7 General suggestions to Windows and its Apps
During my experience on Windows I’ve been thinking about how it could improve, especially around Fluent Design. I wrote down seven ideas that I’d love to hear opinions on. I will be sharing them here: #1: Two branches for Windows and content updates; Trying to please everyone with a single version of Windows is difficult, so Microsoft could maintain two official branches of the system: a “Vintage Windows” (like Windows 10), for those who prefer the classic interface and a more traditional look, with extended support indefinitely and security updates. And a “Modern Windows” (Windows 11), consistent with Fluent Design, constantly updated, and focused on introducing new features. Both would use the same kernel and APIs for developer compatibility. This approach would offer users greater freedom of choice and demonstrate that a trillion-dollar company is dedicating teams to simultaneously deliver traditional features and modernity. I’ve seen many people complain about the lack of consistency and lack of content. Additionally, I miss feature updates for Windows and hope that Microsoft brings more flexibility, apps, and Fluent 2-style fixes in future updates. And, yes, this would increase the efforts and costs, but it's a cost that a trillion-dollar company could take. #2: Modern Flyouts and Windows' limitation with volume mixer; In Windows 11, the multimedia controls displayed by apps like Fluent Flyouts are very limited; they only allow you to pause or skip tracks, with no option to adjust the volume or use repeat or shuffle buttons. This makes the experience less convenient compared to Android, where users can control the app’s volume or the music’s volume separately, and the operating system allows third-party apps to do so. My suggestion is that Microsoft should be more flexible and give apps like Modern Flyout the ability to adjust the volume, so you could turn the music up or down without affecting the overall system volume. Honestly, it’s surprising that something as basic as this hasn’t been implemented yet in the most widely used operating system. #3: Lack of flexibility in the Windows 11 search bar; Windows 11 still limits users and developers to a rigid and impractical search bar. Apps like Fluent Search, Flow Search, and Everything Toolbar are much faster and more powerful, but they’re confined to taskbar icons or floating search bars, while the native search bar takes up space without offering the same efficiency. Microsoft needs to be more flexible and release an API that allows third-party apps to appear as a search bar directly on the taskbar. This isn’t a complex feature; it’s something simple and obvious that should already exist. If the official search bar itself isn’t improved, the least they could do is give other apps the freedom to offer a superior experience. It’s frustrating to see Windows remain limited in such basic aspects, while other systems offer more modern and practical solutions. Microsoft needs to listen to users and stop holding Windows back with an outdated model. #4: Windows Task Scheduler and other menus and tools need to be updated The native Windows Task Scheduler is completely outdated and inconsistent with the Fluent 2 style. Independent projects like the Fluent Task Scheduler show that it’s possible to have a modern, organized, and much more user-friendly interface. It’s frustrating that these apps have to coexist with outdated system tools, without being able to replace them or integrate with the system. Microsoft, as a trillion-dollar company, should invest in modernizing its own utilities or hire independent developers who have already proven capable of creating superior solutions, such as the Fluent Task Scheduler. The lack of visual and functional consistency in Windows is glaring and needs to be addressed #5: Lack of flexibility in naming user folders Compared to the Android system; Windows is very inflexible and lacks practicality in many ways. For example, if my folder is C:\Users\eagl, I cannot simply correct it to eagle without creating an entirely new user profile. This lack of flexibility is a major hurdle for personalization on what could be a basic and simple fix. On Android, I was already so used to the system’s practicality that when I switched to Windows—which was supposed to be a more robust and powerful system—I was surprised to find it lacks even such a basic feature. #6: Differences in user experience between home and business users, and inconsistencies in Fluent 2; Microsoft seems to be focusing more and more on businesses, consistently applying Fluent 2 to apps like Teams, Outlook, and Office, while everyday users are left with a Windows full of outdated and inconsistent menus. This contradicts the marketing that promotes Fluent 2 as the standard, yet is frequently violated by the official apps themselves. It’s frustrating to see that Microsoft can’t deliver on its promises. If it really wants to preserve old elements for the sake of businesses, then it should separate the systems, as in point #1: a legacy one for compatibility and a modern one for home users. Or, at the very least, adhere to the Fluent 2 style across all of Windows. I love Fluent 2 and really want to see significant progress in this area, but seeing that Microsoft itself hasn’t made much effort in this regard has been a disappointment. The trillion-dollar company that talks so much about innovation shouldn’t be delivering a fragmented and outdated system. #7: Digital Wellness and productivity; Microsoft should make a native app with fluent style to help users watch their screen/app time. In 2026 there hasn't been an app that's free, solid and that feels native in Windows 11, because there aren't any API for that. Apps like Activity Watch for some reason don't work in my PC and apps like SolidTime are paid and not really fluent. Naturally, something like this should be made by Microsoft itself. Android has it since the beginning, why Windows doesn't have it yet? I believe that these suggestions, even though difficult, could contribute for a more consistent user experience, improved productivity and easier accesibility.Is CleanMyMac a safe program as a mac cleaner?
Hi everyone, My Mac is running low on storage lately, so I’ve been looking into tools to clean up junk files and free up space. I came across Clean My Mac, and it seems pretty popular, but I’ve also seen mixed opinions online, which makes me a bit unsure. So I wanted to ask—has anyone here used Clean My Mac? Is CleanMyMac a safe program and worth using to free up space, or should I stick with built-in macOS tools? Any advice or personal experience would really help. Thanks!
Windows11 What setup methods do you use for frequent reinstalls?
I usually use custom .bat files to automatically install apps and configure settings after reinstalling Windows11, which saves me a lot of time. I’m curious about what methods other users rely on for quick system setup. Do you have any better tools or workflows to share?
Minecraft UWP save failure on Windows 11 Insider due to sandbox regression
I am experiencing an issue where Minecraft for Windows (Bedrock) does not save data correctly on Windows 11 Insider builds (Canary, Dev, and Beta). After extensive troubleshooting, the problem appears to be caused by a UWP sandbox initialization regression in these Insider channels. Summary of the issue: Minecraft creates a fallback folder at: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Minecraft Bedrock This folder should never exist for the UWP version of Minecraft. The correct UWP save locations remain unused: LocalState SystemAppData\wgs SystemAppData\Helium The Helium folder stays empty and the wgs folder is never created. Marketplace and cloud save features fail or behave inconsistently. What has been ruled out: File system permissions (ACLs verified and correct) Incorrect launcher (Start Menu points to the correct UWP AppX entry) Corrupted Minecraft installation (package re-registered successfully) Microsoft Store or Gaming Services issues User profile corruption Missing or incorrect folder structure AppX registration issues System file corruption (DISM and SFC clean) Reinstalling Minecraft or Gaming Services Reinstalling Windows using Insider ISOs (Dev, Beta, Canary) Key findings: The Minecraft UWP package installs correctly. The launcher is correct. All ACLs are correct. AppX re-registration succeeds. Despite this, the UWP sandbox never initializes, so Minecraft cannot access its restricted storage. As a result, Windows forces Minecraft into a Win32-style fallback mode, creating the Roaming folder. Microsoft Support Response: Microsoft Support confirmed that this behavior matches a known limitation or regression affecting UWP sandbox initialization on Windows 11 Insider builds (Canary, Dev, and Beta). They stated that there is currently no supported workaround on affected builds and recommended either filing a report here or installing the Windows 11 Stable build. Conclusion: This appears to be a UWP runtime regression in current Windows 11 Insider builds that prevents Minecraft (and potentially other UWP apps) from initializing their sandbox correctly. The issue persists across clean installs and multiple Insider channels. A fix would require changes to the UWP/AppModel runtime in Insider builds. (I am about to reset my entire PC for a 3rd time, this time with the Windows 11 Stable build. Fingers crossed it fixes this issue.)
Incident critique : Edge Sync “Uninitialized”, appareils disparus, identité WAM/MSAL corrompue
Bonjour, Je rencontre un incident critique affectant directement mon identité Microsoft (MSA). Il ne s’agit pas d’un problème local mais d’un dysfonctionnement côté serveur. Donc entre autres Microsoft Edge ne se synchronise plus, mes appareils n'apparaissent plus sur mon compte (pour la localisation par exemple) et d'autres problèmes de synchronisations (presse papier entre mes appareils ne fonctionne plus...) Voici les éléments techniques constatés : - Le conteneur Edge Sync de mon compte est en état “Uninitialized”. - Tous mes appareils ont disparu de mon compte Microsoft (Device Registration cassé). - Les services d’identité WAM / MSAL / OneAuth ne se réinitialisent plus correctement. - Impossible de créer de nouveaux passkeys ou d’utiliser les services dépendants de l’identité cloud. On dirait que ça nécessite une intervention côté serveur : réinitialisation des identités WAM/MSAL, du conteneur Edge Sync et du Device Registration. Je reste à l'écoute de toute aide en vous remerciant par avance. PS : Information complémentaire : Réinstallations propres de Windows 11 (avec d'abord un compte local → compte MS, et une configuration directe du compte MS). dsregcmd /leave et /join. Effacement du TPM. Mise à jour du chipset/BIOS/Windows vers les dernières versions. Suppression manuelle de l'appareil dans le portail (impossible il réapparait !). Connexion et déconnexion de mon compte Microsoft, passage à un compte local puis retour au compte MS, etc. Le problème de synchronisation de Edge est apparu à 99% suite à un démarrage en mode sans échec et le lancement de EDGE ! Le problème s'est propagé après sur tous mes PC et même sur une installation "fraiche" A la base mon pc apparaissait sur mon compte et je pouvais le localiser en ligne... le problème est apparu après plusieurs formatage/installations successifs ! J'ai formaté parce que j'avais deux soucis toujours pas résolus (même plusieurs après formatage) : 1- Mes applications au démarrage mettent beaucoup de temps à démarrer après l'ouverture de ma session sauf si je lance le gestionnaire des tahces (!!!!) et la tout se lance en qlq secondes 2- Problème, c'est que j'ai deux clés de registres qui réapparaissent à l'adresse Ordinateur\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU et ça bloque les MAJ si je supprime les clés du registre elles reviennent au démarrage !
