Longtime Windows users have always appreciated the flexibility and performance of this operating system. However, Windows 11 has a few persistent annoyances that many people cannot ignore.
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Microsoft has been trying to phase out the Control Panel in favor of a more streamlined Settings app to create a unified experience, but the transition is far from complete, and it's been more than three years since Windows 11 was released.
Some settings are still exclusive to the Control Panel, while others are only available in the Settings app, so users often have to switch between the two apps.
Sometimes you click on a setting in the Control Panel, only to be redirected to the Settings app and vice versa. This back and forth is annoying and confusing.
Anyone who has used Windows 10 knows how inefficient Windows 11's right-click context menu is. It hides many useful features behind a "Show more options" menu, requiring an extra click to access them.
Furthermore, Microsoft doesn’t provide an easy way to get back to the classic Windows 10 context menu, so your best bet is to hold down the Shift key while right-clicking on anything.
The same simplification issue extends to File Explorer. The streamlined ribbon interface limits access to essential functions like cut, copy, paste, delete, and rename, all of which are often better performed via keyboard shortcuts. The only problem is that not everyone knows how to use those shortcuts.
While you can change default apps in Windows 11, the process isn't straightforward. For example, if you want to set a new default photo viewer, you can't just pick one app and apply it to all photo formats.
Instead, you have to manually change it for each file type — JPG , PNG , TIFF , etc. This is time-consuming and annoying. The only exception is that changing the default web browser in Windows 11 is very easy.
Right from the moment you set up Windows 11 , you're required to sign in with a Microsoft account. Microsoft promotes this as a way to improve the Windows experience and streamline access to its various cloud services, but it can feel like a pain for privacy-conscious users who prefer to set up local accounts the traditional way.
Sure, you can set up Windows 11 without a Microsoft account using workarounds or even switch to a local account later, but it's not intuitive at all, and with all of Microsoft's AI features, it's getting harder and harder to opt out.
To be honest, the Windows 11 Taskbar is a complete downgrade from Windows 10. The real problem is that Microsoft has removed most of the customization options that made the Taskbar useful in previous versions. First, Windows 11 doesn’t let you move the Taskbar to the top, left, or right of the screen. If you want a vertical Taskbar, you’ll have to customize it with third-party apps.
Likewise, there is no built-in way to resize the Taskbar. If you want a larger Taskbar, your only option is to adjust the display scaling, which affects everything on the screen.
Then there's the matter of pinning files and folders. In Windows 10, you can easily pin your most used folders or even specific files to the Taskbar for quick access.
In Windows 11, Microsoft removed this functionality, so now you have to rely on workarounds to pin items to the Taskbar.
Most people rely heavily on the Start menu to quickly access their favorite apps and files. However, the Windows 11 Start menu is bogged down by Microsoft’s poor attempts to integrate Bing into everything. Whenever you search for something, like opening Paint, it shows results from Bing.
So if you misspelled something—like searching for “Painet” instead of “Paint”—Windows 11 will annoyingly open your browser and show you Bing results for that query. Worse yet, it uses Microsoft Edge for this, regardless of which browser you’ve set as your default.
Then there's the "Recommended" section. Even if you turn off Start menu suggestions, it will continue to send you notifications, constantly reminding you to turn this feature on.
If you're not a fan of the Microsoft ecosystem, you'll find that removing some Microsoft apps and programs isn't easy. For example, if you want to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Windows, you'll have to use command-line tools or complicated registry workarounds.
Likewise, Microsoft doesn’t make it easy to disable the widget panel or remove the Copilot feature entirely. The best way is to hide them, but they’ll keep popping up if you accidentally press the relevant keyboard shortcut.
In addition to essential apps and programs, Windows 11 PCs come pre-installed with unnecessary software from both Microsoft and manufacturers. Many of these apps tend to push users into subscribing to services or bombard them with ads.
Not only does this junk software take up valuable storage space, it can also slow down your system by running in the background or launching at startup. Therefore, the only solution is to remove the junk software from your Windows 11 PC, which is a job no one wants to do.
No one likes ads. Unfortunately, Windows 11 is full of them. From advertised apps in the Start menu to suggestions in the Settings app and even the notification area, Microsoft constantly pushes its suggestions and services throughout the operating system.
These ads come in a variety of forms: pre-installed third-party apps, promotions of Microsoft's own services on the Taskbar, and pop-ups urging users to switch to Edge or try OneDrive.
While you can disable most ads on Windows 11, they shouldn't appear in the first place, especially when users have already paid for their Windows license.
Despite these annoyances, Windows 11 remains the operating system of choice for many. While it’s far from perfect, its overall performance and features more than make up for the frustrations. Hopefully, future updates will address these issues and make these aspects more manageable. Until then, we’ll have to rely on workarounds to make Windows 11 less frustrating.
With a constant stream of notifications and alerts on your Windows 11 laptop, staying focused becomes a challenge. So take control and customize your notifications to suit your needs.
Although Microsoft promotes Windows 11 as the future of computing, many people have recently downgraded to Windows 10 on their main PCs. Here's why it might actually be worth it to go back to an older operating system.
Windows 11 is expected to receive two notable major updates this year.
If you don't have a working Internet connection or want to use a local user account, you can follow these methods to set up Windows 11.
When users try to install Windows 11 build 26058, the Setup file will give a message saying “This PCs processor doesnt support a critical feature (PopCnt)”
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its decision to discontinue the Windows Subsystem for Android, which was designed to allow Android apps to run natively on Windows 11.
End Task is a feature in Windows Task Manager that allows users to close any responding or unresponsive program.
If you're using Windows, there are tools built into the operating system that allow you to quickly look up how much RAM, CPU, and GPU are being used by a particular process.
When troubleshooting network issues, you will need to look for your computer's WiFi drivers. If you determine that an invalid driver is causing your network issues, you can reinstall the WiFi driver to fix the problem.
Microsoft first started pushing the idea of an AI-powered Windows in 2024 under the name of the New Era of Work - but what is Windows 11 AI? It's a complex mix of innovations and includes AI-powered PCs, built-in Copilot, and Windows AI Studio.
Not long ago, Microsoft stopped providing support for Windows 10 version 21H2, which means version 22H2 becomes the only supported Windows 10 release at the moment.
Paint 3D is no longer available in the Microsoft Store, but that doesn't mean you won't have another chance to try it out.
This tutorial will show you how to rearrange columns for a folder (directory) when in details view in File Explorer for a personal account in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
In 2023, Windows 11 officially supported USB4 40Gbps, which was later expanded to support data transfer speeds up to 80 and 120Gbps.
God Mode in Windows 11 can take you to printer or Bluetooth settings with just one click.
Microsoft has made an important announcement for customers using the Remote Desktop for Windows app from the Microsoft Store. On May 27, 2025, this app will be officially discontinued and removed from the Microsoft Store.
With a constant stream of notifications and alerts on your Windows 11 laptop, staying focused becomes a challenge. So take control and customize your notifications to suit your needs.
Windows 12 is a potential future update to the Windows operating system. It is expected to be released in 2024, although there has been no official confirmation from Microsoft yet.
The nvlddmkm.sys blue screen error (also known as Video TDR Failure error) has been occurring to many Windows users, most of whom also happen to be using Nvidia GPUs.
You can enable Telnet on Windows 10 and 11 computers through the Command Prompt tool or the graphical user interface (GUI).
This guide will show you how to customize DLNA Media Streaming settings for your account on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
If an app has accessed your camera, it will show you the last time it accessed it. Here's how to find out when it last accessed your camera on Windows 11.
The green checkmarks on your Windows desktop icons show sync status with cloud services – usually Microsoft OneDrive since it’s built into Windows. While useful, these can be distracting.
With Windows 11 clipboard sync, you can instantly move images, links, and text between your PC, Windows laptop, or even your Android phone.
Accessing Control Panel on Windows 11 is extremely simple, but this article will guide you to add Control Panel to the Windows 11 context menu.
Recent Windows updates have changed the way the condensed date and time is displayed. If your computer is experiencing this, follow the article below to display the full date and time on the Windows 11 Taskbar.
Windows 11 version 24H2 — the only major Windows 11 update in 2024 — has been out for a few months and is slowly stabilizing.
The issue was first reported when users reported that some PCs were unable to complete the update and encountered a blue screen of death (BSOD) error.
Although Microsoft promotes Windows 11 as the future of computing, many people have recently downgraded to Windows 10 on their main PCs. Here's why it might actually be worth it to go back to an older operating system.
Windows 11 is expected to receive two notable major updates this year.
