There are many reasons people like to complain about Windows 11 (and prior versions), but one of the more popular ones to point to is Windows Update. No one really likes installing Windows updates, but that does beg the question: can Microsoft do anything to truly fix Windows updates?

For one, I believe Microsoft has been trying, with some changes including the new checkpoint updates for Windows 11. But there's also more that could be done, and we're still far from the ideal update system.

Splitting features and updates from the OS

Maybe we don't need to update Windows for new features

One of big things Microsoft has done in recent years with both Windows 10 and Windows 11 is separating more elements of the Windows experience from the operating system itself, and I think this is great step in the right direction. Certain system apps like Notepad, Paint, and even Windows Terminal can be updated without a new Windows update, which makes it easier to add features to these apps without requiring an update to the operating system itself and the ensuing reboot that tends to be required.

Microsoft has gone a bit further with this idea thanks to the concept of the Windows Feature Experience Pack or the Web Experience Packs, which are also updated through the Microsoft Store and control features like Widgets.

That being said, those experience packs do seem somewhat underutilized at this time, and Microsoft could try to do more. The more updates we can decouple from the operating system, the easier it becomes to get new features without the constant restarts.

Make updates smaller

The faster they install, the better

Beyond the frequency at which Windows gets new updates, another notable problem with them is that they can quickly get pretty large. Most cumulative updates for Windows 11 today are over 700MB in size (over 800MB for Arm PCs), and that's because each update contains all the changes that have been made to the OS since the initial release.

This, too, is something Microsoft is addressing with a recent announcement of checkpoint updates for Windows 11. These checkpoint updates will essentially allow Microsoft to reset the size of new updates after a new checkpoint, because each new update will only include the files that have changed since the last checkpoint. Of course, if you're catching up on a lot of updates, you still have to download all the previous packages, but if you keep your PC up to date, each update will be a smaller download and a faster install.

That's a great thing, and it's kind of a shame that it's only being applied to Windows 11 version 24H2 and later. When I download the month's update on my Android phone, it's often just a few megabytes, and I don't think there's a need for updates to be as large as they tend to become.

Reduce the need for long reboots

This is still a problem

Even if updates are smaller and less frequent, I think there's still a problem with how long installing them takes. The big issue here is that Windows updates have multiple stages that take way too long to get through. The initial download is already a bit of a slog, and then you have a phase where it says "Installing", but when it reaches 100%, you still have to restart, that restart process has another progress screen. In fact, it has two, because it first processes up to 30% while shutting down and then the remainder of the progress happens after it boots back up.

On an Android phone, most of the monthly security updates have become extremely simple, and after installing them (which doesn't stop you from using your phone), all you need is a simple restart. There's no progress bar or anything that takes noticeably longer than a normal restart. It just shuts down and boots back up with the new OS. Some processing still happens after booting up, but it's very quick and doesn't stop you from using your phone while it happens.

When we were talking about Windows 12 (before it kind of became Windows 11 version 24H2), there were also reports of Windows Core OS. This version of Windows would streamline the OS by having a separate system partition that can't be accessed by the user, and this would allow updates to be applied more easily and consistently. This is something that already happens on operating systems like Android, so it would make a lot of sense. Sadly, we haven't heard much about this idea in a while, so it's unclear if or when Microsoft will take this step.

Make driver updates completely optional

They often cause more harm than good

Windows Update may seem like it would only focus on updates for Windows itself, but it also allows you to get updates for system components like drivers and BIOS updates, which aren't necessarily part of Windows. In concept, this is a good thing, and I'm all for having a centralized location for all your driver updates.

However, having many of these updates be mandatory is a problem. When it works well, it's fine, but I've had a few instances when Windows Update overrides a newer version of a driver with the one from Windows update, forcing me to stay on an older release. Or, even if it's a newer version, sometimes a driver from Windows Update causes issues I didn't have with a previous driver, and there's no easy way to prevent a driver from reinstalling again.

Driver updates available through Windows Update should all be optional and easy to uninstall and manage. The infinite combinations of hardware on the market make it very likely that somewhere an update will cause an issue, and having them be forced onto you is a problem. Some updates are already marked as optional in Windows Update, but this needs to extend to all driver updates.

Windows Update has improved, but there's room to go further

When you consider how Windows updates have already evolved, things are certainly better than they used to be. Microsoft knows how much people dread updating their systems, and changes have been made to improve things.

However, it hasn't been enough quite yet. There are certainly things that can still be done to make Windows updates even more seamless and less universally hated. Updates take a lot of users' time, and there are ways to mitigate that, so hopefully Microsoft continues taking steps in the right direction.