What Windows 12 Could Be If Microsoft Actually Listens

I’ve been using Windows for as long as I can remember, and every time a new version comes out, I want to believe it’s going to be the one that just gets it right. Windows 10 got close. Windows 11 looked nice, but didn’t quite hit the mark. Now, with talk about Windows 12 coming soon, I can’t help but wonder if Microsoft will finally listen to what people actually want.

What Made Windows 11 Strange

Windows 11 is good in theory, but it feels like a constant experiment. The rounded corners look clean, but the taskbar still feels wacky, and the Settings menu is scattered like someone started organizing it and then got distracted halfway through. Every update brings small improvements, but it also brings new situations that didn’t exist before.

If Windows 12 is really coming, it shouldn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It should focus on getting back to what made Windows enjoyable in the first place: control, consistency, and performance. Give us the ability to move the taskbar wherever we want. Finish moving settings out of the old Control Panel so we aren’t hunting for options between two menus. PLEASE, stop shoving suggested apps (otherwise known as bloatware) into the Start Menu. I don’t want to see ads when I’m trying to open my favorite application.

What Needs to Change

Performance should be a priority again. Open programs faster, stop background processes from eating resources, and make Game Mode actually mean something. If DirectStorage is supposed to improve loading times, make it standard across more games instead of a single feature that nobody really sees in real time.

Then there’s Copilot. It could be a nice addition, but only if it’s helpful without being annoying. I’d love to use it for renaming files, summarizing documents, or quickly setting up something in Settings. What I don’t want is an assistant popping up every few minutes asking what I’m doing. Let us call on it when we need it and ignore it when we don’t. I especially don't want AI to be the main selling point of whether or not I'm going to continue using an operating system or buying a new laptop in the future.

What Could The Future Hold?

Windows 12 doesn’t need to be flashy. It doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel or chase trends that nobody asked for. What it needs is respect for the people who actually use it every day. It needs to run clean, stay reliable, and feel personal again.

At this point, no one is asking for ridiculous design changes. (I'm looking at you millennial gray enjoyers) We’re just asking for something that feels finished. Something that feels like it was built for real people, not to show off a demo on stage. Give us consistency, give us stability, and stop fixing things that were never broken in the first place.

Windows 10 might be older, but it’s still the version that feels the most balanced. It’s stable, it’s familiar, and it doesn’t get in the way. I’d rather keep running Windows 10 until support runs out than deal with another half-baked experiment that forgets why people loved Windows in the first place.

If Microsoft can pull off a version that captures the simplicity and trust of Windows 10 with the design and performance improvements of today, then they might actually have something special. Although if Windows 12 ends up being another wave of forced updates, useless features, and ads in the Start menu, I think a lot of people will just find another operating system to call home.