Microsoft, you're not done: There are still 5 big Windows 11 issues that I want to see addressed

Last week, Microsoft unveiled a major set of sweeping changes that it's planning to make to Windows 11 this year that are designed to address top feedback from users who have become frustrated with the platform over the last two years. Most of the changes are very good, with a big focus on fixing fundamental problems and ensuring the OS is fast, fluid, and stable for power users and professionals.

However, Microsoft didn't address all of Windows 11's top issues. While it's certainly tackling a large majority of them, there are a few big outliers from the announcement that appear to not be getting addressed as part of Microsoft's big plan. Here's a rundown of those issues:

• Forced internet and Microsoft accounts during setup
• Unable to disable telemetry data collection
• Confusing feature rollouts
• Unable to uninstall Edge
• Low quality in-box WebView apps

The first big issue that isn't being addressed is telemetry on Windows 11, specifically how much telemetry data the OS collects. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if Microsoft let you turn it all off, but they don't, and there's seemingly no plan to change this. Windows 11's telemetry collection will continue to operate as it always has.

For those who may not know, you can reduce the amount of telemetry that Windows collects and sends, but you can't outright disable it, not easily at least. It would be awesome to see Microsoft give users the choice of turning off telemetry where reasonable to do so.

The next big issue that isn't being addressed, at least not yet, is Windows 11's forced internet and Microsoft Account requirements. Windows 11 won't let you set up a device without first connecting to the internet, and on Windows 11 Home, signing into a Microsoft Account. This is an issue that has bugged power users for years, but Microsoft isn't addressing it.

The good news is there appears to be an effort internally to change this, but nothing has come of it as of yet. If Microsoft is able to push this change forward, I think this change alone would go a long way toward convincing some Linux users to switch back to Windows.

Another problem that isn't being addressed that drives me insane is with feature rollouts and how confusing they are for production PCs. Controlled feature rollouts allow Microsoft to ship a feature, but gate it so that only a small percentage of the userbase can actually use it. This results in updates being released with changelogs that detail features that most people don't get, which leads to confusion.

The worst part? These features often take months to appear, meaning you'll eventually see the feature arrive on your PC, but find it's not documented in the latest update changelog because it technically began rolling out three updates prior. It's a very frustrating experience and one that I'm surprised Microsoft isn't changing.

The ability to uninstall Microsoft Edge has been something users have wished for since Edge arrived on Windows. In some markets, it's possible, but in others, it's not. It would be nice of Microsoft allowed all Windows 11 users to easily uninstall Edge if they don't want to use it.

Lastly, and this one really grinds my gears, but it's the quality of some of the in-box apps on Windows 11. Microsoft has a habit of shipping subpar, non-native app experiences as in-box system apps on Windows 11, and as far as I can tell, there are no plans to change this.

Outlook, Teams, and Copilot are the prime examples. All three of these apps are, or are about to become, glorified web apps, powered by Edge WebView. This means they feel slow, use significantly more RAM, and don't adhere to Windows 11's design guidelines. They are horrible, and I'm on record as calling Outlook the worst in-box email client of any operating system on the market, and I stand by that claim.

It's a shame that Microsoft isn't addressing this. If I were the Windows team, I'd mandate that any apps that ship in-box as part of the OS image must be built using native Windows UI frameworks, or they are not allowed to ship in the OS. Unfortunately, it appears Microsoft isn't doing that.

To be clear, it's great that Microsoft is addressing the problems it has outlined. It's going so far as to reducing ads and Copilot across the OS, something people have asked for since they first arrived on the platform! But, there's more work to be done, and I'm hoping Microsoft is able to address these other big issues sooner rather than later.

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