There are seemingly simple but effective reasons why users prefer MacOS or Linux over Windows; But what are these problems?
There are many users who have used different versions of Windows for many years and have been satisfied with most of the features of these versions; But according to some of them, there are annoying features in Windows 11 that, if not fixed, may discourage some of them from Windows and lead them to other operating systems such as Linux or MacOS. For example, it took several years for the Control Panel to finally be moved to the System Settings section, but this is not as annoying as other Windows problems that we will mention below.
Display annoying ads
We can almost say that Microsoft has a monopoly on the desktop operating system market. According to Statista, about 72% of personal computers will be using one of Microsoft’s Windows versions by February 2024; It’s just after a decade of decline in the number of Windows users due to the increasing popularity of macOS, so that in 2013, Windows had nearly 91% of the market share.
Unfortunately, Microsoft uses its dominant position in the operating system market to display annoying ads; Such as advertisements that are displayed in the start menu, lock screen and even when upgrading the operating system for users. Some users believe that Microsoft’s ads in Windows are not only annoying in terms of user experience, but can even be considered a kind of exclusive behavior.
Microsoft’s exclusive behavior for advertising its other products in Windows is similar to what the company did in 1998 and was questioned by the US Department of Justice. At that time, Microsoft made Internet Explorer the default browser for Windows; While several other companies were competing with each other in the browser market.
Of course, Apple, like Microsoft, places its product ads in Safari; But the low market share of this browser has caused Apple’s exclusive behavior to have little effect on the operating system market. On the other hand, Google Chrome still maintains its popularity among users due to its features and high quality and remains the winner of the browser competition.
To summarize; Microsoft can also advertise its products like other companies; But due to its exclusive position, it places these advertisements directly in the Windows operating system, and according to users, this is unfair and illegal.
Forced to search in the cloud
Many Windows users prefer to use the Start menu search tool to find their programs, files or games instead of pinning; While sometimes when searching for a program or file, ads and purchase offers and links to previous Bing searches are also displayed for users; Some have even stated that these ads have made them unable to find the program they had previously installed in some cases. Even Windows ME with all its instability and bugs was better than Windows 11 at least in terms of internal search!
Fortunately, there is a way to disable ads and suggested links in Windows 11 Search; But for this you need to use the registry editor tool and many people can’t disable it without using the guide.
Add new buttons to taskbar
Windows has a habit of placing application icons in the taskbar when it introduces a new feature; Like the new icon of widgets and copilot. The only problem some users have with this theme is that the new icons are displayed by default and they have to go through an extra step to remove them.
Forcing new features on users is a common theme in the tech world. These conditions make some users feel that even if they pay for the license, they do not own their Windows, and Microsoft still owns the operating system.
Transferring supporting documents to the web
Microsoft seems to have forgotten that some users may not always have full access to the Internet. This topic does not attract the attention of users anywhere except Windows support documents; Because the documents are accessible online and on the Microsoft website instead of always being available.
Online access to support documentation becomes even more annoying when even the resource link doesn’t connect users directly to the desired page. These links are first opened in the Edge browser (even if the user’s default browser is something else) and they look for the related page with the term site:microsoft.com in the Bing search engine.
Providing users with online access to support documentation is actually another way to direct users to other Microsoft services that almost no one uses. Maybe Microsoft’s goal is to reduce the size of Windows for installation by removing support documents; But even this argument is accepted when the supporting documents are not textual; Because text documents occupy very little space.
Insist on using Microsoft services
Users who have used Windows for years know and have used other Windows services such as OneDrive, Microsoft 365 and Edge browser. Some users have not had a satisfactory experience with these services and have decided to abandon them; But again, Microsoft is trying to impose the use of the mentioned services on its users in different ways; Just like the supporting documents we mentioned in the previous section. A number of Windows users believe that Microsoft should respect the choice of users and stop insisting.
Backing up the desktop in OneDrive
Microsoft has tried to make the work of users easier by adding the ability to back up specific desktop folders to OneDrive; But the said feature has become troublesome for people who use Windows on several different devices. The reason for such a problem is that when the desktop shortcuts of a computer are backed up, the links of these backups appear as broken links on other user’s devices.
It’s true that turning off desktop sync fixes the problem of broken links on other devices, but some users believe that it might be better to disable the sync option from the start to avoid any hassles for them.
Remove applications
Unlike other big companies, Microsoft is not used to removing its programs; But the removal of two applications from new versions of Windows has raised the objection of some users. Paint 3D and WordPad are two useful applications that have been practically retired, and some Windows users feel their emptiness.
In today’s world, the opinion of users and their convenience should be the center of attention of any company. Due to the powerfulness of Apple’s chips and the ease with which users get used to this company’s operating systems, Microsoft may face a decline in its market share in the future if it ignores the preferences of users.
What do you think about these 7 Windows problems? Are these problems bothering you or are you dealing with other problems in Windows?