Windows 11 packs lots of new features and improvements over its predecessor, Windows 10. From the new UI to the Android app support, there are many reasons for you to transition to the new OS. But before you do, there are some issues that you need to be aware of.

Let’s see the most prominent issues plaguing Windows 11 right now.

1. Windows 11's UI Inconsistencies

Ever since Windows 8, Microsoft has wanted to phase out the legacy UI elements of Windows in favor of a modern approach. But even with the might of Microsoft behind the task, legacy UI has stuck around to this day.

With Windows 10, Microsoft modernized a lot of elements. The company took things one step further with Windows 11. As a result, Windows 11 looks a lot cleaner and aesthetically pleasing than Windows 10. That said, there is still a long way to go.

input themes expansion Windows 11
Image Credit: Microsoft

UI inconsistency is a giant problem with Windows 11. On one hand, there is the sleek Settings app. On the other hand, there is the age-old Control Panel. Similarly, there are remnants of Windows Vista’s Aero design language like dialogue box icons. Even Windows XP gets a representation in the UI here.

Suffice to say, after years of UIs that feel like mishmash rather than congruous wholes, Microsoft needs to make Windows 11’s UI consistent.

2. The Taskbar's Limitations

Windows 11’s taskbar is polarizing, to say the least. To some, it is the refresh that the taskbar has always needed. To others, it is a mess with missing core functionality. While we can’t deny that the latest version of Windows’ taskbar looks modern, we have to lament the lack of the many fundamental taskbar features.

Folder Pinned to Windows 11 taskbar

For starters, you can’t resize the taskbar or move it around. In Windows 10, you can move the taskbar around the display to an orientation of your choosing. You can also make it taller. You can’t do any of these in Windows 11. The lack of these basic taskbar features is quite puzzling.

Next, you can’t make taskbar icons smaller. Once again, this was an option in Windows 10. Why did Microsoft remove it? We don’t know.

The same is the case for seeing time and date on multiple monitors. You could see the time and date on the second monitor on Windows 10. Microsoft also removed this feature without any reason.

Related: How to Pin Almost Anything to the Windows 11 Taskbar

The same goes for the context menu which pops up when you right-click on the taskbar. In Windows 10, the context menu is full of customization options such as showing/hiding buttons. With Windows 11, the context menu is limited to only one option “Taskbar settings”.

Put simply, Microsoft needs to fix the taskbar and make sure that it is at least as functional, if not more, than Windows 10’s. As things stand now, Windows 11 taskbar feels rushed and incomplete.

3. The Limitations to Windows 11's Start Menu

Microsoft has significantly overhauled the Start Menu with Windows 11. It is centered. There are also no Live Tiles. And the long list of all the apps that you know from Windows 10 is also gone. You can pin apps to the Start Menu and see the recommended or most used app.

The new Start Menu has a bunch of issues. For instance, when you remove the recommended apps, there is a giant free space left at the bottom of the Start Menu. This is just bad design.

how to quickly uninstall apps in windows 11

The removal of Live Tiles without providing an alternative is another controversial decision. Sure, not everybody liked Live Tiles. But, if used properly, they provided useful information. With the new Start Menu, we have lost all access to this at-a-glance information.

Moreover, there is no way to group apps as you could in Windows 10. All you can do is pin apps.

In short, Microsoft has changed or removed a lot of features from the new Start Menu without giving users options to opt out of these changes. If the company wants Windows 11 to be the best Windows experience to date, it has to give users the option to customize Windows 11’s Start Menu.

4. Windows 11's Bloatware

It seems inevitable that whenever someone wants to talk about Windows, they have to talk about the bloatware that comes with it. Windows 10 was riddled with games nobody played and programs nobody used. And the way things are, bloatware is still an issue in Windows 11.

Microsoft either needs to stop bundling in apps that people don’t want, or it needs to give users a simple tool to remove all the bloatware from Windows 11. Not only will this improve performance by way of a lighter OS, but it will also enhance the user experience.

5. Numerous Bugs and Inconsistencies

If you ask us, Windows 7 was the last time Microsoft released an OS without major bugs and inconsistencies. Windows Vista, 8, and 10 were all riddled with bugs. Unfortunately, Windows 11 is another rocky start for Microsoft.

For instance, some of the long-standing printer issues that have plagued Windows 10 for a long time, are still here in Windows 11.

One of the biggest printer-related issues in Windows 11 is the PrintNightmare vulnerability. It was an issue on Windows 10 and Microsoft claimed to fix it after pushing out several updates. But reportedly, those updates didn’t fix the issue and PrintNightmare is still running amuck.

Related: How to Fix the PrintNightmare Exploit on Windows 10

Long story short, if you pay a visit to Windows subreddits, you’ll more than likely come across users complaining about bugs in Windows 11. Needless to say, Microsoft needs to iron out major Windows 11 bugs. At the very least, the company has to fix legacy issues if it wants users to compel users to move to the new OS.

Windows 11 Is Off to a Rocky Start, But It Has Great Potential

It appears that Microsoft has rushed out Windows 11. A lot of features are either half-baked or straight-up absent. There is also the issue of bloatware. Then, we have the bugs.

So, Microsoft has a lot of work to do. But put these issues aside for a second and one can see that Windows 11 has a lot of potential. Let’s hope the company delivers on that potential.