Microsoft promises major improvements to Windows 11 performance, reliability, and updates — lower RAM usage, fewer Copilot interactions, and enhanced File Explorer incoming

Although we haven't asked for an official survey, it's a safe enough statement that trust in Windows — and, by extension, Microsoft — is at its lowest point since the crash-prone, insecure Windows 98/Me. Despite a strong initial release, Windows 11's subsequent enshittification turned users away, many of whom see the OS as a direct downgrade from the now-unsupported Windows 10.

The company published a surprisingly detailed blog post, promising that the situation will change over the course of this year. In contrast to the usual buzzword-laden corporate promises, the article goes over quite a fair number of upcoming technical and interface improvements for Windows 11. These range from performance, overhead, and reliability improvements to efforts to make the main user interface less annoying.

The list of tweaks is extensive, but we'll go over the main ones, starting with Explorer. For the uninitiated, Explorer isn't just the File Explorer; it comprises elements like the taskbar, desktop, context menus, and many other sundries. Microsoft says that File Explorer will launch faster, with "substantially lower" delays during normal navigation, searching, and bringing up context menus. Common file operations and large file transfers should get a speed and reliability boost.

Microsoft is also taking steps to improve Windows Update. The new target is to curb forced reboots to once a month, let the user pause updates for an indeterminate time, and allow shutdown or reboot without running pending updates. The company says the updates themselves ought to be faster and more reliable, though it didn't go into more detail.

The above changes to Update are welcome, but they're still a band-aid compared to the rebootless hot-patching that's already in use on enterprise-managed machines. The firm made hot-patching the default for enterprise PCs a couple of weeks ago, so there's a glimmer of hope that this will make its way to Home and Professional users at some point.

One of Windows 11's most-repeated criticisms is its RAM usage and performance unevenness. There are far too many and too active background processes that cause CPU usage spikes and lag in desktop usage and games, and are particularly bad for latency-sensitive work like audio production.

Microsoft claims that baseline RAM usage will be reduced and that performance should be more consistent, even under load. This could presumably arrive in the form of much-needed improvements to CPU scheduling and I/O, like the recently-revealed new NVMe driver. Additionally, the company hopes to reduce crashes and improve driver quality/app stability. Both are particularly difficult tasks since they depend on third-party developers.

In a move that should elicit many a gesture of appreciation to the deities, users will once again be able to position the taskbar at the top or sides of the monitor, among other added customization options. Likewise, the atrocious CPU-spiking Start Menu will go under the knife to improve latency and make it better at finding programs and icons (arguably, properly). Some of those improvements will come viaf a rewrite to use the contemporary, 2021-vintage WinUI3 framework.

In short, Windows 11's UI is currently a Cthulhu-madness of new and old frameworks, including the controversial UWP. The move to WinUI3 also includes "shared UI infrastructure" and "core Windows experiences," likely referring to Settings and other apps and dialog boxes. This ought to improve responsiveness and consistency across the entire user interface, thanks to WinUI3's better-structured design. The fact that this API is being open-sourced is also a positive indicator.

The operating system's sloppiness is also under review. Microsoft specifically calls out the intrusiveness of Copilot and promises to "be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows," starting by curbing it in Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad.

Last but by no means least, there are improvements to Bluetooth and USB discovery and connection reliability, more consistent device wake, and developer-oriented improvements to WSL's cross-filesystem performance and network throughput.

To say that these are bold promises is an understatement, given Microsoft's recalcitrant behavior of ignoring user feedback in favor of apparently pleasing whichever marketing executive had a hissy fit that particular day. The fact that the company is making more money than ever also means it has little incentive to change its course.

Perhaps the staggering success of the MacBook Neo and the rise of Linux gaming have forced the execs to reconsider. Here's to hoping these improvements actually materialize.

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