Microsoft will let IT admins send Windows 11 desktop or taskbar messages

If you are an IT admin and you have always wanted to send messages to your Windows users, Microsoft is opening up a new option soon. IT admins will soon be able to send organizational messages to Windows 11 PCs, and they can appear on a lock screen, desktop or above the taskbar.

Heena Macwan is the principal group product manager for Windows.

Image: Microsoft

IT admins can change how messages appear, who sees them, and how frequently they appear in Microsoft Endpoint Manager. A company logo and web links can be included with the message. These could be used to alert employees to something company-wide or for training material.

Microsoft has used similar messages to lure Windows users into using Edge, and the company has never allowed third parties to do this before. The pop-up messages are an improvement over the net send command, which allowed IT admins to send a message to PCs.

If these messages are used too much, they could be criticized by end users and security researchers. Windows dialog boxes are often mimicked by criminals to try to encourage users to click and download malicious software.