Microsoft plans to make Windows 11 more user-friendly and less intrusive by reducing upsells and prompts. The move aims to improve user experience and create a cleaner, distraction-free operating system environment. Windows has spent the last several years adding tons of features and ignoring issues that people want fixed.
Every Windows user has been pushed to use OneDrive, Edge, and Bing. Users have also had their OS filled with ads, whether for Xbox Game Pass or for external companies.
For many people, their PC no longer feels like theirs. That’s what happens when their OS harasses them with ads and upsells.
Now, Microsoft wants to make Windows 11 a “calmer and more chill OS with fewer upsells”, according to Microsoft’s Scott Hanselman.
Microsoft has confirmed that it plans to make Windows 11 more performant and reliable. Additionally, Microsoft appears to be looking into removing mandatory logins from the OS, freeing PC users from having to use Microsoft accounts.
In a long post titled "Our commitment to Windows quality," published on Microsoft's website and sent via email to millions of members of the Windows Insider Program, Windows boss Pavan Davuluri laid out a laundry list of changes Microsoft plans to make in Windows 11, starting this month.
“Every day, we hear from the community about how you experience Windows. And over the past several months, the team and I have spent a great deal of time analyzing your feedback. What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better,” the open letter said.
On the Feedback Hub app, where Microsoft collects bug reports and comments from Windows users, one feature request has been at or near the top of the list since day 1: "Bring back the ability to move the taskbar to the top and sides of the screen on Windows 11.”
Bowing to several pieces of feedback, Microsoft now said it is backing off. "You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well‑crafted," Davuluri said. Specifically: "We are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad.”
"We're giving you more control" over updates, Microsoft said, "while reducing update noise with fewer automatic restarts and notifications." When those changes roll out, it should be easier to skip updates during device setup, restart or shut down without installing updates, and pause updates for longer when needed.
“We are evolving how Windows is built behind the scenes to raise the quality bar and deliver innovation where it matters most, shaped by the feedback we are hearing from you,” the letter added.
This includes deeper validation and broader testing across real-world hardware and usage scenarios before new experiences reach Windows Insiders, and a more intentional approach to where and how new capabilities are introduced.
Also Read: Microsoft Windows Head Pavan Davuluri Promises Major Changes to Windows 11 in Open Letter
Recent years have seen Windows shift from a product people use to a vehicle for selling other Microsoft products. In the last few months alone, Microsoft has endured serious pushback from users who are unhappy with the direction Windows is heading. Overall, these changes indicate that Microsoft is focusing on performance, usability, and a more enjoyable daily experience.