10 Huge Reasons Not to Upgrade to Windows 11
Read this as this will save you a ton of money and trouble
Welcome to +35 subscribers who have joined the FREE HardwareSavvy newsletter this month and the dozens who have joined the PAID newsletter.
If you’re reading this but haven’t subscribed, join the HardwareSavvy community of +10,439 smart, savvy and fun people. Get access to hundreds of videos like this in the Android Academy at 20% OFF for a limited time.
This newsletter is sponsored by amazing folks like you, which is why it is bias free. I might not be able to say this in my video posts on YouTube, but i would like you to know what I have gone through after upgrading to Windows 11 and hope it will save you time and money. Enjoy!
You’ll never see a Microsoft Windows upgrade that isn't met with vociferous negative reactions, and while Windows 11 hasn't encountered as much vitriol as some past versions of the operating system, that doesn't mean it's all rosy. The main beef has been about its hardware requirements. Lesser complaints about interface changes amount to “someone moved my cheese,” but still stoke ire from longtime users. In many ways, Windows 11 works just as well as Windows 10. It runs all the same software, and it supports all the same peripheral hardware. And yet, there are quite a few valid reasons to not upgrade to Windows 11.
As is the case with most desktop operating systems, whether from Apple or Microsoft, the intention of a new version is to get you to buy a new computer. These tech giants are less interested in having you upgrade your existing hardware, since it doesn’t provide them any revenue.
I still primarily use Windows 10 by choice, but have also used Windows 11 extensively, and I’m here to tell you that it’s not a huge adjustment to switch between the two. That said, there are reasons you may prefer sticking with tried-and-true Windows 10 rather than moving up to Windows 11. Many of the reasons boil down to the fact that Windows 10 got a lot of things right and Windows 11 ruins them. Feel free to add your own reasons not to upgrade in the comments below.
1. You Might Have to Buy a New PC for Windows 11
The biggest stink made by Windows commentators at the launch of Windows 11 concerned its new hardware requirements. The need for a TPM security chip got a lot of digital ink, while in my experience, the more widespread barrier to upgrading was a requirement for a more recent CPU. I tested three or four PCs that all had TPM chips, but with CPUs that weren’t recent enough for the upgrade. You also can’t install the OS in the unlikely event that your PC still runs a 32-bit processor; it only runs on 64-bit Intel/AMD and Arm chips.
That’s all about upgrading existing PCs. If you’re in the market for a new computer, there are still other reasons you might buy one that runs Windows 10, as you’ll see below. A good selection of PCs with Windows 10 preinstalled is still available, and it is possible to downgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 10.
2. The Windows 10 Taskbar Is Better
Windows 10 lets you show wider, more informative taskbar buttons and lets you place the taskbar on a side or the top of the screen as well as across the bottom—a big deal to some users. Windows 11 does neither. In 10, the entries are always in the same place. But in 11, if you use the default center alignment, the icon positions, even the Start button, change as you open and close apps. Luckily, you can left-align the taskbar in Windows 11, which solves that last issue, but the others remain.
Another failing is that the Taskbar calendar doesn’t let you add or see events as it does in Windows 10. Another is that it doesn’t support drag-and-drop as fully as its predecessor. Microsoft is backtracking on this one, however, returning the capability in future Windows 11 builds, but I still see the universal No symbol when I try to drag a file onto an app icon in the taskbar.
3. Windows 10's Start Menu Is Better
The new Windows 11 Start menu doesn’t show recently installed apps or frequently used apps. It offers the vague “Suggested” apps which may be based on those criteria, but I haven’t found it as helpful as Windows 10’s clear sections for those categories. The icons in 11 don't show any info about the apps as Windows 10 tiles do. The earlier OS also gives immediate access to Power (Shut down, Restart, Sleep) and the Settings app.
4. Windows 11 Doesn't Have an Always-Available Search Box
Yes, you can press a Taskbar icon or use Windows Key-S to show the search box in Windows 11, but there’s nothing like having a search box there all the time, in the same place, waiting for your queries. Windows 10 offers that, right next to the Start button. The company has even started adorning the right side of the box with cute topical illustrations, rare proof that Microsoft continues to improve Windows 10.
5. Windows 11's Tablet Experience Isn’t as Good as Windows 10's
I’ve written about the frustrating experience of using Windows 11 on a tablet, and