Microsoft Windows 11

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Microsoft Windows 11

Basic Information
Release Year	2021-10-05
Product Type	Operating System, Software
In Production	Yes
Official Website	https://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-11

Microsoft Windows 11 is an operating system for personal computers developed and owned by Microsoft. It was released on October 5 2021. As of 2025, Windows 11 is the current version of Windows sold by Microsoft. It is used in personal, business, server, and embedded systems applications. Windows by far has the highest market share of any operating system on consumer desktop computers.

Consumer impact summary

User Freedom

Windows 11 has several and more restrictions than their previous version, Windows 10. These restrictions usually prevent the user to configure the system to their liking. Some notable restrictions are:

• In order to use the operating system, it is required to link a Microsoft account. Since October 2025 local accounts cannot be created and Microsoft has blocked the ways to bypass the Microsoft account requirement.

• Updates are forced and cannot be disabled, only postponed by default. They can only be disabled with third-party tools. Some settings and preferences set by the user are modified after applying updates. A very known case of this happening is the modification of the default browser preferences to Microsoft Edge if the user has set other web browser instead.

• BitLocker drive encryption is forced and there are known incidents of users permanently losing their data.

• Like Windows 10, OneDrive synchronization is active by default. The File Explorer redirects the local file shortcuts to the OneDrive file addresses.

User Privacy

Telemetry is active by default and cannot be completely disabled without using third-party tools. Microsoft Copilot application setting of using user's data to train AI models is active by default ^{[citation needed]}

Business Model

Windows comes pre-installed on most of current new desktop computers.

The operating system license can also be acquired by an one-time purchase.

Windows 11 contains bloatware, such as Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Edge that cannot be uninstalled without specialized tools. System tools such as Settings or File Explorer contain integrated ads about Microsoft software and services. Ads can also appear on the lock screen, notifications and the desktop.

Market Control

Windows 11 is installed on more than 30% of all computers world wide. Windows 11 collects user data including but not limited to hardware specs, apps and drivers installed on the device, app activity, device settings and configuration, web browser history, etc.

Incidents

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Microsoft Windows 11 category.

Unstable & forced updates

Following the update form of Windows 10, Windows 11 updates are also forced and the system settings only allow them to be postponed, without having any official form to disable them that does not require registry edition or third-party software. They're frequent, usually happening once per month. The way that updates are deployed, without allowing to use the OS while it is updating, have caused several users to be unable to use their computers when they need to work, do a project, or even when they're in a critical situation. ^{[citation needed]}

Windows users have also reported several times issues and bugs with the recent updates, that vary from minor issues to major issues that can lead the system to become unusable.

Some documented problematic updates include:

• Minor update 24H2 KB5063878, released on August 12 2025. This update affected some SSD drives by severely corrupting them. This corruption in some cases caused data losses that ended in unrecoverable files.

• An update on December 2025 caused core features issues on many computers, with several users complaining about this. Microsoft admitted later this update was problematic.

• Update KB5077181, released on February 11 2026. This update affected some Samsung computers, making them unable to access to the C:\ drive. If someone attempted to access to this drive, the system launched an error message containing "C:\ is not accessible – Access denied". This glitch also affected the ability to launch programs and perform administrative tasks.

These combined factors have causes users to respond in several ways, from complaining about the OS and how Microsoft handles it, by blocking updates with third-party tools such as WinAeroTweaker to prevent the forced and problematic updates despite the risks of doing so , or even by migrating to modified or unsupported versions of Windows or to other operating systems such as Linux. ^{[citation needed]}

Microsoft Copilot integration

Microsoft Copilot is a generative Artificial Intelligence model developed by Microsoft. In recent releases of Windows 11, Microsoft has decided to integrate its AI assistant, Copilot, directly into the operating system.

This integration has raised concerns among consumer rights advocates, who argue that users are given limited control over the feature and its data collection practices. Critics claim that Copilot’s presence, often enabled by default and not easily removable, undermines user choice and privacy. Supporters, however, contend that the tool enhances productivity and reflects the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday computing. The debate highlights broader issues regarding software autonomy, informed consent, and the extent to which technology companies can embed proprietary services into essential consumer platforms.

Windows Recall

Main article: Microsoft Copilot's recall feature

In 2024, Microsoft unveiled Recall for Copilot+ PCs, marketed as a way for users to search through what they have done on their computer by recording their screen. This sparked controversy, especially among security experts who worried about the security of screenshots, since it could easily document private information like social-security numbers, bank-account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. A Python script was developed, called "TotalRecall", that collects the screenshots and descriptions of these recordings, proving the danger of Recall. This feature was delayed after backlash from users.

In 2025, Microsoft re-released Recall, with claims that the tool has resolved the security flaws and it coming disabled by default. However, despite integrating better security, having this feature enabled continues to pose privacy risks for consumers, as it is only a matter of when a vulnerability is discovered for the problems both consumers and businesses initially had with the tool to resurface, especially since it is difficult for users to inspect the screenshots that are taken by the tool.

Windows 11 requires a Microsoft Account to use

Versions of Windows 11 Pro for personal use and Windows 11 Home require internet connectivity and a Microsoft account (see Forced account) during setup. This prevents users from setting up the software without the internet, and prevents users from setting up a completely offline installation of Windows, even though the operating system can function without an internet connection. When Microsoft stops offering compatible accounts, Windows 11 will no longer be installable. Workarounds existed to set up Windows without a Microsoft account. In October 2025, Microsoft announced they would be removing mechanisms to bypass the Microsoft account setup during the "out of box experience" (OOBE) process. Microsoft claims that these bypass methods were skipping "critical setup screens" despite most users having no issues with these workarounds.

Poorly disclosed data encryption

Computers running Windows 11 with Microsoft Account are set to automatically enable bitlocker which encrypts all data on internal disks, leaving key for decryption in owners Microsoft My Account device list without explicitly informing the owner of doing so. Updating BIOS or hardware manipulation may lead to triggering bitlocker and leaving computer in recovery mode if bitlocker is not suspended beforehand. This process can leave owner with seemingly bricked device, especially if owners Microsoft Account was created and used only to satisfy Windows 11s requirement for Microsoft Accounts during OOBE. If key hidden in Microsoft Account is not provided, erasing encrypted disks and reinstalling operating system is recommended.

Misleading presentation of Microsoft OneDrive

Main article: OneDrive

Windows explorer has a button which is misleadingly labeled to "back up" files. Instead of backing them up, it sends the files to OneDrive. If the file is deleted, OneDrive deletes the online copy (a backup would preserve a file if it was deleted). If OneDrive runs out of space, it is likely to lose files. If you try to disable or remove OneDrive, Windows will push you to re-enable it. It takes several steps to tell it not to advertise OneDrive.

Data Collection

Main article: Microsoft

Microsoft is known to sell users data to brokers and government agencies.

Microsoft Bing Wallpaper

Bing Wallpaper is a free-to-download app on the Microsoft Store that displays a daily rotation of wallpapers for Windows 11 computers. By default, an option is toggled in its settings to automatically open Bing and search for the wallpaper's contents whenever one clicks somewhere on their desktop that doesn't contain an icon and place a permanent window on top of one's wallpaper to learn more. This option must be manually switched off in a setting at the bottom of the options page. Along with this, it reportedly replaces one's default search engine with Bing.

See Also

• Microsoft Copilot
• Microsoft Office 365
• OneDrive