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I wrote the original version of this post when Windows 11 was still less than a year old, after reading a ton of feedback from early adopters. I didn't have to spend a lot of time in support forums and other community sites to hear a steady stream of criticism from people who were annoyed by the changes Microsoft made in the Windows 10 user interface they had grown comfortable with.
Enough time has passed since the original Windows 11 release that some of those changes have become second nature. Over that time, I've noticed that those complaints have mellowed somewhat, but there are still plenty of people who would prefer the old, familiar interface.
Also: Your complete Windows 11 upgrade guide
This isn't a unique phenomenon, of course. Every new version of Windows brings out its share of negative reactions from people who wonder why Microsoft felt it necessary to change things up for no obvious reason. Windows 11, however, seems to have kicked that reaction up to, uh … 11, especially with the decision to remove some features that power users took for granted.
The root of the problem is Microsoft's decision in Windows 11 to discard a huge amount of legacy code and rewrite key features, including the taskbar, the Start menu, and File Explorer. The old code in many cases dated back to the Windows 95 era, and I am sure there are program managers who have agonized over PowerPoint decks to explain just why those rewrites make sense from an architectural point of view.
Also: 7 quick ways to make Windows 11 less annoying right now
The good news is that Microsoft has responded to some feedback with fixes that address some of the most prominent complaints. For annoyances that aren't yet resolved, there are often workarounds. In addition, there's a thriving community of developers building utilities to restore the features Microsoft took away.
Feedback leads to (a few) fixes
With the help of two big feature updates (and some smaller changes delivered as part of monthly update packages), Microsoft has tweaked some of those design changes so they're no longer quite as annoying. Version 22H2, for example, restored the Task Manager option to the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click the taskbar. It also removed the floating search bar and improved the Search options on the taskbar.
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