I’ve by no means stored my frustrations with Windows to myself. Whether or not it is Home windows 10 or Home windows 11, some issues by no means change — particularly these issues that Microsoft does not care about sufficient. Over time, Microsoft has targeted a major quantity of sources on making Home windows a ache to make use of, whereas mining as a lot consumer knowledge as doable.
Despite the fact that we hate many features of it, we proceed to make use of it each day. As we won’t simply escape it, we’ve got shaped a type of love-hate relationship with Windows. I might go on all day about my gripes with Home windows, however I am going to restrict myself to 5 issues that I want Microsoft would genuinely attempt to repair on the world’s most-used working system.
Associated
5 ways Windows has gotten worse
Home windows has been in a tough place for some time now, and whereas it is improved in some methods, in others it is gone significantly downhill
5
Dealing with Bluetooth units
I’ve principally given up
I had a dream — a dream of having fun with my Sony WH-1000XM4 on my Home windows PC. I wasn’t asking for a lot, was I? Hoping to expertise the identical noise cancelation and sound high quality that I loved on my Android telephone, I made a decision to make use of my headphones on my Home windows 10 PC. Little did I do know that Home windows hates Bluetooth, and it might do every part in its energy to make the expertise horrible.
Bluetooth being unhealthy on Home windows shouldn’t be one thing that all of us simply settle for.
The lag I had throughout gaming was unhealthy, sure, however even the microphone high quality was atrocious, a lot in order that my associates on the opposite finish roasted me to no finish. I even tried to make use of them on my Home windows 11 system, however there was nothing I might do to repair them. I needed to lastly quit on my dream, and purchase a 2.4GHz gaming headset, which, apparently, has its personal set of points.
Anyway, it is excessive time Microsoft mounted Bluetooth connectivity on Home windows, as a result of because it stands, wi-fi gaming is just not possible in case your headset does not have a 2.4GHz mode. Nonetheless, Bluetooth being unhealthy on Home windows shouldn’t be one thing that all of us simply settle for. I’ve learn numerous accounts on Reddit of others dealing with related issues with different Bluetooth headsets on their Windows PCs. Somebody at Microsoft ought to resolve this, ASAP.
4
Altering default apps
Certain, why do not I do it for each file extension?
Setting the default app for a specific kind of file is not one thing you do each day, however it ought to nonetheless be straightforward sufficient that I haven’t got to put in writing about it right here. Home windows 10 used to deal with this simply nice, the place you may select a default app as soon as, say, selecting VLC media participant for a “.mp4” file, and it might mechanically set it because the default for all different video file extensions (.mkv, .mov, .avi).
It is simply one of many many obnoxious adjustments Home windows 11 delivered to the PC expertise, prompting many customers to maneuver again from Home windows 11 to Home windows 10.
Home windows 11, nevertheless, takes a distinct strategy. It needs you to set the default utility for each single file kind individually. This prolonged course of not often is smart, and needs to be modified to the previous technique. It is simply one of many many obnoxious adjustments Home windows 11 delivered to the PC expertise, prompting many customers to move back from Windows 11 to Windows 10.
3
Controlling advertisements and bloatware
Home windows 11 is principally freemium with a ton of advertisements
Microsoft gave Home windows 10 customers free upgrades to Home windows 11, and whereas nice, that meant the corporate needed to generate profits elsewhere. What it turned to have been thinly veiled advertisements and, extra just lately, options nobody requested for. The advertisements state of affairs on Home windows 11 is comically unhealthy proper now, with even the login display screen and the Begin Menu now house to intrusive advertisements.
Customers mustn’t need to put up with this on software program like Home windows.
Home windows 10 customers even reported full-page advertisements pushing customers to maneuver to Home windows 11. Microsoft has slowly however certainly made advertisements one of many largest highlights of Home windows, and paired with the brand new Copilot options, bloatware in Edge, and a compulsory Microsoft account, it has severely damage the working system’s picture. You’ll be able to disable a lot of these items, however Microsoft retains making it more durable with each new replace.
Customers mustn’t need to put up with this on software program like Home windows. In any case, it is not free software program or a poorly made app that you’ve got enjoyable with for a couple of days earlier than discarding it. It is a mainstay of life for over a billion customers worldwide, and Microsoft ought to re-think its technique for the way forward for Home windows 11, as we head into 2025 and Home windows 10 reaches its finish of life.
2
Pushing secure Home windows updates
I’ve resigned myself to a world with out updates
Home windows Replace is a bizarre beast to speak about. I do know it is essential to maintain updates turned on to guard your PC, however the different stuff that I have to put up with turns into an excessive amount of in some unspecified time in the future. As an illustration, Home windows takes arduously lengthy to put in updates, and there is no straightforward method to keep away from necessary driver updates. Typically, a brand new replace breaks one factor or one other within the system, which I have to spend hours fixing. I am not the one one saying this both.
This is without doubt one of the largest areas Microsoft needs to be engaged on, making updates work for the consumer and never towards them.
I’ve stored Home windows Replace disabled on my older Home windows 10 PC for years now, come what might, braced for the worst. Throughout this time, nothing unhealthy has occurred but, and I am assured nothing will. On my Home windows 11 PC, nevertheless, I am rather more cautious, and put up with updates grudgingly. Updates nonetheless creep up on me on the worst time, and issues find yourself breaking often.
The brand new checkpoint updates are supposed to scale back the scale of every replace, however that also does not clear up the worst problems with Home windows Replace. This is without doubt one of the largest areas Microsoft needs to be engaged on, making updates work for the consumer and never towards them.
1
Discovering what the consumer is looking for
I am going to do it myself
Home windows Search has gone from being considerably annoying to downright unusable. It virtually all the time fails to carry up any outcomes even near what I seek for. Being worse than Home windows’ good-for-nothing troubleshooters, it is no surprise that everybody curses Home windows Search with all their would possibly. You’d agree too when you’ve got ever looked for a Home windows setting or folder, however you have been then proven Bing outcomes on the highest, with what you really needed nowhere in sight.
Over on the macOS facet, Highlight Search does such a tremendous job discovering precisely what the consumer wants.
It isn’t even a tough downside to repair — that is what baffles me probably the most. Over on the macOS facet, Highlight Search does such a tremendous job discovering precisely what the consumer wants. Why, then, has Microsoft uncared for Home windows Seek for so lengthy? Have they determined to disregard it since nobody makes use of it anymore? Who is aware of, perhaps they’re too busy engaged on 10 extra locations to stuff with advertisements or 5 extra Copilot options so as to add to the following replace, which could even carry a BSOD with it.
Will we ever cease hating Home windows?
It looks as if each time Microsoft launches a brand new model of Home windows, a wave of hate comes crashing from followers of the earlier model. It occurred with Home windows 10, and it certainly occurred with Home windows 11. We would really feel that Home windows 11 deserves it greater than its predecessors, however a little bit of recency bias may also be at play right here.
That mentioned, Microsoft is not doing itself any favors by bombarding customers with advertisements, bloatware, and constant updates. Plus, they appear callous relating to fixing stuff like Home windows Search, Settings administration, poor customization choices, and extra. Regardless of the higher market share for Home windows 10, Home windows 11 will quickly develop into the one choice for numerous PC customers as Home windows 10 reaches its finish subsequent 12 months. Microsoft ought to get its act collectively earlier than that occurs.