Windows 11 could get a feature for controlling RGB lighting

If you primarily game on PC, there’s a good chance you own more than one component with RGB lighting. You may have even made the mistake of buying RGB parts from different manufacturers. If you just nodded your head, I know your pain. Getting all the lighting in your PC to sync is a nightmare. In a best-case scenario, you sourced all your RGB parts from one company and only need a single, likely buggy app to control them. At worst, you’re forced to use multiple third-party programs in a futile attempt to make everything play nice. And while apps like SignalRGB promise to wrangle all your RGB parts, in my experience, they don’t work as great as advertised. All of that makes the news that Microsoft could be working on a native Windows 11 solution for controlling RGB lighting exciting.

This week, software developer Albacore noticed that the latest Insider build of Windows 11 includes a hidden feature for controlling RGB components. As you can see from the screenshots Albacore shared (via Bleeping Computer), Microsoft has added lighting controls to the personalization menu inside the Windows 11 Settings app. The interface provides an overview of all your RGB components, including external peripherals. Clicking on a part allows you to adjust the brightness and color of its lighting. You can also choose between a handful of different effects and the speed at which they repeat. Microsoft has even included an option to match your computer’s lighting with your Windows accent color.

Microsoft hasn’t officially announced the menu Albacore found as a feature of Windows 11 build 25295. Additionally, Albacore notes, “the spec for this is from 2018 and references to the feature have been around for years.” They suggest that means Microsoft is working on the feature again. For now, don’t get your hopes too high.