Home windows is a good working system, and relying in your necessities, could be your solely selection. Nevertheless, for those who’re daring sufficient to depart, you will discover that Linux is sort of a helpful different. I’ve left Home windows for Linux, and I am gone for good.
1
Home windows Has Far Too Many Random Bugs
One in every of my largest points with Home windows is the random bugs you come throughout in day-to-day utilization. The newest instance of it is a inexperienced display screen of demise that crashes my system each time I join my Xbox controller to my PC over Bluetooth. This challenge occurred on the newest steady launch, with no warning and no obvious purpose—Home windows simply determined to start out crashing each time I linked my controller.
officeku/Lea Rae/Shutterstock
I am not alone on this. You could find on-line boards and subreddits filled with complaints about random points in Home windows that pop up out of nowhere. They do get fastened ultimately, however Microsoft takes far too lengthy to repair these small points. The corporate focuses on including extra options and making aesthetic adjustments to the working system as a substitute.
Whereas that is vital, the person expertise takes a backseat. Irrespective of how good your OS seems, if core performance is sacrificed, you aren’t going to have a superb time utilizing your PC.
Associated
Do not Replace Your PC But—The Newest Home windows 11 Patch Breaks File Explorer
The Home windows 11 KB5051987 replace stopped File Explorer from working.
Regardless of launching in 2021, Home windows nonetheless looks like a work-in-progress OS in 2025. And whereas slowly bettering it over time would possibly properly be Microsoft’s ideology with the OS, it does not work for me. I can not sit round with a system that has damaged performance as a result of the corporate determined some minor aesthetic or system tweak was extra vital than sustaining performance.
2
Updates Can Make or Break Your System
Updates on Home windows are a blended bag. An replace would possibly add a cool function or a brand new visible tweak, however it could actually additionally break some performance in your PC. And when it does, you virtually actually will not understand through the 10-day rollback interval Microsoft provides.
Updates additionally ultimately turn into pressured. It is well-known that Microsoft broke tens of millions of PCs with the 24H2 replace for Home windows 11, and ended up forcing the replace on unwilling customers after some time. And for those who’re utilizing Home windows 10, you absolutely know concerning the firm killing off its finest OS within the 4 a long time since Home windows 1.0.
willi Lumintang / Shutterstock
One other main drawback with Home windows updates is that you’ve got little management over replace timing and set up. Home windows additionally forces computerized restarts after updates at instances, which may trigger main disruptions if this occurs throughout work hours. There are settings to keep away from this, however I nonetheless get hit with an computerized replace when restarting my PC as soon as virtually each two weeks. It is annoying when it occurs, particularly when Home windows clearly is aware of my working hours and its personal settings ought to stop this from taking place.
Linux’s replace system is much more compartmentalized, that means you’ll be able to replace particular person packages, teams of packages, or your entire OS directly. Linux updates are extra steady, and it does not drive restarts for many updates you will encounter.
3
AI Is All over the place, for No Good Motive
Microsoft’s push for AI, whereas not utterly ineffective, is overkill for most individuals. Even Notepad has AI built-in into it, and that is the only of Home windows instruments. Most of Microsoft’s AI options peppered throughout Home windows aren’t typically usable both, as it’s essential have a Microsoft 365 subscription to make use of them.
Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf
I do not need AI in each nook and cranny of my OS. Home windows thus leaves me no selection however to make use of a bloated platform with options that I will not use, however cannot disable both. These AI options can be an enormous privateness danger, as they require you to log in along with your Microsoft account on each app you wish to use them with. (To not point out needing to make use of a Microsoft account for Home windows as a complete.)
Associated
Why You Ought to Significantly Attempt Home windows Recall
It has lots to supply.
A few of Microsoft’s greater AI options, akin to Recall, are an entire privateness nightmare. An OS continually screenshotting what you are doing in your PC is not one thing any privacy-conscious person might be comfy with. The unhappy half is that Recall is definitely helpful, and will’ve been an excellent function if carried out with privateness in thoughts. Microsoft has since labored out the quirks and needs you to attempt Recall once more, however the harm is finished.
4
Home windows Requires Means Too Many {Hardware} Assets
Except you are operating comparatively fashionable {hardware} for 2025, you are not going to benefit from the Home windows 11 expertise. The OS requires far too many {hardware} assets to run correctly, leaving little headroom for video games and applications. This offers a false notion that your PC is sluggish, urging unsuspecting customers into upgrading their in any other case completely succesful machines.
The TPM 2.0 requirement for operating Home windows 11, whereas vital for safety, shouldn’t be elective. This is not an excellent transfer because it renders a whole lot of hundreds, if not tens of millions, of PCs out of date (if you wish to follow Home windows).
19 STUDIO / Shutterstock
Even for those who handle to get Home windows 11 up and operating on an older PC, chances are high you are going to have efficiency points utilizing nearly each program. I’ve skilled this on my earlier machines, the place upgrading from Home windows 10 to 11 led to a noticeable drop in efficiency when operating video games and inventive applications like Premiere Professional and Photoshop.
You should use debloating instruments to get a quicker, cleaner model of Home windows. Nevertheless, this methodology requires an exterior obtain, twiddling with settings, and being conscious of Home windows 11’s additional overhead within the first place. That is not an excellent strategy for the overwhelming majority of Home windows customers who may not have the technical know-how to obtain GitHub instruments.
5
Safety and Privateness Are Nonetheless Horrible
Home windows 11 was purported to be massive on privateness, and to be honest, Microsoft does present loads of privateness and safety controls to maintain your system protected. Home windows Safety has additionally come a great distance, eliminating the necessity for paid antivirus options. Nevertheless, default Home windows settings could make your life tougher most of the time.
There are advantages to letting Home windows invade your privateness, however it does not change the truth that your utilization knowledge will get despatched again to Microsoft (and sometimes third events as properly). If you are able to do with out the comfort, there are Home windows privateness settings it’s best to change straight away.
The fast inclusion of AI options can also be making the scenario worse. Recall apart, numerous core Home windows parts are gaining new AI skills that reply to what you are doing, massively rising the quantity of information Microsoft can harvest from you. Whereas now you can inform your PC what settings you wish to change, you inadvertently find yourself sharing knowledge and shopping for into the AI ecosystem Microsoft’s making an attempt to construct.
In the long run, Microsoft finally ends up amassing an enormous quantity of information on you. This contains your location, how you employ services, what applications are put in in your system and their settings, and voice knowledge. And for those who use Edge, your shopping exercise is included too.
Linux, alternatively, does not actively monitor person knowledge in any respect. Any knowledge assortment solely occurs once you choose into a particular function, in comparison with the function being enabled by default.
The bounce from Home windows to Linux is not straightforward, particularly for those who aren’t comfy with swapping out total OSes, utilizing a digital machine, and coping with a wholly new platform. It may be lots at first, however it’s actually definitely worth the problem.