Microsoft moves to fix Windows 11 after botched updates and AI backlash

Enterprise users have spoken and they “want it to be better”

Microsoft is revisiting Windows 11 following a series of botched and sometimes unscheduled updates and disgruntlement from users over poor performance and unhelpful AI features.

According to OS Chief Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft has initiated a series of fixes and user experience improvements to try and rebuild flagging confidence in its flagship product. The first phase is likely be seen in preview builds this spring and further improvements are scheduled throughout this year.

The blog post itself contains little in the way of an apology for patchy reliability and unwanted AI features but does acknowledge that the user feedback, which Davuluri’s team has apparently spent some time analysing, indicates that users of Windows 11 “want it to be better.”

Performance and stability are top priorities. Users have expressed frustration about forced updates that happen far more frequently, and almost always seem to worsen performance rather than improve it.

Microsoft plans to limit updates requiring a reboot to monthly only and return to allowing users to postpone them. Devices will also be able to restart or shut down without forced patch installations.

There is also an effort to improve “baseline reliability” and reduce Windows' resource consumption and lowering the memory footprint. Not only should this boost performance, but it also partially mitigates the effect on Microsoft and its enterprises users of the memory supply crunch and rising chip prices.

File Explorer, which has drawn the ire of the user community since the launch Windows 11, is receiving particular attention. Microsoft says the updates will make copying and moving large files faster and more reliable and improve overall responsiveness. Search and navigation will be improved.

Another promised improvement focused on user convenience is the taskbar. Since 11’s launch in 2021, this has been locked to the bottom of the screen, but many users like to have it repositioned at the top or side of their display. This flexibility will be reintroduced.

No more unnecessary AI

Davuluri’s post said: "We are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad."

"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.

This part of the post seems to encapsulate Microsoft’s attitude towards its troubled flagship OS in recent years. Users wanted simple functionality that they used to enjoy restored, but Microsoft ignored them and crammed AI into functions like Paint and Notepad which nobody asked for and which don’t work reliably anyway.

One issue the company has yet to resolve is the requirement for a Microsoft account during system setup. Many users prefer to configure Windows offline with a local account, but the current onboarding process blocks that option by default.

Scott Hanselman, a Microsoft vice president involved in Windows development, echoed that frustration in a public post on X, saying he "hates" the restriction and is "working on it."

Computing says:

Whether these changes will collectively reassure a restive user base which coined the term ‘Microslop’ to describe the growing gap between Microsoft’s pushing of Copilot into every aspect of the user experience and what those users actually wanted (an OS as reliable and performant as it was a decade ago) remains to be seen.

Much depends on how quickly Davuluri’s team manages to roll out tangible improvements to the user experience. Still, acknowledgement is the first step to healing these self-inflicted wounds.