Microsoft has had a pretty rough 2025 with Windows 11, as you've probably noticed. The operating system has seen more than its share of bugs, and embarrassingly, some of those glitches have involved critical pieces of Windows 11 that ended up broken in some way; Plus, there have been some downright baffling episodes (more on those shortly).
On top of that, there has been a focus of controversy around Microsoft's renewed push to incorporate more AI into Windows 11, with a major rebellion underway against this goal, at least in some quarters.
1. Fix general slowness in Windows 11
It's no secret that Windows 11 is slow in some aspects. Unfortunately, this is something you'll encounter in everyday use of the operating system, when working with basic parts of the Windows 11 interface, such as File Explorer (the folders on your desktop that contain your files).
Microsoft admitted that Windows 11 suffers from slow performance levels and launched an initiative to collect more data and feedback on these issues in July 2025. Since then, we've seen some improvements, thankfully, as a fix for some of the poor performance associated with File Explorer (although this hasn't been implemented in the most satisfactory way, but it works).
However, there is still a lot of work to be done and File Explorer is still lagging in some aspects, particularly the context-sensitive menu, which can become unresponsive and appear slowly after you perform the clicking action. What's particularly irritating is that File Explorer in Windows 10 runs much slicker. That the next-generation version of a desktop operating system is faster than the current-generation incarnation is simply not acceptable.
You need your cutting-edge platform to feel snappy across the board, and Windows 11 just doesn't do that. Microsoft needs completely resolve these performance issues, particularly with File Explorer (which, after all, represents the fundamental 'windows' you use all the time with your files) and slow search functionality.
2. Repair games in Windows 11
Windows 11 had considerable promise for gamers when it was first released and, to be fair, the operating system has provided some interesting things, such as Auto HDR, which is a big help. However, DirectStorage has yet to realize its full potential in Windows 11, and remains limited to a set of niche PC games (and problematic with some, such as Wild monster hunter) – and other benefits remain scarce.
More problematic than the lack of steps forward, however, are the steps backwards for players in the form of various nasty glitches. Particularly since the Windows 11 24H2 update, there seems to have been a number of gaming bugs that are making life miserable for those trying to enjoy the latest fast-paced shooter or epic strategy on their PC. If the games don't crash completely, they are suffering from performance issues of one kind or another.
Microsoft needs to do better in the future and, to be fair to the company, it realizes this and recently announced its intention to fix gaming on Windows 11. This means fixing bugs and performance issues, applying internal tweaks and optimizations, and also incorporating some new features.
It's good to hear such positive noises, true, but what we need in 2026 is to see those words transformed into action and, frankly, there are some questions on the timeline in terms of how long it might take to introduce new features, given what we've seen with DirectStorage, as mentioned. There are also concerns about whether it's too late for Microsoft to save the day against a major threat now looming on the horizon: SteamOS and Valve's new Steam Machine.
If Valve can come up with an attractive PC for the living room, Microsoft could be in trouble and start losing significant market share to Linux (SteamOS is a Linux distribution). Especially if Windows 11 continues to fail from time to time (frankly too often) on the gaming front. And this could be the start of a larger migration to Linux, perhaps, or that's the danger.
All of this brings me neatly to the next item on my bucket list…
3. A new quality control strategy is vital
It's not just gameplay bugs and interface glitches that monthly Windows 11 updates introduce too often; We're also seeing all kinds of weirdness lately.
Examples? Let's see, from the catalog of oddities for 2025, how about the bug that caused Windows 11 to display half of the interface in one language and the rest in another?
Isn't that strange enough for you? How about the invisible password login button (which Microsoft recommended you try to locate by moving your mouse cursor to find the outline of the button)? Or dark mode is buggy with white flashes when opening folders, a jarring experience when working in low-light conditions where you'll be using this mode.
How do these errors occur? How can something as simple as opening a folder in dark mode go so wrong? In fact, another gem of an example here is the issue where Task Manager would stay open when the app was closed, and if you opened it multiple times, all instances would remain, draining PC resources.
Also: why do the same errors keep appearing over and over again?
The answer is clear. Microsoft's quality control for Windows 11 is not good enough. There's been a lot of talk about how the company changed the QA department years ago, and it's never been the same since, but all that speculation aside, it's obvious that Microsoft needs to do better.
The software giant needs to rethink and improve its entire testing and QA process in 2026, as the continued bad press around the stream of bugs (and baffling missteps) is really damaging Windows 11's reputation.
4. Stop talking about AI, start listening to Windows 11 users
I've written a lot about this towards the end of this year, but Microsoft needs to calm down on its big push for AI features. I'm not saying you can't try to innovate or incorporate more AI into Windows 11, but in doing so Microsoft has to tread very carefully, which, frankly, it doesn't.
Windows 11 users are telling Microsoft to “stop shoving AI down their throats,” a common sentiment I've seen expressed repeatedly on sites like Reddit and other social platforms, and Microsoft continues to relentlessly beat its PR drum for AI. Then you wonder why people get angry.
This all goes back to the previous three points in many ways, as what people say they really want is for Microsoft to fix the fundamentals of Windows 11 before moving forward with more AI features by the numbers. Fix poor interface performance, fix bugs, fix gaming issues – everything I just mentioned is more important than AI. For consumers, at least.
The more Microsoft talks about AI, the more people will rebel. So, get your house in order around the three points above that I just mentioned, Microsoft, and tell the people you're doing it: make some promises, detail how it will be done. And tone down the boasting about AI.
Delusions? Well, probably yes, as shareholders and investors are impressed by the brilliance of AI, and perhaps business organizations too. But still, can we have more balance here, Microsoft? Don't forget consumers entirely, they still make up a large portion of Windows 11 users.
5. Get rid of annoying ads
Windows 11 has too many barely disguised ads, recommendations, suggestions, prompts, nudges, reminders, encouragements, etc. Too many. More than Windows 10, and the next-generation operating system is no slouch in the face of irritating promotional activity itself.
Remember that this is a paid operating system, not a freebie.
Now, I don't expect Microsoft to go and remove them all, or give us a system-wide kill switch to disable all ads (it's a happy dream, of course, but it's not even remotely realistic). That's not going to happen, and there are clearly metrics, telemetry, and other data about users that illustrate that they work. (I guess, otherwise why would Microsoft continue with them? Particularly speaking of their own services.)
I'd just like to see less of this promotional mess. Of course, we've seen some giveaway lately, namely the new Start menu, where you can disable the recommendations panel, but I'd like to see more. Cut back on promotions a bit and get rid of more direct ads (like those for Game Pass or notifications urging people to buy). Declared), bringing everything back to a more tolerable level.
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