I wrote the unique model of this publish when Home windows 11 was nonetheless lower than a 12 months outdated, after studying a ton of suggestions from early adopters.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 gentle stream of criticism from individuals who had been aggravated by the modifications Microsoft made within the Home windows 10 consumer interface that they had grown comfy with.
Sufficient time has handed for the reason that authentic Home windows 11 launch that a few of these modifications have turn into second nature. Over that point, I’ve observed that these complaints have mellowed considerably, however there are nonetheless loads of individuals who would like the outdated, acquainted interface.
This is not a novel phenomenon, in fact. Each new model of Home windows brings out its share of unfavourable reactions from individuals who marvel why Microsoft felt it obligatory 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 The outdated code in lots of circumstances dated again to the Home windows 95 period, and I’m certain there are program managers who’ve agonized over PowerPoint decks to clarify 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 few 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 large 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 now 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 not too long ago, File Explorer received a much-needed design change in Home windows 11, model 24H2. The Lower, Copy, Paste, Rename, Share, and Delete icons within the right-click context menu now embody 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, 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 might in earlier Home windows variations, and there isn’t any 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 the moment 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 rapidly via all put in apps in class, grid, or listing views, with out having to make use of a separate menu. This is what that appears like on my Home windows Insider take a look at system.
There is a shortcut for that
In some circumstances, the repair for frequent annoyances is to be taught a keyboard shortcut. Are you bugged by File Explorer’s new, streamlined shortcut menus, which require an additional click on to get to the entire 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 harder to point out or cover the Element pane and the Preview pane, which are actually buried three menus deep: View > Present > Particulars Pane/Preview Pane.
There is a shortcut for that, too: Alt+P to point out 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 possibly can all the time make the Widgets pane seem by utilizing its keyboard shortcut: Home windows key + W.)
However some Home windows 11 annoyances do not have a simple 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 turn out to be useful.
Third-party customization apps
With the suitable 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, think about the potential issues you are letting your self in for should you select one in all these choices.
As a result of these utilities try to take over capabilities which are usually dealt with by the working system, there’s the chance that one in all 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 standard customization instruments.
If you happen to’re OK with these caveats, I can suggest these 4 choices, two of that are utterly free:
- ExplorerPatcher: This free, open supply challenge 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 listing of options within the challenge’s wiki.
- Open Shell: Longtime Home windows customers would possibly bear in mind a utility program referred to as Traditional Shell, whose authentic objective was to revive the Begin menu to Home windows 8. That challenge was deserted years in the past, however a gaggle 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 industrial product from Stardock affords a 30-day trial; after that, you will must pony up $6 for a single system or $15 for a license that works on as much as 5 units. Its customization choices assist you to 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 industrial software ($5 for a single system, with reductions for extra installations) is to “unsweep [the] basic UI from underneath the rug.” The listing of tweaks consists of the power to tug and drop gadgets onto taskbar icons, enhancements to Begin, File Explorer, and context menus, and “light-weight styling and UI consistency.” Like Start11, it affords a 30-day free trial.
Is there one thing in your Home windows 11 annoyance listing that Microsoft hasn’t addressed? Go away a observe within the feedback and let’s have a look at if we are able to discover a resolution.
