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The 10 Worst Things About Windows 11
Although it's generally well regarded, Windows 11 isn't perfect. You might disagree with the complaints listed below or consider them insignificant, but some of these qualms have gotten lots of noise, especially on social media and tech news sites. Hopefully, Microsoft will address all of these issues in future updates...or in Windows 12.
1. Windows 11's Hardware Requirements Are Too Stringent
At launch, much was made of Windows 11's demanding hardware requirements. This complaint mostly affects those who want to upgrade their current PC to Windows 11. I’ve made the case that that’s not a scenario of great interest to Microsoft. The company doesn't want you to upgrade to Windows 11—it wants you to buy a new computer running Windows 11.
To be fair, many of the hardware requirements for Windows 11 are actually surprisingly low—a 1GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Those sound like specs from 10 years ago. The real blockers are three specific hardware requirements:
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The CPU must be recent, from about the last three years
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The PC must have a TPM security chip
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The computer's firmware must be capable of using Secure Boot
Even those last two requirements have come standard on PCs the last few years. I would contend that the recent CPU requirement is the stumbling block for most thwarted upgraders—it's what has prevented me from upgrading several of my PCs. Some people are hopeful that Microsoft will broaden the number of machines that can be upgraded to Windows 11, although there are plenty of ways to keep your Windows 10 machine alive and useful in other ways.
: Making Windows 11 Good (ThioJoe)
For those who are unable to get a new PC or upgrade their existing one to Windows 11, Microsoft has altered its previous policy of only allowing organizations the ability to pay for extended security updates to Windows 10 after its 2025 expiration date. Now individuals can pay for extended updates, too, but we don't know yet how much the annual fee will be. Businesses will pay $61 per device for one year, and the price is set to double every consecutive year, for up to three years. Educational institutions will pay only $1 for the first year, $2 for the second, and $4 for the third.
2. Changing Default Apps in Windows 11 Is Too Hard
To set a default app in Windows 11, you have to individually assign each file type to the app you want to use for it. So instead of one setting to change, for example, CyberLink PhotoDirector to your default app for all photos, you have to go through all the file types and protocols a web browser deals with: BMP, DNG, JPG, PNG, TIFF, NEF, and on and on. There's no reason for default app settings to be so complicated. In subsequent OS updates, Microsoft has made it easier to set the default browser at least.
3. You Have to Sign in With a Microsoft Account to Use Windows 11
Running the Windows 11 Home Edition requires that users sign in with a Microsoft account, which confers several benefits, such as single sign-on for office apps, backup to OneDrive, syncing settings among multiple devices, full-disk encryption for the system drive, and the ability to reinstall Windows without a serial number. Microsoft is just joining the bandwagon. I challenge you to find a single Mac user who doesn’t sign in to an Apple account to use their computer, and forget using a Chromebook without signing in to a Google account. But Windows users go nuts when they have to sign in to a Windows account.
That said, it's only a requirement for setting up, not for using the PC after it's set up, and there are workarounds for bypassing the account requirement at setup.
4. Windows 11's Start Menu Is Less Usable Than Windows 10's
With nearly every new version of Windows, the Start button and Start menu are major points of contention. For me, the Windows 10 Start menu gets it right and is an underappreciated feature. MacOS doesn’t have anything as convenient. The Launchpad is there, but it’s not as immediate and built-in as the Windows Start menu. The equivalent Chrome OS launcher is the model for the new Windows 11 Start menu, which I think is undesirable. With Windows 10, having everything in the lower left means the menu isn’t covering apps running in the middle of the screen. At least you can left-align Windows 11's Start button if you dig into Settings (see the next point below).
Window 10’s Start menu also gives you convenient access to power, Settings, and folders right above the Start button. If you prefer the old way as I do, updates to Windows 11 have made it possible to get that access once again on the new Start menu. Windows 10 also gives you quick access to the most frequently used apps and latest installed apps on top, if you enable it. Windows 11 instead offers Suggested and Pinned app and document icons. Though they’re not especially popular, Windows 10's Start menu tiles do have some value, since they let you set app priorities based on the size of the tile and show information from the app—I'm a fan of them. For a more important app that you want preeminently visible, use a bigger tile. I have big tiles for Spotify and WhatsApp so I don’t have to hunt for them. They’re much better on touch screens as well.
5. The Taskbar Is Less Helpful Than It Was
With Windows 11’s centered taskbar, one problem is that the Start button is not centered. It’s at the left end of the taskbar, and if you open more apps, its position changes.
Thankfully, there’s a fix. Go into Taskbar Settings, look under Taskbar Behaviors, and set Taskbar Alignment to Left. That way, the Start button stays in one predictable spot, just as it has for decades. It would be great if Microsoft offered an option to center the Start button for those who like that arrangement. Whatever your preference, the button should stay put once you choose a place for it.
In other Taskbar news, Windows 11's app buttons are less informative. Similar to how it works in macOS, they don’t as clearly show you which programs are running and which ones are merely pinned. You initially couldn't make them wider, but the 23H2 update brought back this capability. Just choose Never from the "Combine taskbar and hide labels" setting. Taskbar buttons can’t show download or processing progress as Windows 10 apps can.
6. Windows 11 'Forces' You to Use the Edge Browser
Some Windows 11 users complain that they're now forced to use Microsoft Edge as their web browser. This complaint has garnered more than its fair share of noise, but it's misleading. You can use any web browser you choose on Windows 11, though some limited OS functions like the built-in search and weather features do automatically open Edge. If you don't want that, just search in your preferred browser. I’ve happily installed Firefox and Chrome. Nevertheless, after some initial reservations, I’ve come to appreciate Edge’s design and conveniences, which make Chrome and Firefox look outdated and limited. By the way, try changing the default browser on Chrome OS, iOS, or iPadOS! While there are plenty of browsers in the Apple App Store, Cupertino forces them to use Apple’s Safari web browser as the underlying web rendering engine, and Chrome is at the core of ChromeOS, as the name signifies.
7. Windows 11 Ditches the Action Center, and Its Replacements Stink
The Window 10 Action Center is one of the best Windows additions in many years, but in Windows 11, it’s gone, replaced by a potpourri of separate settings and notification panels like those in macOS. Clicking Battery doesn’t take you to battery info only. Clicking the Wi-Fi icon doesn’t open Wi-Fi settings and available networks. My colleague Matthew Buzzi pointed out to me that the Volume Mixer was no longer accessible from the Toolbar in the initial Windows 11 release, but you can now get to it from a right-click menu. The Windows 10 Action Center combines quick settings and notifications in one convenient, customizable panel. It will be missed. The change hurts tablet users, too, as you’ll see in the next section.
8. Windows 11 Is a Step Backward for Tablets
I was happy using my Surface Go solely as a touch tablet under Windows 10—I never even bought a keyboard for it. I found it more usable this way than an iPad, mostly because swiping in from the right opens the Action Center and swiping in from the left opens the task view. Both of these actions are sadly gone in Windows 11. Another extremely helpful tablet gesture, swiping down from the top to close an app, is also gone. Yes, there are new three-finger gestures that minimize an app and open the task view, but those are less convenient when you’re holding the tablet by the sides, the natural way to hold it. I have found that Windows 11 doesn't always reliably switch to the new, watered-down tablet mode, either, meaning that the on-screen keyboard doesn't appear when I tap in a text box.
9. You Still Need Third-Party Antivirus With Windows 11
While acknowledging that Windows Defender has improved greatly over the last few years and that Windows 11 improves security, PCMag security expert Neil Rubenking states that you still need third-party antivirus software. The redubbed Microsoft Defender Antivirus gets mixed results from independent malware testing labs and falls short of the competition in phishing protection.
10. Windows 11 Is Not Innovative
This point is more of a philosophical problem I have. Even though Windows 8 was reviled and did major damage to the OS's reputation, at least it introduced bold changes to Windows. Aside from a few things like Snap Layouts, Windows 11 is simply parroting Chrome OS and macOS. That’s not a good reason for an OS upgrade. If you want to make a Chrome OS clone to go after the education market, create a separate OS rather than skinning your main product to look like it.
Qualms Aside, It's Still an Excellent Operating System
Despite everything I've pointed out, there's a lot to love in Windows 11, including its lovely, rounded window corners and Fluent translucent design touches, Snap Layouts, Widgets, Android App capability, Focus Sessions in the Clock app, PC gaming improvements, and the Copilot AI that was added in late 2023.
