I have followed Windows for a decade and grew up using Windows Phone. Microsoft does not feel like the same company anymore. Windows is not fun, and the new AI features do not speak to me. I do not know when this will change, but Microsoft says it’s looking for feedback to add features users miss the most. It also has some ideas.
“Microsoft global hackathon kicks off next week,” Rudy Huyn, who works at Microsoft as a Partner Architect for Windows and Microsoft Store, noted in a post on X. “I’ve got a few ideas for Windows, but first I want to hear from you….. “What do you miss most in Windows? How can Windows help you more with your daily tasks?”
One user pointed out that Windows Virtual Desktop isn’t smooth, at least not as much as Windows 10. For those unaware, Virtual Desktop is a multitasking feature (and my personal favourite) that allows you to group apps. For example, you can create a Virtual Desktop for your personal, office or other use cases.
But some people have previously flagged that the Virtual desktop isn’t as smooth as Windows 10, and it could lag in some cases.
“It’s less laggy than swiping with 3 fingers, but it is still delayed about 2 seconds to start the animation,” one user told Microsoft’s Rudy Huyn. “Yes, it’s quite laggy for me too,” another user added.
Rudy Huyn is one of the faces behind the recent Microsoft Store overhaul, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this feedback is actually incorporated into Windows 11.
File Explorer’s folder size support may be coming
Windows might soon show the folder size in the File Explorer. When a tester told Microsoft that they wished File Explorer showed the folder size, Microsoft’s Rudy Huyn responded with “very good feedback,” which gives me hope that the feature will be added to Windows 11 at some point in the future.
Right now, you can view the size of a folder from the Properties tab or when you create a zip, which defeats the purpose due to archive compression.
In addition, a lot of users want better control over background apps. Another common ask is longer battery life, similar to what MacBooks offer. Many Windows laptops barely last a couple of hours, and that gives users “battery anxiety.’ But Microsoft says that you should buy a Copilot+ PC instead, which lasts all day.
Here is a list of all the features people want to see in Windows 11:
- Automatic theme switching (by time, location, or focus mode). This is actually coming to Windows via PowerToys, but it would be nice to have a native integration.
- Customizable context menus (avoid “Show more options” clicks, let youu set defaults)
- Some also want Microsoft to fix the animations. Windows lag in UI transitions on some PCs.
I don’t know how many of these features will be added to Windows 11, but I’m hopeful good things are on the way. But I don’t know if Microsoft is looking at adding more AI features over actually useful features.
It appears that some people within the Microsoft Windows division are realising that something needs to change now. Microsoft needs to hurry up.
Apple is preparing $599 MacBook with an iPhone chip, and it could take Windows by storm in a market which is dominated by Microsoft and its partners.
What do you want to see in Windows? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll send all feedback to Microsoft.
