Another year, another long list of changes in Windows that “nudge” you to make decisions or adopt behaviors that are not in your best interest. At some point, it really seems like Windows has ceased to exist to make real PC users happier, and is now serving a different master. I think these changes are the most concerning.
Pushes the use of AI
AI is the new bloatware and Windows is leading the way in incorporating technologies like LLM into every corner of its operating system. Even poor Notepad gets an AI update and despite widespread resistance from Windows users when it comes to things like AI watching your screen 24/7, the company is forging ahead like the Titanic missing its date with an iceberg.
In my home country, South Africa, Microsoft was accused of using dark patterns to hide that her Microsoft 365 subscription was actually a non-CoPilot tier.
How Reuters reports thisIn October 2025, Microsoft began introducing AI features into more aspects of Windows, connecting and integrating activities and tasks to interact with the company's AI. Although options are generally available at your discretion, you will still be notified that you could use CoPilot with a wake word, using CoPilot Vision, or using CoPilot actions. This is all part of turning Windows into an agent-based OS and includes taskbar redesign.
So expect a lot of little pop-ups and “helpful” prompts telling you that you can sign up for these amazing AI capabilities.
“Recommended Files” in File Explorer that directs you to Microsoft/OneDrive content.
The Windows 11 November 2025 Update includes a small but important change to File Explorer. The Quick Access section, which used to show you the latest files you used on your local drive, will now be replaced by a Recommended section. More content types are displayed here, including cloud content.
You can still get quick access back, but it's clearly a heavy-handed attempt to draw your attention to cloud content and away from local data in Explorer.
Setup screens with bold “accept default settings” and vague “customize” options
You may have noticed that after some major updates, your Windows computer appears with a screen very similar to the one you saw when you first set up your computer. This original setup screen was known as OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) and this new one is known as SCOOBE or The second change is out of the box.
You see, that first time you said you didn't want to use the Edge Browser, or sign up for OneDrive, or sign up for whatever Microsoft is offering now, it wasn't enough. Perhaps during this time you changed your mind, but you simply did not have the strength to go and change these settings. So here's another unsolicited survey to fill out in the morning when you really just want to start your day.
Well then Tom's Guide Reports Microsoft is “improving” this by squashing it onto one screen, but the dark picture here is that the “Save current settings” button is disabled and hidden in plain sight, while the “Accept default settings” option is big and bright, ready for an impatient user to click on it and then wonder why Edge is the default browser. again!
Look at this! Literally, as I was writing this (on my Mac), I rebooted my Windows laptop to check if the latest updates were applied, and the first thing that came to my mind was a full-screen warning about the need to restart my OneDrive.
Yes, there has been a lot of noise in many media outlets about how Microsoft is cracking down on local account creation, but I personally believe that we can't complain about it enough.
The company provides the ability to install Windows without a Microsoft account. Now it's so hidden that you'll have to jump through hoops and even use special commands or tools like Rufus to make it simple.
Well, get ready, because Microsoft really is deal with on All loopholes that still allow the use of a local account. Windows Insider builds contain changes that now require both an internet connection and an MS account to complete OOBE. Several sources quote that Microsoft is removing “known mechanisms for creating a local account in Windows Setup (OOBE).”
Our friends on XDA frame this change as the de facto removal of privacy-friendly logins for local users only, arguing that ultimately the only direct path to a local account is after customization – and even this can leave traces of communication with the cloud.
While this is just my personal opinion, I think the direction Windows is heading in is already clear, and if you care at all about control over your data and computer, now is a good time to consider an alternative.
