It's actually happening — Microsoft promises to fix the biggest issues in Windows 11, from AI slop to pushy Windows Updates | Tech Radar

Overview

It's actually happening — Microsoft promises to fix the biggest issues in Windows 11, from AI slop to pushy Windows Updates

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Details

Reductions in AI and more control over updates are included

You don't have to look far on the internet to find complaints from Windows 11 users about the direction that the desktop operating system has been heading in lately, but it seems as though Microsoft is now making good on its promises to fix some of the biggest issues with the software.

Pavan Davuluri, the President of Windows & Devices at Microsoft, has written a lengthy blog post that was also sent out via email to users in the Windows Insider program. In it he shares some of the "initial changes" coming to preview versions of Windows across the next couple of months.

It reads like a wishlist put together by a disillusioned Windows 11 user: we're getting fewer "unnecessary Copilot entry points" (less AI slop), and that reduction in AI includes features pushed out to apps like Photos and Notepad. Desktop widgets are also being made "quieter" and less distracting, with improved personalization controls.

Microsoft promises to fix Windows 11 this year — and it's about time

Microsoft rumored to be cutting back AI ambitions in bid to save Windows 11

Microsoft just released an update I actually want to install – and you should too

Another worthwhile change is more control over Windows Updates. Davuluri says these will be less disruptive going forward, and that users will have more choice when it comes to skipping updates (when setting up or restarting Windows, for example). Updates will be able to be paused for longer too.

Taskbar repositioning is coming back (Image credit: Microsoft)

File Explorer — the bane of many a user — is going to get "faster and more dependable", with performance improvements coming to the launch experience. The app will soon show reduced flicker and smoother navigation, and more reliable performance when it comes to day-to-day file management.

Then there's more taskbar customization, which Davuluri says is one of the "top asks" he's been hearing from users. You'll be able to fix it to the side or the top of the screen, no third-party utility required, with a coming update. This is of course a feature that we had in Windows 10 but that got cut for Windows 11.

What's more, Microsoft is making the Windows Insider program "more transparent" — with clearer channel definitions and improved access to new features — and upgrading the Feedback Hub as well, so you can more easily tell Microsoft how well (or how badly) it's doing with the upcoming changes.

Davuluri goes on to emphasize Microsoft's recent commitment to upping the performance, reliability, and "craft" (user experience) of Windows 11 in the coming months, and it would appear that there's lots in store. What the exec doesn't say is how many of these upgrades will be coded by AI — perhaps best not to ask.

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow Tech Radar on You Tube and Tik Tok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on Whats App too.

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops

1. Best overall: Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch M4
2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14
3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16
5. Best for pros Mac Book Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on Tech Radar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, Pop Sci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1 Wired earbuds are in right now, and this budget-friendly pair from Sennheiser are so good I’d spend my own money on them

2 It's actually happening — Microsoft promises to fix the biggest issues in Windows 11, from AI slop to pushy Windows Updates

3'Some people simply love smaller phones': Apple launched the i Phone SE ten years ago today — and it makes me long for an i Phone 17 mini

4 Our best budget OLED TV just got a huge 54% discount at Best Buy — the outstanding LG B5 is worth every cent today

5A new dawn of affordable zoom lenses is here — the first Chinese autofocus zoom has been spotted and that’s a big deal

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• It's actually happening — Microsoft promises to fix the biggest issues in Windows 11, from AI slop to pushy Windows Updates

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• Reductions in AI and more control over updates are included

• You don't have to look far on the internet to find complaints from Windows 11 users about the direction that the desktop operating system has been heading in lately, but it seems as though Microsoft is now making good on its promises to fix some of the biggest issues with the software

• Pavan Davuluri, the President of Windows & Devices at Microsoft, has written a lengthy blog post that was also sent out via email to users in the Windows Insider program