After many of you threatened to switch to Linux, Microsoft has published a long list of changes it is making to Windows 11. In a lengthy blog titled “Our commitment to Windows quality”, Pavan Davuluri, executive vice president of Windows and Devices, said the company has spent a “fairly large” amount of time reading feedback from users in recent months. “What came out was the voices of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better,” he said. To that end, Windows Insiders can expect to see some changes in Microsoft’s plans in response to all the criticism starting this month.
Most notably, Microsoft has made it easier to pedal AI. “You’ll notice we’re being more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates into Windows, focusing on experiences that are truly useful and well-crafted,” writes Davuluri. As a first step, Microsoft says it will remove “unnecessary CoPilot entry points,” starting with apps like the Snipping Tool, Photos, widgets, and Notepad.
Elsewhere, users can look forward to additional taskbar customization, allowing them to position interface elements at the top or side of the screen; Less disruptive updates, with the option to shut down or restart your device without being forced to install a new patch; And a faster, less cluttered file explorer. “Our first round of improvements will focus on a faster launch experience, less flicker, easier navigation, and more reliable performance for everyday file tasks,” Davuluri said.
Over the next two months, Microsoft notes that it will work to improve performance in Windows, with “reducing the baseline memory footprint” of the operating system being a key area of focus. Presumably, this action plan is as much a reaction to global memory shortage as it is to the user. PC makers are struggling right now, with a recent estimate suggesting the market could shrink 8.9 percent year-on-year in 2026 due to the higher costs of RAM and SSDs. On the subject of reliability, the company says it’s a priority to minimize OS-level crashes and release high-quality drivers, as well as make Bluetooth and USB connections less prone to errors and disconnects.
Microsoft’s promise to fix Windows 11 is long overdue. In January, the company released some emergency updates, followed by regular security patches that contained bugs that caused some PCs to fail to shut down and Outlook to break. The general state of the operating system has led many people to explore Linux alternatives like Bayazite. With Apple also recently releasing the $600 MacBook Neo, a laptop that few Windows makers can match now, Microsoft’s dominance of the PC market looks weak for the first time in more than a decade.
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