After years of system bloat and controversial reputation, Microsoft has finally decided to perform a "major surgery" on Windows 11. Pavan Davuluri, head of Microsoft Windows, recently confirmed that a series of core improvements aimed at enhancing speed and usability will be rolled out from this month until April.

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The most surprising change in this update is Microsoft's decision to reduce the presence of AI. To create a quieter system environment, Microsoft will minimize the intervention of Copilot in the following native applications:

  • Snipping Tool and Photos: Remove redundant AI suggestions, giving users a clean editing space.

  • Notepad and Widgets: Remove unnecessary AI sidebars, reducing system resource usage.

After years of user requests, Microsoft has finally brought back one of the most iconic features: movable taskbar. Users can now reposition the taskbar at the top or sides of the screen according to their preferences. Additionally, the taskbar supports resizing, leaving more display space on the screen.

Performance Jump: Say Goodbye to Lag and Forced Reboots

In response to the long-standing performance issues in Windows 11, Microsoft promises to achieve a "perceptible" speed improvement through the following technical measures:

  • Framework Migration: Migrate more system components to WinUI3, significantly reducing interaction latency.

  • Memory Optimization: Reduce base memory usage and improve multi-tasking responsiveness under heavy load.

  • Update Autonomy: Allow users to pause updates as needed and greatly reduce the number of forced reboots caused by patch installations.

Differing from previous annual major version updates, Scott Hanselman, a Microsoft technical researcher, stated that these improvements will follow a "monthly update, phased rollout" model. This means that preview experience members in the Canary and Dev channels will get the first chance to test this month, while regular users will gradually receive these performance patches in the monthly "Tuesday patches" coming up.

This 2026 update marks Microsoft's return to focusing on the fundamental user experience of the operating system, instead of blindly adding AI features. When Windows 11 no longer forces users to log in to an account or endure AI ads everywhere, the system may finally become the productivity tool that Microsoft promised it would be—a system that is "worth updating immediately upon release."