Windows 11 reset: Microsoft pledges more speed, stability, and control

Over the past few months, Microsoft senior executives have quietly made a promise to me directly, as well as to other journalists: They’re going to improve Windows. Today, they’re making that same commitment to the public, with an emphasis on “performance, reliability, and craft.”

In a highly detailed memo, Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s executive vice president of Windows + Devices, pledged a philosophical reset, acknowledging that they’ve listened to those “who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better.”

“What follows below is our broader plan and areas of focus for the year to raise the bar on Windows 11 quality,” Davuluri wrote. “The work is underway. You can expect to see tangible progress that you’ll be able to feel as you preview builds from us throughout the rest of the year.”

And, yes, the changes are sweeping. They touch on everything from system performance to stability and reliability, to a “quieter” user experience, to even AI.

Inside Windows 11’s big reset

• Windows 11 is finally fixing two of its most hated design choices
• Microsoft says Windows 11 will get faster as it scales back Copilot
• Microsoft tells Windows Update to chill after years of complaints

Why does Windows 11 need a reset? Why now?

Microsoft has listened to a litany of complaints about Windows and is taking action. Its improvement plan ranges from the small but important (repositioning the Taskbar and improving the Start menu) to more fundamental issues (streamlining the Windows Insider program and improving overall reliability). The Davuluri memo follows many months of criticism lobbed at Microsoft for a poor user experience and AI features no one really wants.

Microsoft has been forced to scale back its ambitions for embedding Copilot deeply into Windows 11 after widespread pushback, shelving plans to integrate AI into core areas like notifications and system settings because users found the features intrusive, unnecessary, and emblematic of “AI bloat” rather than meaningful improvements. (I’ve felt the same way as well, with increased frustration with Copilot causing me to throw up my hands in despair.)

Complaining about Windows 11 (“it’s the worst“) can net you dozens or hundreds of supporting comments and social media points. Windows users describe Copilot and related AI efforts as forced additions that add complexity, consume system resources, and detract from performance without providing clear value. Microsoft may have made about $121 billion from its investment in OpenAI, but the sentiment is that it’s wholly committed to AI at the expense of Windows 11 users.

Behind the scenes, Microsoft is talking to customers, analysts, and even reporters about what it can do better. Users don’t have that freedom, and the memo signals that Microsoft will improve its Feedback Hub, the Windows app for users to offer advice, suggestions, and complaints about Windows 11. That update should be rolling out soon.

Davuluri didn’t explicitly say what provoked the changes, which Microsoft will roll out as part of its Windows Insider program over the next few months. Anecdotally, though, Windows users have begun looking more seriously at Linux as potential gaming options like Valve’s Steam Deck, which runs Linux, as well as its upcoming Steam Machine.

Case in point: our own The Full Nerd podcast, which has tracked the small but growing increase in Linux gaming. If Linux wasn’t popular, would the Steam Deck be sold out? Nope.

For now, though, this is what Davuluri is saying about its new “performance, reliability, and craft” mantras:

Performance: “We are focusing on making Windows 11 more responsive and consistent, so performance feels smooth and reliable,” Davuluri wrote. “Over the course of the year, we’re improving system performance, app responsiveness, File Explorer and the Windows Subsystem for Linux, helping Windows stay fast as you move between apps and workloads.”

Here, Davuluri is addressing the criticism that Windows is laggy and unresponsive, beyond just applying a series of common tweaks. The company wants to reduce the number of resources Windows consumes, including the amount of memory Windows gobbles up.

Reliability: “Reliability is the bedrock of trust,” Davuluri said. “You should trust that your PC is going to be there and function when you need it most. Across the operating system, we will focus on improving the baseline reliability of areas such as the Windows Insider Program, drivers and apps, updates and Windows Hello.”

Honestly, Microsoft’s famed Blue Screen of Death is relatively rare these days. Microsoft executives tell me that the key here is the little things: reducing the amount of time your AirPods take to connect to Bluetooth, for example.

Craft: “To us, craft is the discipline that turns functional products into loved ones through usability, polish, coherence and refinement,” Davuluri said. “This year, you will see us invest in raising the bar on the overall usability of the experience, with more opportunities for personalization, less noise, less distraction and more control across the OS.

This is area folks will notice most. Check out our other stories for the details, but Microsoft plans to work to make Windows 11 more like Windows 10, with a moveable taskbar, improved Start, and more.

Microsoft’s Davuluri also added that Microsoft is “evolving how Windows is built behind the scenes to raise the quality bar and deliver innovation where it matters most, shaped by the feedback we are hearing from you.”

That could prove to be significant, given that Microsoft reportedly tried to replace some of its human quality-control efforts with AI, leading to a subjective decline in quality, according to Windows watchers. Microsoft did not say that it was explicitly hiring more human testers, however. Microsoft’s small Windows Insider team also left for other jobs in the past few months.

Less AI? Hurray!

It’s doubtful that Microsoft will get rid of its investment in AI. But the company did acknowledge the Copilot carpet-bombing of AI within Windows was unnecessary, confirming reports that it would scale back Copilot’s reach.

“You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well‑crafted,” Davuluri wrote. “As part of this, we are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad.”

Between the various changes coming to virtually all aspects of the Windows experience, make sure that you read our other articles that go into more detail about what Microsoft is promising. And consider joining the Windows Insider program to check out all of the new features before they go live.