This is Microsoft’s plan to fix Windows 11

Microsoft has faced a breakdown of trust in Windows 11 and a backlash over AI additions to its operating system in recent months. After promising to rebuild trust in Windows earlier this year, Microsoft’s Windows chief, Pavan Davuluri, is now revealing the company’s plan to fix Windows 11 — and there are a lot of changes on the way.

“Over the past several months, the team and I have spent a great deal of time analyzing your feedback,” says Davuluri in a blog post committing to Windows quality improvements. “What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better.”

Windows 11 will start with a first batch of improvements, followed by much broader changes throughout the rest of the year. The initial changes will start being previewed throughout this month and April, and include the ability to reposition the taskbar to the top or sides of a screen, a reduction of “unnecessary” Copilot integration in apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, and Notepad, and changes to make Windows updates less disruptive with “fewer automatic restarts and notifications” and the ability to skip updates during initial device setup.

Microsoft is also focused on improving File Explorer in its initial wave of Windows 11 fixes. “Our first round of improvements will focus on a quicker launch experience, reduced flicker, smoother navigation and more reliable performance for everyday file tasks,” promises Davuluri. The widgets section of Windows 11 is also getting more personalization features and “quieter defaults” in the coming months.

Beyond these initial fixes, Microsoft has even bigger plans to improve Windows 11 quality this year, by focusing on performance, reliability, and “well-crafted experiences.” Davuluri’s fix list, which you can read in full below, focuses on core stuff like how fast Windows 11 starts and responds, how stable it is, and how consistent it is to use.

Microsoft is focusing on improving overall system performance to make apps and built-in features feel more responsive. Part of the changes include “reducing resource usage by Windows” to make launch time of apps like File Explorer faster.

Memory efficiency is also being improved this year to lower the “baseline memory footprint for Windows and freeing up more capacity for the apps you run.” That’s a particularly important change given the RAM crisis right now, and could open the door to Windows running better on devices with 8GB of RAM. Apple has already shown how the MacBook Neo can handle daily tasks with just 8GB, and Windows OEMs will want to respond with similarly priced systems, but only if Windows can handle the lower specs.

Microsoft is also planning to reduce the latency of interactions with the Start menu, by moving more core parts of Windows to WinUI3. Microsoft has been promising improvements for its modern native user interface framework for years, but it hasn’t done enough to make Windows 11 feel as responsive as Windows 10. Hopefully, this time is different.

File Explorer is also a big focus for the rest of the year, with promises to improve search, navigation, and file operations. “Copying and moving large files will be faster and more reliable,” says Davuluri, and the changes will include “faster launch and responsiveness for common file tasks.”

The underlying reliability of Windows is also on the fix list. “Across the operating system, we will focus on improving the baseline reliability of areas such as the Windows Insider Program, drivers and apps, updates and Windows Hello,” says Davuluri. Part of this are promises of fewer OS-level crashes. Interestingly, Davuluri is also committing to “more consistent device wake,” which has been a problem for laptops and handheld gaming PCs for years.

If you’ve ever been annoyed by Windows updates, Microsoft is finally listening here by moving to a single monthly reboot and the ability to pause updates for as long as you want. You’ll also be able to restart or shut down without being forced to install updates.

Alongside the taskbar finally being able to be moved to the top or sides of a screen, Microsoft is also working on a smaller taskbar option and changes to make the Start menu and taskbar feel more consistent. The search experience that’s part of the taskbar and Start menu is also a big focus for this year. Davuluri is promising “clearer and more trustworthy results, with results from content on your device easy to understand and clearly distinct from web results.”

Developers will be pleased to hear that Microsoft is also focusing on improving the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) experience. File performance between Linux and Windows is set to improve, as well as network compatibility and throughput, and more “streamlined first-time setup and onboarding experience.” Businesses will also get stronger policy controls around WSL, as well as better enterprise management capabilities.

Windows Hello biometric authentication is also getting some reliability improvements this year. Microsoft is promising “more reliable facial recognition” and faster “more dependable fingerprint sign-in.” Hopefully that means Windows Hello will once again work properly in dark rooms.

Microsoft’s fix list for Windows 11 is pretty broad — and I encourage you to read the full memo below — but one thing that’s missing is a direct commitment to respect browser defaults. A big part of the trust issues with Windows 11 stem from the fact the OS has become very annoying to use, with Microsoft even resorting to using malware-like pop-ups to try and get people to use Edge and Bing. Microsoft isn’t directly addressing this feedback in its fix list today, but there is a promise of improving the experience of the OS.

“This year, you will see us invest in raising the bar on the overall usability of the experience, with more
opportunities for personalization, less noise, less distraction and more control across the OS,“ says Davuluri. ”That includes being thoughtful about how and where we bring AI into Windows, leading with transparency, choice and control, so that new capabilities enhance the experience rather than complicate it.“

Microsoft’s promises will be tested by its Windows Insider community in the months ahead. Microsoft is rolling out a big redesign to its Feedback Hub today to make it faster and easier to submit feedback on Windows 11.

“Thank you for holding us to a high standard,” says Davuluri. “Windows is as much yours as it is ours.”