11 Unfixed Windows 11 Design Flaws You Should Know

Windows 11 launched in October 2021 as much-anticipated update to Microsoft’s signature operating system, promising sleeker visuals, better performance and a more modern user interface. Yet among all its improvements, Windows 11 has some pitfalls of its own. Even the latest iterations have several design problems, and there, even more have been pointed out by users.

If you’re using Windows 11 now or planning to make the jump up, you should know about those ongoing design blunders. Others may have an impact on productivity, user experience, system stability, etc. In this article we’ll explore 11 critical Windows 11 design flaws that have yet to receive a patch from Microsoft—and why these flaws are still relevant today.

1. You are a data from October 2023

Some of the more striking design changes that Windows 11 made were the centering of the Start menu and taskbar icons. Before which sounds good in theory, but with a lot of big downsides in practice. The ability to move the taskbar form the bottom to either the left, right, or top side of the screen wasn't possible since Windows 11, but users on previous versions also had that option.

This glaring restriction is especially annoying for multi-monitor users. This means that if you don’t like having your taskbar on the bottom edge and instead prefer to have it on the left or right edge of your screen for quicker access, there will be no way for you to do that as you will have to leave the taskbar at the bottom in Windows 11.

Why it matters:

Etiquette: Those who control productivity, often opt to position the taskbar to their preferred side to boost their workflow. There are those who prefer personal space for their workspace, and for some people not having the taskbar be movable could be a deal breaker.

Windows 11 has a lot of requirements in terms of features; however, not all of these features have been implemented successfully, one of the central features, the Start Menu, is no exception in this regard. Creating “live folders” in the Start menu is a long-missing Windows 11 feature. Live folders allow users to group app icons together while still showing live content such as in-app notifications or updates directly in the folder.

This feature also has been available in previous versions of Windows, assisting users to manage the Start Menu better. In Motorola’s case, users have to dig through their apps to put them in folders themselves rather than have the sort of dynamic, live updates that makes it more useful.

Why it matters:

The start menu was far easier to manage with live folders. They keep all these apps from becoming a mess, and makes stuff like the Start Menu more intuitive.

2. The Query-Search or Tab-Search Views Still Lack Tabs

One feature for Windows 11 that has been on wish lists for a while is tabbed browsing in File Explorer. In Windows 10, users could open multiple windows of the file explorer to work on different files or directories at the same time. But a tabbed interface that allow you to manage all of these windows in a single tab the way you do in web browsers is still nowhere to be found in Windows 11.

Although there were rumors that Microsoft would work on this feature, that never happened, and the users are left managing with multiple File Explorer windows.

Why it matters:

This is what it did for file management by forgiving time and space where do tabbed browsing, it is time saving also keep your desktop clutter free. Without it, navigating through folders is tedious and not as seamless.

3. Default File Type Application Control Neglect

Windows 11 provides a different method of assigning default apps, but it has some issues. In previous versions, users could set default apps for file types with a single click. With Windows 11, Microsoft introduced a much more granular and per-file-type-per-application limitations and then made users allocate the default app per extension one by one.

That allows for more control, but the process is also more tedious — especially for users who want to designate a particular application to be the default for different file types all at once. Even more so if we have a lot of file extensions to deal with.

Why it matters:

For people just trying to get more done, being forced to set a default per-file extension in the meantime by hand is slow and annoying. If that sounds like a right-click default management system is desperately needed, it is — or else Windows 11 is that much less convenient for users.

4. Layouts cannot be retained for start menu

The Start Menu on Windows 10 remembered websites and apps pinned in to the Menu, and the layout even if you logged off and returned a while later. This feature was broken in Windows 11, though. Also, the Start Menu resets back to defaults on later restarts, forcing you to re-pin apps and adjust tile sizes.

This issue may not affect a lot of users since it could sound bad for some early-adopters to few, but, for users that use custom layouts for quick speed dial to frequently used apps on how wallpaper may be quite annoying.

Why it matters:

5. Inconsistent layout can cause lower productivity for users with a customized and more productive Start Menu.

No Classic Control Panel

Now, while the new Settings app in Windows 11 is definitely more in line with modern UI principles for managing system configuration, there’s still no quick option to access the same “Classic” Control Panel that lives inside of the operating system. The Settings app is now new and getting into that app will help you access not only network settings but advanced settings, admin tools and preferences.

Power users who used to be familiar with the Control Panel layout would find it vexing and frustrating. Where in older versions of the OS you could pull up the old Control Panel as an extra option, in Windows 11, only the new Settings app is your default, and the old Control Panel is functionally locked out.

Why it matters:

For those familiar with the old system management interface, this is an interruption to their process flow. It also means some advanced settings are a little harder to find and use.

6. What This Test Reveals About Widgets (and Windows)

Widgets on Windows 11 provide a customized stream of news, weather, calendar events and more. Some users may really appreciate having it, while others prefer a clean desktop free of such distractions. Sadly, there’s no straightforward way in Windows 11 to permanently disable the widgets feature.

It can drain system resources while running in the background, even though users can turn off the widget’s taskbar icon. And without a master switch for widgets, users who want nothing to do with the feature must live with it — and out of sight doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. 

Why it matters:

The latter is a pain point for minimalists, who can’t disable widgets entirely in Windows 11. Widgets simply consume system resources, something which can grate, to say the least, on users with weaker CPUs or users who are trying to get all the performance to the drops.

7. No more options to customize window snapping

Windows 11 introduced a revamped snapping tool, allowing for quick snapping of windows into a grid layout. While this feature is useful, it is still lacking more hand-crafted personalization. You also can’t change the snapping regions or add new snap layouts.

Windows 10 made window snapping a little more forgiving, but Windows 11 pulls it back and would not give users a simple way to customize snapping layouts. 

Why it matters:

Window snapping helps with multi-tasking, but without custom layouts, we all are stuck with the default options at hand. For power users who want to optimize their workspace, this is a major pain point.

8. There’s No Simple Way to Disable Ads in the Start Menu

Another problem: Windows 11 users sometimes meets ads in the Start Menu. Microsoft also sends such promotional stuff like app suggestions, ads for Microsoft services, etc.

People can hide some of those ads, but there isn’t an easy way to disable them all. And because of the baked-in nature of these ads, the options for users who don’t want to deal with them are few and far between.”

Why it matters:

In-system ads have received wide-ranging criticism for being intrusive and unprofessional. This undermines the sleek, minimalist atmosphere that Windows 11 is trying to present.

9. File Explorer Has Poorer Support For Cloud Files

OneDrive were integrated into Windows 11 for cloud storage, though cloud files still aren’t yet fully realized when using Windows 11’s File Explorer. Cloud files are also available from within File Explorer, but don’t always behave precisely as you’d hope, sometimes requiring another download (or sync) step before you can interact with the file.

10. For users who rely on cloud storage, this less fluid integration can be a pain.

Why it matters:

In this day and age of remote work, easy access to files in the cloud is crucial. By not letting users access or handle cloud files (whether from Microsoft or third-party services) directly in File Explorer, cost” is how that plays out, forcing users into workarounds, with the corollary that others won’t pay that cost. 

11. Older Hardware, Mixed Results

Windows 11 was designed for speed and efficiency, however, when it was launched atop legacy hardware, it often failed to live up to that motto. Even if the hardware meets the minimum requirements of the operating system, users of older PCs often complain of system crashes, sluggish performance and shorter battery life.

This is particularly a problem with laptops and older desktops that come with cloned hardware. The performance drop may come as a surprise to those upgrading from Windows 10. 

Why it matters:

Windows 11 may not offer the performance gains desired for users with older hardware. Because of the operating system’s stringent hardware requirements, many users with a non-compliant machine will be forced to cough up money to upgrade their machine or settle with an older version of Windows.

Conclusion

While there are new features in Windows 11, many design bugs need fixing. From taskbar limitations and lack of customization to unoptimized cloud integration and performance issues on older hardware, here are the failings that continue to affect the user experience.

If you’re using Windows 11 — or considering an upgrade soon — you should be aware of these flaws and that Microsoft hasn’t fully patched them yet. While some of the problems may be addressed in future updates, others could require users to adjust their habits or devise workarounds.