Believe it or not, Windows 11 is three years old this year. It's been an interesting journey as the operating system kept getting better with some major updates, and the most recent one is version 24H2, which is still rolling out now. Interestingly enough, Windows 11 version 24H2 was initially thought to be Windows 12, before plans changed internally at Microsoft, seemingly in line with the departure of Panos Panay in 2023.

While it still was a huge update in some ways, particularly for Arm-based PCs, I do have to wonder what it will be like when we eventually do get Windows 12, or whatever Microsoft ends up calling it. It's not hard to imagine that a follow-up to Windows 11 does exist — after all, we also thought Windows 10 would be the last version ever. And while we have no idea when it will arrive or what it might include, I wanted to go ahead and bring up some changes I'd like to see when the next version of Windows does come around.

10 File Explorer tags

One of the few things Apple does right

As someone who only recently started using macOS full time, Apple's Finder app is not really as practical as File Explorer in most cases, but one thing Apple does right that Microsoft should have implemented by now is the ability to tag files. Simply put, tagging a file gives it a label with a color, which you can associate with work, school, or anything else. This is a feature that some alternative file managers for Windows also do, like the Files app.

Folders are still, in my opinion, the best way to organize files in general, but if you want to make it easier to find files inside a folder, using tags makes it way easier to filter files in a pinch. You can always look for files with a specific tag to find anything related to a given area of your life. This would go a long way in making File Explorer that much better, so here's hoping Microsoft adds it.

9 A built-in "Microsoft Wallet"

Why force us to use Edge?

Speaking of things Apple does right, let's talk about passwords. If you log into different apps and websites on your computer (which you probably do), right now, the only way to sync that information is using your browser. Microsoft has a password manager built into Edge, as do most other browsers, but when you have a platform like Windows, why not manage passwords at the OS level? This is something Apple does with Apple Passwords, and really Microsoft kind of does it too, since your Edge passwords can sync to mobile using the Microsoft Authenticator app. But why isn't this built into Windows itself?

And while we're at it, why not expand this to everything? Edge can also save your credit card information and things like addresses. Why isn't this stored in your Microsoft account and available everywhere? It would make so much more sense, and it would make the Microsoft Authenticator app that much more useful.

8 A more adaptable user experience

Windows Core OS, anyone?

A term that was often talked about around the same time as Windows 12 was Windows Core OS. While this wasn't planned to come out at any specific time, the concept has been discussed a few times, and it may still be alive within Microsoft. Windows Core OS is the idea of a version of Windows that's more modular and adaptable to different devices, with different shells and experiences available depending on the device you have.

Say, for example, you have a 7-inch Arm tablet. Running classic desktop apps that aren't optimized for small screens or newer architectures may not make much sense, so Microsoft could remove support for those classic apps on that form factor. A taskbar probably wouldn't make sense either considering how much space that would take from your screen, so you'd get a simplified UI and some features could be removed to make the experience lighter on a lower-power device.

Really, I'd just live to see a version of Windows that can run on anything. This idea could bring back Windows phones, and give Microsoft an edge over ChromeOS in the low-end laptop market. Hopefully this is still in the works.

7 A better Start menu

It's time to admit this wasn't a home run

I've defended the Windows 11 Start menu in the past, but I never really thought it was perfect. In fact, one of the best customization apps you can get for Windows 11, in my opinion, is Start11 v2, which really unlocks the potential of this menu. The problems with the current Start menu boil down to it being too limited and too restrictive in what you can do with it.

The Windows 11 Start menu has no options for resizing it, which is already a big problem. Windows 10 did this perfectly with options for both horizontal and vertical resizing so you can fit as many apps as you want in one view. Having that ability again would be a great start, in my opinion. Re-introducing a full-screen option for tablets could also be a good idea (again, something Windows 10 did relatively well). But there's a bit more that can be done.

Another big problem with the current Start menu is not having immediate access to the full apps list, which makes it feel more barren and pointless. When I used Start11, my favorite layout was the Windows 11 Pro style, which added the apps list to the side of the main Start menu area, and I think that should be the default behavior — yet another thing Windows 10 did very well.

It would also be interesting to be able to group apps in specific areas without necessarily creating a folder. Again, this is something Windows 10 did with live tiles, and Start11 also does it (with some extra flair to boot). While I wouldn't say it's essential, this would definitely be nice.

Finally, the fact that the Recommended section is forced on users and takes such a big chunk of space is another problem. You can make it smaller, but the ability to remove it entirely would be welcome.

6 A good use for AI

There has to be more to it than what we're getting

I'm still not fully convinced that AI really is the future of computing, or at least not the near future, but if it's going to be useful, it needs to be more than what it has been so far. Features like Super Resolution in the Photos, or generative fill and erase in the Paint app aren't really going to cut it, especially when they run in the cloud.

Companies are still trying to find a good use for AI, and I'm sure there will be better ideas than my own, but I think an AI assistant that's built into Windows would be a good idea. ANd I don't mean just a chatbot like Copilot is, but a tool that can interpret complex requests related to your operating system and files. A simple chat box where you can say things like "open that file I was working on last Thursday night" or "change my desktop background to Windows Spotlight" and have those commands recognized and carried out would be a great start. Not every user knows how to navigate the Settings app, so making all these options available using natural language would be perfect.

There are other cool things AI could do, too, but I think this would be the most fundamental change that affects the entire OS.

5 A native video editor

You can only expect so much from a web app

It's been about 10 years since Microsoft had a proper, basic video editor for Windows with Movie Maker. Giving users the ability to create their own views with a good bit of freedom is fantastic, and as hardware gets better and better, you'd think that would become more commonplace. That's what Apple did with macOS and iMovie, after all. Instead, Windows was without a proper video editor for the entire Windows 10 era (the Photos app doesn't count, really), and for Windows 11, Microsoft acquired Clipchamp, a web-based video editing app that started being shipped with Windows 11.

But that's just the thing, Clipchamp is a web-based service, and it's not a fully free service, either. Despite being owned by Microsoft, it still has a premium plan that's separate from things like Microsoft 365. But the real problem is it's a web app, and that's just not a good approach for a video editor. It's kind of slow to launch and use, and it just isn't the best way to take advantage of powerful hardware. There's nothing like native code, and while you can get away with web apps for simple things, video editing shouldn't be one of them. Clipchamp deserves to be a native app, because it does have some potential.

And while we're on that topic, I'll say that Outlook should also be a native app again. Of course, that likely won't happen since Microsoft just started pushing its new web app, but that web app is disliked by almost everyone. It's not too late to go back, Microsoft.

4 Android apps, but good

The Windows Subsystem for Android didn't have a chance to succeed

One of the big features of Windows 11 was the ability to run Android apps directly on your computer through the Windows Subsystem for Android. This was something users wanted for years during the Windows 10 era, and Microsoft finally delivered it in early 2022... except it wasn't very good. For one thing, the availability of Android apps was limited by region, but most importantly, it was limited by Microsoft's partnership. Rather than working with Google, Microsoft decided to partner with the Amazon Appstore for its Android app platform, which meant that the apps available were far more limited than what you could get on on an Android device. It was almost like you didn't have Android apps. And while you could sideload any app you wanted, if that app required Google Play services, which a lot of apps do, then it still wouldn't work.

The Windows Subsystem for Android simply didn't deliver the Android experience users wanted or were used to with options like BlueStacks. What's more, the Windows Subsystem for Android was pretty slow, taking a good while to load the first time you launched, and even once the subsystem was running i the background, launching apps would take a good bit longer than any other app.

But Android apps are something users want on Windows, as seen by the popularity of BlueStacks and even Google itself launching a Google Play Games client for desktop. Microsoft just needs to approach Google to create a solution that actually works well, and I guarantee a lot more people will be using it. It's not like Google has anything to lose, either, a Windows PC isn't going to pry people away from their Android phone anyway.

3 Do not disturb/focus profiles

Extra flexibility is always good

Windows 10 has had a Do not disturb mode (initially called Focus assist) for many years now, but in that time, the company has fallen behind other implementations, specifically Apple's version of Focus profiles. On Apple's operating systems, this feature lets users create multiple profiles for focus, which can filter out different apps and notifications at different times.

For example, when you're at work, you probably shouldn't be checking Reddit or Twitter all the time, so disabling those apps makes sense. But after work hours, it's not healthy to keep getting work notifications, either, so you might want to block notifications from Slack or Teams. And if you're spending time with your family or watching a movie, then silencing all notifications may be the best option. Different situations require different levels of focus, so being able to create these customizable profiles makes all the sense in the world, and Microsoft should catch up.

2 A new and improved Search

Faster and more capable

Let's be honest for a second, Windows Search kind of sucks. It's functional, but this is a tool that should work perfectly for keyboard users, and it just doesn't. It's a little too slow to respond, and far too often you might end up opening Microsoft Edge with a Bing search rather than the app or setting you want.

At this point, Flow Launcher is an app that's become a mainstay on all my Windows PCs, and for good reason. It's everything I want Windows search to be. Typing the name of an app gets me results in a snap, and I can just press Enter without worry. But better yet, Flow Launcher does things like let me run terminal commands directly from the search bar, open a specific settings page, and much more. Windows Search doesn't need to do everything Flow Launcher does, but it definitely needs to respond to searches far more quickly and expand its capabilities a bit more. I barely use the Start menu anymore and just rely on Flow Launcher to open anything I want, and I want Windows Search to do that for me, too.

Even Apple seems to have done a better job here. Spotlight search on macOS is super snappy and effective. It doesn't show a full list of search results right away, but your most popular result appears instantly as you type, and you can just hit Enter to go. You can't always count on Windows to do that.

1 Advanced window management

I'm once again asking for FancyZones

FancyZones is the best and most useful tool in Microsoft's PowerToys suite, and it's not even close. I'm so much more productive when I can slot all my windows into specific areas of the screen, and I frankly can't live without this feature now. And really, I can't imagine why this wouldn't just be built into Windows itself.

Windows 10 and 11 already made some huge improvements to window management, and multitasking became so much easier and better for people with all kinds of screens. But true power users and those with extra large monitors such as myself really benefit from a fully advanced window manager. This would probably add more of a learning curve for users, but I think Microsoft could easily solve this by making advanced window management a toggle in the Settings app. You could swap between the current style and the FancyZones approach depending on your needs, making it a great fit for anyone.

When will Windows 12 even come?

As I've already mentioned, at this time, it's not even clear that Windows 12 actually exists or when it might be coming. But it's never too early to dream, and with Windows 11 turning three years old, it feels like the right time to start thinking about what can be done better. These are just some ideas from myself and the XDA team, but I'm sure you can come up with a lot more, so be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments.