I wrote the unique model of this submit when Home windows 11 was nonetheless lower than a 12 months previous, after studying a ton of suggestions from early adopters. I did not have to spend so much of time in assist boards and different group websites to listen to a gradual stream of criticism from individuals who have been irritated by the modifications Microsoft made within the Home windows 10 person interface that they had grown snug with.
Sufficient time has handed for the reason that unique Home windows 11 launch that a few of these modifications have turn out to be second nature. Over that point, I’ve seen that these complaints have mellowed considerably, however there are nonetheless loads of individuals who would favor the previous, acquainted interface.
This is not a singular phenomenon, after all. Each new model of Home windows brings out its share of unfavourable reactions from individuals who surprise why Microsoft felt it mandatory to vary issues up for no apparent cause. Home windows 11, nonetheless, appears to have kicked that response as much as, uh … 11, particularly with the choice to take away some options that energy customers took with no consideration.
The foundation of the issue is Microsoft’s choice in Home windows 11 to discard an enormous quantity of legacy code and rewrite key options, together with the taskbar, the Begin menu, and File Explorer. The previous code in lots of circumstances dated again to the Home windows 95 period, and I’m positive there are program managers who’ve agonized over PowerPoint decks to elucidate simply why these rewrites make sense from an architectural standpoint.
The excellent news is that Microsoft has responded to some suggestions with fixes that handle a number of the most outstanding complaints. For annoyances that are not but resolved, there are sometimes workarounds. As well as, there is a thriving group of builders constructing utilities to revive the options Microsoft took away.
Suggestions results in (a couple of) fixes
With the assistance of two massive characteristic updates (and a few smaller modifications delivered as a part of month-to-month replace packages), Microsoft has tweaked a few of these design modifications so that they’re not fairly as annoying. Model 22H2, for instance, restored the Process Supervisor choice to the shortcut menu that seems while you right-click the taskbar. It additionally eliminated the floating search bar and improved the Search choices on the taskbar.
Extra lately, File Explorer bought a much-needed design change in Home windows 11, model 24H2. The Minimize, Copy, Paste, Rename, Share, and Delete icons within the right-click context menu now embrace labels that make them simpler to determine.
If you cannot get used to the taskbar and Begin button being within the middle of the display screen, you may transfer them again to the left facet. However the single most upvoted suggestions merchandise for Home windows 11 is the choice to maneuver the taskbar from its location on the underside of the show to the highest or both facet, as you may in earlier Home windows variations, and there is no signal that Microsoft is engaged on including that characteristic.
After which there’s the Begin menu, which might be the second greatest supply of complaints. Home windows Insiders are at present testing a serious redesign of the Begin menu that ought to arrive late this 12 months or early in 2026 for most of the people. You continue to cannot resize the Begin menu, however you now have the power to scroll shortly by all put in apps in class, grid, or record views, with out having to make use of a separate menu. Here is what that appears like on my Home windows Insider check system.
There is a shortcut for that
In some circumstances, the repair for widespread annoyances is to study a keyboard shortcut. Are you bugged by File Explorer’s new, streamlined shortcut menus, which require an additional click on to get to the whole menu? Microsoft added a Present Extra Choices shortcut, however there is a shortcut that allows you to skip the additional steps: Maintain down the Shift key as you right-click.
And what concerning the choice to take away the ribbon from File Explorer? That makes it tougher to indicate or cover the Element pane and the Preview pane, which at the moment are buried three menus deep: View > Present > Particulars Pane/Preview Pane.
There is a shortcut for that, too: Alt+P to indicate or cover the Preview pane, and Alt+Shift+P to do the identical with the Particulars pane. After you have used these shortcuts a couple of occasions, muscle reminiscence takes over.
Do you discover the brand new widgets characteristic annoying? It is simple sufficient to cover them. Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and flip the Widgets change to the Off place. (You’ll be able to all the time make the Widgets pane seem by utilizing its keyboard shortcut: Home windows key + W.)
However some Home windows 11 annoyances haven’t got a straightforward repair. If you wish to transfer the taskbar to the highest of the show or snap it to both facet, you are not going to discover a resolution within the official Settings app. That is the place these third-party apps come in useful.
Third-party customization apps
With the best instruments, you may undo Microsoft’s modifications and switch the Home windows 11 interface into one thing extra acquainted, even remodeling the Begin menu into its Home windows 7 look. Earlier than you get began, although, contemplate the attainable problems you are letting your self in for if you happen to select one among these choices.
As a result of these utilities try to take over features which are usually dealt with by the working system, there’s the chance that one among Microsoft’s month-to-month updates will trigger the put in model to cease working correctly till the builders launch an replace of their very own.
There’s additionally a threat they’re going to be detected as malware, which might forestall them from working correctly or might block Home windows itself from updating. That already occurred final 12 months with two well-liked customization instruments.
In the event you’re OK with these caveats, I can suggest these 4 choices, two of that are fully free:
- ExplorerPatcher: This free, open supply undertaking helps you to substitute the Home windows 11 taskbar with the Home windows 10 model, disable the Home windows 11 context menu and command bar in File Explorer, and tweak the Begin menu and search field. There is a full record of options within the undertaking’s wiki.
- Open Shell: Longtime Home windows customers may bear in mind a utility program known as Basic Shell, whose unique goal was to revive the Begin menu to Home windows 8. That undertaking was deserted years in the past, however a bunch of volunteers picked up the codebase and turned it into the free Open Shell. Its greatest declare to fame is the power to revive the Home windows 7 Begin menu and the Home windows Explorer toolbar.
- Start11: This business product from Stardock presents a 30-day trial; after that, you will have to pony up $6 for a single machine or $15 for a license that works on as much as 5 gadgets. Its customization choices will let you substitute the Home windows 11 Begin menu with the Home windows 7 or Home windows 10 model, transfer the taskbar to the highest of the show, restore the taskbar context menu, restore the ribbon to File Explorer, and way more.
- StartAllBack: The daring promise of this business device ($5 for a single machine, with reductions for added installations) is to “unsweep [the] traditional UI from underneath the rug.” The record of tweaks contains the power to pull and drop objects onto taskbar icons, enhancements to Begin, File Explorer, and context menus, and “light-weight styling and UI consistency.” Like Start11, it presents a 30-day free trial.
Is there one thing in your Home windows 11 annoyance record that Microsoft hasn’t addressed? Go away a word within the feedback and let’s examine if we will discover a resolution.
