Microsoft outlines its plan to improve and fix Windows 11

Microsoft is starting to share details on how it plans to improve Windows 11 this year, with Windows president Pavan Davuluri posting a new blog post titled 'Our commitment to Windows quality' over on the Windows Insider channel. According to the post, he and the Windows team have spent "past several months" analyzing feedback (and criticisms) surrounding the current state of the operating system.

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And with that, the first round of updates and improvements is set to begin rolling out to Windows Insiders this month and throughout April, focusing on a few areas. This includes limited AI integration and even the removal or reduction of "unnecessary" Copilot features in apps such as Snipping Tool and Notepad. Another big one on the horizon looks to be a massive overhaul to how Windows Updates are handled.

The ability to skip updates, along with rebooting and restarting without updating, is coming, plus fewer automatic restarts and notifications. And when it comes to Windows 11 stability and speed, File Explorer is getting overhauled to deliver "quicker launch experience, reduced flicker, smoother navigation, and more reliable performance."

It's not all simply about fixing performance or making tweaks to what's there, as Microsoft is adding features that the community has been wanting to see for a while, like the ability to reposition the taskbar and the ability to customize the feed and widget experience, which probably means fewer ads to make them feel "helpful and relevant." And as Microsoft is rolling out these updates in the coming weeks, it's also expanding how users and the community can submit feedback via a revamped Feedback Hub as part of the Windows Insider program.

"Building on these changes, what follows below is our broader plan and areas of focus for the year to raise the bar on Windows 11 quality," Pavan Davuluri writes. "The work is underway. You can expect to see tangible progress that you'll be able to feel as you preview builds from us throughout the rest of the year."

Here's a quick breakdown of what else is coming.

Microsoft's Plan for Fixing Windows 11

• Reduce resource usage (memory) and improve performance
• Make Windows and apps faster and more responsive
• More consistent performance, especially when multitasking or a PC is under load
• Improving the Start menu and File Explorer
• Better Linux integration and tools
• Improving driver "quality" to reduce OC-level crashes and improve app stability
• Improved driver discoverability, and faster and more stable USB/Bluetooth connections
• Improved camera and audio
• Windows Update overhauls to give users control over updates and make the experience faster and more reliable
• Streamline the UI for fewer notifications, a simpler presentation, and fewer "interruptions"
• A more consistent search experience across Taskbar, Start, File Explorer, and Settings