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A bold "Refining Windows" fan concept ditches clutter and ads, offering a customizable design and more.
Windows 11's design can be a sore topic for some avid users and enthusiasts. Many complaints on social media center on the premise that the operating system offers a seemingly degraded user experience compared to its predecessors, as well as on Microsoft's strict hardware requirements, and other issues.
Some have also argued that the operating system feels bloated with over-the-top features, AI, and other pre-installed parts that might not necessarily be appealing to the average user. As a result, the customization scene in Windows 11 is thriving, as third-party developers give users the experience they've wanted from Microsoft.
The "Redefining Windows" project addresses most of these concerns: "Start menu return with more clean and compact size, and completely removing forced recommendations and ads, focusing entirely on user-pinned applications, app list, and search," says Aryaputra in their descriptions.
Most notably, the redesign project brings back the fan-favorite movable and resizable project. Interestingly, Microsoft is restoring the beloved feature as part of its broader strategy to improve the general user sentiment around Windows 11 in 2026 (known internally as Windows K2).
The project also presents Windows Search as a more intuitive experience, allowing users to instantly find apps, files, settings, and more using shortcuts without injecting any ads or irrelevant recommendations: "Copilot is seamlessly integrated into the system search as a native, unobtrusive assistant".
(Image credit: Raditya Aryaputra on Behance)
Other notable changes include a simplified Widget panel, which barely receives any tweaks aside from scrapping the MSN News feed section from the platform, entirely designed to drive more focus to the pinned widget. While the project designer doesn't specify this, I'd assume that there would be an option to restore the news feed for users who find it instrumental.
The project also keeps the Calendar view and is straight to the point — displaying daily events and links to join meetings.
I'm a fan, but it might unfortunately remain as nothing more than a concept in the foreseeable future. However, Microsoft's Windows K2 ongoing initiative to rehabilitate Windows 11's current state and user perception shows great promise. It would also be interesting to see if any elements from this project make it to the end user in any form or shape.
Right now, user options are limited within the Windows ecosystem, especially after Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Windows 10's ESU program cushions users a tad, postponing the inevitable transition to Windows 11 by one year — but it feels like a last-minute snooze button to a bleeding system.
Plus, it's no secret that many users have issues with how Windows 11's Start menu is set up, even after the company redesigned the app at the beginning of the year. While the overhaul delivered significant changes to the Start menu's overall user experience, users complained that it's now too big and too automated. It also lacks enough customization options.
In the interim, Microsoft has brought back Windows Insider meetups, bridging the gap between real Windows 11 users and the team at Microsoft. The company hopes to use customer feedback to improve and enhance the operating system's user experience.
Microsoft has also reevaluated its AI strategy in Windows 11, streamlining its user experience across its ecosystem and even removing Copilot in apps like Notepad, which happened earlier this month. However, some users claim that Microsoft didn't scrap Copilot from the app; it just renamed it to AI-writing tools.
For now, I'm inviting you to keep tabs on all the changes Microsoft makes on Windows 11 as part of its ongoing Windows K2 initiative via our status tracker.
Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.
Posted Friday 1 May 2026 at 7:34 am AEST (my time).
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