Every feature they listed was some anti-consumer thing that only a corporate customer would ever care about or want. Every single one.
What I learned is that Windows 11 is great for the customer, I'm just not the customer. I'm just the dummy who paid for it.
- Secure Boot enforcement
- Microsoft account requirement
- BitLocker device encryption tied to MS account
- Hardware attestation
- Telemetry/Data Collection
- Extensive diagnostic data collection
- Advertising ID tracking
- Activity history syncing
- Bing integration everywhere
- Edge as persistent default (difficult to change) - OneDrive integration/nagging
- Microsoft 365 upselling
- Copilot integration
- Widgets panel with MSN content
- Start menu web search forcing Bing
- Centered taskbar (not moveable)
- Simplified right-click menu (hiding options)
- Removed taskbar features (no drag-to-taskbar, no ungrouping)
- Start menu ads/recommendations Update Control
- Forced automatic updates
- Limited update deferral for Home users
- Feature updates bundled with security updates
- Device Management (Enterprise)
- Intune/MDM integration
- Windows Autopilot
- Azure AD requirements
- Remote wipe capabilities
- Monetization
- Ads in Start menu
- Ads in File Explorer
- Suggested apps
- Pre-installed third-party apps (Candy Crush, etc.)
https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat
It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox app).
I’ve been using it for years on every machine/VM with Windows 11 installed. The OS gets out of my way completely both in terms of functionality and distractions like ads.
I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers for making Windows 11 feel like a modernized Windows 7 experience.
>- BitLocker device encryption tied to MS account
Unless something changed with 11, this is opt in, with a specific "save to your microsoft account option". I really don't see the issue here.
>- Hardware attestation
This is either a rehash of the "TPM 2.0 requirement" point above, or just outright false.
>- Telemetry/Data Collection
>- Extensive diagnostic data collection
This are the same thing restated
>- Forced automatic updates
>- Limited update deferral for Home users
Again, these are just the same thing.
>- Feature updates bundled with security updates
That's basically... every commercial OS out there? Good luck getting security updates on android (if your OEM even provides it) if you're not on the latest version. Some linux distros even have it as a selling point, aka. rolling release.
>- Device Management (Enterprise)
>- Intune/MDM integration
These are the same thing AND you have to jump through hoops to enable it. I really don't see the issue here.
>- Copilot integration
>- Windows Autopilot
You can just... not use it?
>- Azure AD requirements
???
Is this just restating the microsoft account requirement?
>Monetization
This is a restatement for half the other points.
>- Start menu ads/recommendations Update Control
>- Ads in Start menu
>- Suggested apps
>- Pre-installed third-party apps (Candy Crush, etc.)
All stating the same thing.
Forcing saving to OneDrive causes this issue a lot too. I was stunned to find that saving changes to an existing document will often try to save a new file in OneDrive instead. So if you don't notice this and go back to your original file, it will look like your changes weren't saved.
The only part of windows that really matters in the long run is win32 which has been extremely stable. You could go back to XP and not lose that many features. The fact that modern windows runs like ass has very little to do with backwards compatibility.
The oldest, worst, and most over-used trick in the (windows) book.
*Corporate surveillance.