I Love Windows, but Can't Ignore These 9 Huge Annoyances in Windows 11

As a longtime Windows user, I've always appreciated its versatility and performance. However, Windows 11 has a few persistent annoyances I just can't get past.

9 I Still Have to Jump Between Settings and Control Panel

Microsoft has been trying to phase out the Control Panel in favor of the more streamlined Settings app to create a more unified experience. However, the transition is far from complete, and it's been over three years since Windows 11 was released.

Some settings are still exclusive to the Control Panel, while others are only available in the Settings app. As a result, I often find myself jumping between the two.

Sometimes, I’ll click on a setting in the Control Panel, only to be redirected to the Settings app, and vice versa. It's a frustrating back-and-forth that continues to leave me baffled.

8 The Right-Click Menu and File Explorer Are Too Simple

Anyone who has used Windows 10 knows how unproductive the Windows 11 right-click context menu is. It buries many useful features behind the "Show more options" menu, requiring an extra click to access them.

Further, Microsoft doesn’t offer an easy way to revert to the classic Windows 10 context menu. As a result, your best option is to hold the Shift key while right-clicking on anything.

The same simplification problem extends to File Explorer. The streamlined ribbon interface limits access to essential functions like cut, copy, paste, delete, and rename, all of which are often better performed through keyboard shortcuts. The only problem here is not everyone knows how to use those shortcuts.

7 Changing Default Apps Is More Complex Than It Should Be

Although you can change default apps in Windows 11, the process isn’t straightforward at all. For instance, if you want to set a new default photo viewer, you can’t just select an app and apply it across all image formats.

Instead, you have to manually change it for each file type—JPG, PNG, TIFF, and so on. This is time-consuming and frustrating. The only exception is how easy it is to change your default web browser in Windows 11.

6 Use a Microsoft Account or Else

From the moment you set up Windows 11, you're required to sign in with a Microsoft account. Microsoft promotes this as a way to enhance your Windows experience and streamline access to its various cloud services. However, it feels forced for privacy-focused users like me who prefer a more traditional, local account setup.

Sure, it’s possible to set up Windows 11 without a Microsoft account using workarounds or even switch to a local account later, but it's far from intuitive, and with all Microsoft's AI features, it's becoming harder and harder to opt out.

5 The Taskbar Feels Like a Downgrade From Windows 10

There's no sugar-coating it. The Windows 11 taskbar is a complete downgrade from Windows 10. And no, I'm not talking about the centered Start menu (though some people do hate that, too).

The real issue is that Microsoft stripped away most of the customization options that made the taskbar more functional in previous versions. For starters, Windows 11 doesn't allow you to move the taskbar to the top, left, or right sides of the screen. If you want a vertical taskbar, you have to customize your taskbar with third-party apps.

Similarly, there's no built-in way to resize the taskbar. If you want a larger taskbar, your only option is to adjust the display scaling, which affects everything on the screen.

Then there's the issue of pinning files and folders. In Windows 10, you could easily pin your most-used folders or even specific files to the taskbar for quick access.

In Windows 11, Microsoft removed this functionality, so you now have to rely on workarounds to pin items to the taskbar.

4 The Start Menu Still Feels Unhelpful

Like most users, I rely heavily on the Start menu to quickly access my favorite apps and files. However, the Windows 11 Start menu is bogged down by Microsoft's poor attempts to push Bing into everything. Any time you search for something, like if you want to open Paint, it also shows results from Bing.

So, if you make a typo—like searching for "Painet" instead of "Paint"—Windows 11 annoyingly opens the browser showing Bing results for that query. Worse yet, it uses Microsoft Edge for this, regardless of which browser you've set as your default.

Then there’s the "Recommended" section. Even if you disable the Start menu recommendations, it continues to send you a notification, constantly reminding you to enable it.

3 Disabling or Removing Microsoft Apps and Services Is a Hassle

If you're not into Microsoft’s ecosystem like I am, you’ll find that removing some of its apps and programs isn’t exactly easy. For example, if you want to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Windows, you must use command-line tools or complex registry workarounds.

Similarly, Microsoft doesn’t make it easy to disable the Widgets panel or completely remove the Copilot feature. At best, you can hide them, but they’ll continue to pop up if you accidentally press the relevant keyboard shortcut.

2 Too Much Bloatware

In addition to essential apps and programs, Windows 11 PCs come loaded with unnecessary software from both Microsoft and the manufacturer. Many of these apps tend to push users into subscribing to a service or bombard them with ads.

Not only does this bloatware take up valuable storage space, but it can also slow down the system by running in the background or launching at startup. As a result, the only option is to remove bloatware from our Windows 11 PCs, which is extra work nobody wants to do.

1 It's Hard to Escape Ads

No one likes ads. Sadly, Windows 11 is full of them. From promoted apps in the Start menu to suggestions in the Settings app and even the notifications area, Microsoft constantly pushes recommendations and its services throughout the OS.

These ads appear in various forms: pre-installed third-party apps, Microsoft’s own service promotions in the taskbar, and pop-ups urging users to switch to Edge or try OneDrive.

While you can disable most Windows 11 ads, they shouldn't be there to begin with—especially considering users have already paid for their Windows license.

Despite these annoyances, Windows 11 remains my go-to OS. While it's far from perfect, its overall performance and features outweigh the frustrations. Hopefully, future updates will address these issues and make these aspects more manageable. Until then, we’ll have to rely on workarounds to make Windows 11 less annoying.