Give feedback and Microsoft will perform more Windows U-turns

Windows 11 has been available for long enough now for a pattern to have emerged in Microsoft’s behaviour. It can be summarised as: if enough people complain, Microsoft will change what you don’t like.

There have been lots of small examples since it launched, but the most significant change is simplifying how you can switch the default browser (see Issue 629, page 6, pictured).

This must have been a painful decision for Microsoft. I bet they hate that Google’s Chrome is so much more popular than their own Edge. But they’ve buckled under pressure and now make it easier to switch. It is, as you rightly say, a U-turn. Just as in politics, companies perform U-turns when they realise that people disagree with a policy so much that it might prompt them to take their business elsewhere.

Microsoft must be worried that Windows 11 has earned a reputaton for being a highly restrictive operating system. It has already put off millions of people by demanding that their computers have TPM 2.0, which is probably why growth of the system has stalled. Allowing users to switch from Edge as their default allows Microsoft to say they’re listening to feedback from users.

The recent announcement of tabs for File Explorer (see page 6) is another sign that Microsoft wants to be seen as reacting quickly to user feedback. Eventually, I think they will backtrack on all the little irritants that are dissuading people from upgrading, such as not being able to customise the taskbar to your liking.

To help nudge Microsoft, vote with your fingers by giving them your opinion through the Feedback app. I’ve been doing this since upgrading in November, and everything I’ve asked for has subsequently been implemented, or is about to be. It’s not always been the case, but with Windows 11 Microsoft really is listening to the ordinary user. Oliver Moult