The launch itself was contentious. The biggest early complaint was that Windows 11 sought to force lots of capable hardware into retirement through strict minimum system requirements, which users wrangled around by editing system files while Microsoft, in the piece's telling, seemed to shift the goalposts. A second sore point was the push to set up Windows with an online Microsoft account, with communities fighting to keep simple local accounts, a struggle the article says continues to this day.

Microsoft frames the account requirement as good for users, citing OneDrive backups, syncing across devices and extra recovery and security features, but the article notes it also serves as a commercial vehicle for selling digital goods and services. Things had settled down by 2024, only for the Copilot+ PC era to stir fresh trouble, with the AI-centred Windows Recall app among the gaffes. Microsoft and its OEM partners quietly killed off all Copilot+ PC branding earlier this year, and built-in AI is now being de-emphasised in favour of a cross-platform agentic model.

This year Microsoft has also publicly conceded that Windows 11 is a foundation for productivity and gaming rather than the destination itself. In spring, executives promised to clean up and optimise the OS for everyday use, dangling faster built-in apps and lower memory and resource use going forward.