Making Windows 11 Suck Less in 2026
The article discusses planned improvements for Windows 11 in 2026, focusing on addressing user complaints and making the operating system less frustrating. It highlights upcoming changes aimed at enhancing performance, usability, and overall user experience based on feedback.
Background
- Paul Thurrott is a long-time Microsoft watcher who has been covering Windows since the 1990s; his site Thurrott.com is a respected source for Windows news and opinion.
- This post, written in late 2024/early 2025, reflects a growing sentiment that Windows 11 has been poorly received due to aggressive ads, bundled apps, forced Microsoft account sign-ins, and confusing UI changes.
- The "2026" in the title refers to when Windows 10's extended support officially ends, which Microsoft hopes will finally push reluctant users and businesses to upgrade — but only if Windows 11 becomes less annoying by then.
- Key complaints Thurrott and many users share: the OS shoves Copilot AI, OneDrive, and Microsoft 365 subscriptions at you; the Start Menu and File Explorer are slower and less functional than Windows 10's; and hardware requirements (TPM 2.0, specific CPUs) blocked many older PCs from upgrading.
- The piece is essentially a wishlist: Microsoft should focus on performance, privacy, and user control rather than trying to monetize every corner of the desktop — or risk losing users to alternatives like Linux or macOS.