After 6 months, Windows 11 is still playing catch-up to Windows 10

Last year, we wrote that Windows 11 was, in a word, unnecessary. Have six months changed our opinion? No, though there are signs that Microsoft is fixing some of Windows 11’s most obvious flaws.

Because virtually all of Microsoft’s development work now takes place on Windows 11, by necessity most of my work is done on its latest operating system. I’ve left most of my family’s PCs running Windows 10, however, in part because they’re simply used to the familiar Windows 10 environment. I still think that’s the right decision for most people.

What follows isn’t a re-review of Windows 11. But it’s a good opportunity to think about whether the original review was influenced by first impressions, and what, if anything, Microsoft has accomplished in the intervening months.

START, TASKBAR, THEMES AND MORE: STILL NO FUN

At release, Windows 11’s most significant flaw was that it feels both less fun and less functional. That’s still the case, months later.

Case in point: In Windows 10, navigating to Personalization > Themes brings up large, vibrant icons telling you what themes you have installed, tacitly encouraging you to use them. Technically, the same options are available within Windows 11, but everything is far more subdued. Your PC feels less like an extension of your personality than a condominium with a few paint schemes that have been pre-approved by an HOA.

Personalization matters, which is why we wrote a ‘How to personalize your PC’ story for Windows 10 (fave.co/3M4aIki). But that story includes a section that’s hardly applicable to Windows 11: the Start menu.

To be fair, I use the Start menu