Has anyone here on the fence, upgraded to Windows 11 yet?
All of my PCs are running Windows 10. I am not sure if there’s any justification to upgrade.
I have clean installed 11 before last year. I went right back to Windows 10.
It feels like my Windows 8 experience. Jumping on, trying for a while, then jumping off.
*Albeit, Windows 8 had real under the hood improvements, despite the dueling UI.
dftf
<p>Short answer: no, I wouldn’t rush.</p><p><br></p><p>The only major reasons I’d say to get <em>Windows 11</em> would be: (1) if you have a CPU that features "efficiency-cores", as <em>Windows 10</em> isn’t programmed to understand the differences; (2) if you have brand-new hardware, and can make use of features like <em>Auto HDR</em> and <em>Dynamic Refresh-Rate</em>; (3) if you <em>really, really</em> need to run <em>Android</em> apps on <em>Windows</em>; and (4) I guess you could argue that for AAA gamers, <em>DirectX</em> on <em>W11</em> is likely to see some new-features in-time that may not get backported to <em>W10</em>. (And as an extra: if you have certain accessibility-needs, the new <em>Live Captions</em> and <em>Voice Control</em> features may prove useful, though I’d argue accessibility-features should <u>always</u> get backported wherever possible.)</p><p><br></p><p>Beyond those sort of reasons though, not really: most of the other stuff in <em>Windows 11</em> is just "a bit nicer", but hardly a deal-breaker. Dark-mode in <em>Task Manager, Notepad</em> and <em>Paint</em>? Long-overdue, but I’ll live. New <em>Media Player</em> app, that offers CD ripping, at a time most new PCs now ship with no optical drive? Um, okay, thanks? New sounds, that vary between dark and light theme modes? Yeah, um, next? Updated <em>Photos</em> app? No, that’s actually been updated in <em>W10</em> recently. <em>Snap Layouts</em> to move windows around? Useful on a touch device, I guess, but something I actually forget is even there!</p><p><br></p><p>And don’t forget that for all the nice UI changes, such as the much-cleaner looking <em>File Explorer</em>, or more-consistent availability of dark-mode in apps, you also have to put-up with the virtually customisation-free <em>Taskbar</em>, and a <em>Start Menu</em> which is tolerable in the latest <em>Insider</em> builds, where folders have been added, but otherwise means you’re limited to just 18 pinned apps on the first screen. Not to mention a <em>Settings</em> app which looks nicer, but now takes twice-as-many clicks to go into a sub-category, then return back a screen to go into the next one.</p><p><br></p><p>I’d honestly just say for most to wait until <em>Windows 12</em> arrives, which I’d expect to be released around July-October in 2024, so that they have one year to polish any initial issues ahead of when <em>Windows 10 Home </em>and <em>Pro</em> end-support.</p>
dftf
<p><em>Windows 8.1</em> won’t see any official updates though, post January — and <em>Google Chrome </em>and <em>Microsoft Edge</em> will also cease all updates too (and I’d guess other Chromium-based browsers will likely follow).</p><p><br></p><p>So be-prepared to look-into whether <em>Firefox</em> is going to continue updates, and see if the 0patch team will offer unofficial updates — not sure what you’d do about an anti-virus app though, as many have already abandoned anything below Win10.</p><p><br></p><p>Good luck!</p>