We’re not halfway through 2024 yet, and Microsoft hasn’t released Windows 11 version 24H2, either. That will be a pretty big update for multiple reasons, with a big focus on AI and optimizations for Arm devices.
But who wants to talk about that when we already know most of what’s going to be in that update? Windows 11 still has a whole lot of problems, minor annoyances, or just missing features that can take it from good to fantastic. And since those changes aren’t coming this year, let’s talk about what Microsoft can do in 2025 to make Windows 11 the best it has ever been when it releases version 25H2.
7 Better multitasking
Just take FancyZones from PowerToys
Right off the bat, the feature I would want the most to be built into Windows 11 is something akin to FancyZones, a tool that’s part of PowerToys. This shouldn’t be very difficult, seeing as PowerToys is also developed by Microsoft.
Windows 11 already improved window management a lot with new options for snapping apps together and managing them. But PowerToys is a dream when it comes to multitasking. Being able to create any layout I want for my apps is amazing and it allows me to make the most of my ultrawide monitor. It’s so easy to get work done this way, and PowerToys also makes it super easy to snap an app into any area of the layout by just holding Shift while dragging it, plus you can have multiple layouts for different scenarios.
PowerToys is meant to boost productivity, so I know some tools don’t make sense to include in Windows 11 directly, but FancyZones is so useful that I wish it was always there.
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More organization is always good
Microsoft has been making many improvements to File Explorer in Windows 11, including the addition of tabs, which was more than welcome. But now we’d like to see tags, too.
Being able to tag your files can be very useful if you have folders with a lot of content and you want to be able to find specific files more quickly. Sure, you can group files by date, file format, or name, but that’s not always the easiest way to find something you want. If you could tag a file or folder with labels like “Work” or “Vacation” would make it much easier to find files you need at any given time. In fact, some third-party apps already offer this, such as the excellent Files app. Of course, that also requires Microsoft to make it possible to filter search results by tag and group files with the same tag together. But if it’s done properly, this would be a great feature.
5 Better multi-monitor support
Give them independent taskbars
Multi-monitor support on Windows 11 works fine for the most part, but it can get a little messy if you’re juggling a lot of apps across different monitors. For example, the using Alt + Tab to switch apps only works on your primary monitor, and your taskbar icons are the same across all monitors, too.
Windows 11 could greatly boost usability if each monitor worked more independently. For instance, the taskbar could show only icons for apps on that same screen, and the Alt + Tab task switcher could show apps from each screen under different groups. This should include being able to pin apps to the taskbar for just one of the screens, too. One potentially interesting idea would be to make it so that each virtual desktop in Windows 11 is shown on a different screen, so you can easily switch between different workspaces or swap the entire content of a screen by just changing to a different virtual desktop.
4 Handle default apps better
It should be easier to set defaults
One big downgrade that Windows 11 made compared to Windows 10 is the ability to set default apps in general. The way that it works in Windows 11 is that you have to set default apps for every file format or protocol that you want each app to handle. On Windows 10, you could set a general media player, email client, or browser, but that’s been made much more difficult now.
Microsoft did make some improvements when it comes to web browsers after it got a ton of backlash, so now there is a button to set a browser as the default overall. BUt it’s still only for browsers, and you can only find it by selecting the app first. It would be nice to have categories of apps that you can set a default for, like how things worked in Windows 10.
3 Focus modes
Learn from Apple
Focus assist, or do not disturb, has been feature of Windows since Windows 10, and it’s always useful. Windows 11 added something called focus sessions, where you can start a timer in the Clock app to disable notifications and play music to help you focus. It’s a cool idea that can help with productivity, but it’s still limited in how you can set up your focus settings.
On iOS and macOS, Apple implemented something called focus profiles or modes, and you can set different ones for work, home, or driving (or anything you want, really). This means you can disable notifications for certain apps when using a specific profile, so if you’re working, you won’t see your Facebook notifications, for example. This would be great to have on Windows 11, as it would allow you to focus on what you’re doing at any given time and switch between different settings on the fly.
2 More customization options
I’m not the first person to complain about the Start menu on Windows 11, and to be fair, I think it works well for the most part. However, I do think Microsoft has been limiting what users can do a little too much, and it would be nice to see some more of these options return.
For one thing, it would be nice to have the option to show the All apps list next to the main view of the Start menu, rather than having it on a different page entirely. Resizing the Start menu would be a great option, too, along with the ability to remove the Recommended section completely so I can just focus on my pinned apps. All of this would make the Start menu much more usable, so you can more quickly get to the apps you want.
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But some visual customizations would be nice, too. Interestingly, Microsoft offers options like gradient backgrounds and even different textures for the background of the touch keyboard, but you can’t do that for the taskbar, Start menu, or notification center. I’d love to have more options for how Windows 11 looks, especially since Microsoft has been making apps like WindowBlinds less useful with each update.
1 A more consistent UI
Dark mode is still very imperfect
Dark mode made its debut on Windows all the way back in 2015, but almost nine years later, the company still hasn’t nailed it down completely. While most parts of the OS do support dark mode, Microsoft still has a ton of legacy components that don’t support it, shining bright white in your face when you’re not expecting it. This includes things like progress dialogs in File Explorer (for file transfers or extracting ZIP files), properties windows, and system components like the old Control Panel, Device Manager, and so on.
The problem here is twofold. For one thing, these old pieces of software don’t support dark mode because they were never designed for it. At the same time, they just look plain old compared to the modern design language Microsoft uses for everything else. Many of these elements have been in use for over a decade and are mostly the same today. It’s high time for Microsoft to make a more consistent UI. We’ve been seeing slow progress on this, but I hope the company picks up the pace. Some third-party apps like StartAllBack can already force more parts of File Explorer to run in dark mode, so it can’t be that hard.
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There’s more that could be improved
Beyond these requests, there are probably other things you want to see improve in Windows 11. Of course, an obvious one is asking for fewer ads, but that’s not going to happen. It would be nice if Microsoft also stopped forcing users to use Edge for certain things, but again, this is unlikely.
That being said, let us know what you’d like to see in the next big Windows 11 update in 2025. Maybe Microsoft will listen.