picker and exist reunited with Clippy. Notation that this update is only bachelor on Windows 11. If you're a Windows 10 user, you'll have to make practice with the former emoji.

We've now also got information on Windows 11's first major update which will include several requested taskbar enchantments likewise equally much-needed Android app support.

Tony is a computing writer at Tom'southward Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Difficult Rock/Heavy Metallic concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Magazine, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.