After all this time.
It might seem like an odd time to ask the question. After all, Windows 11 has been out for several years now.
However, the end of Windows 10 support is coming up, and it’s still used all over the world. The question is more relevant than ever. If you have Windows 10 and are considering Windows 11, you might well ask: what’s the difference?
Let’s compare, contrast, and complain a little.
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Windows 10 versus Windows 11
Windows 11 is a significant update to Windows 10. It has stricter hardware requirements and visual changes like a centered Start menu. While maintaining familiar functionality, it removes some features (like Cortana) while adding others (like Widgets). The biggest practical difference is that Windows 10 support ends in 2025 while support for Windows 11 continues.
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The elephant in the motherboard:* hardware requirements
By far the most controversial difference is Windows 11’s new security-related hardware requirements:
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
- UEFI, Secure Boot capable. (Replaces traditional BIOS)
- A compatible 64-bit processor
Other baseline requirements have changed as well:
- Windows 11 has no 32-bit version.
- Minimum RAM requirements increased from 2GB to 4GB.
- Minimum disk space increased from 20GB to 64GB.
- DirectX 12 graphics driver software is required (previously DirectX 9).
- Minimum screen resolution is 1280×720 (increased from 800×600).
The latter set of changes is more typical between one Windows version and another. The restrictions imposed by the first list, however, have generated a fair amount of controversy, as they preclude many existing older machines from running Windows 11.
Look and feel
Once you fire up Windows 11 for the first time, you’ll note that it looks somewhat different.
Another controversial, though perhaps less impactful, change is that the Start Menu is in the middle of the taskbar by default. It can be moved to the left if desired. In addition, the taskbar cannot be repositioned from the bottom, unlike Windows 10 where you could place it on the top, bottom, left, or right edge of the screen.
As is also traditional with Windows version changes, there are a variety of cosmetic changes: rounded corners, softer colors, new animations, and transparency effects.
Other visible changes and removals
A selection of other differences via the Microsoft Windows 11 specifications page:
- Cortana app is removed.
- Microsoft Edge with IE mode replaces the Internet Explorer 11.
- Mail, Calendar, and People are replaced with the new Outlook.
- S Mode is only available now for Windows 11 Home edition.
- Windows 11 does not support disabling the return of internet Search results.
- Named groups and folders of apps are no longer supported in Start and the layout is not resizable.
- Live Tiles are no longer available.
- Tablet Mode is removed.
- Wallet is removed.
- Mixed Reality Portal app, Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR, and Steam VR Beta are removed.
- Word Pad is removed.
- Widgets are added.
- Passkeys are added to Windows Hello.
- Security additions such as reputation-based installation blocks (e.g. SmartScreen) have been added or improved.
- Application interfaces have some changes, such as Windows File Explorer updates, Snipping Tool, and more.
The list is somewhat longer (and occasionally esoteric). The items above represent what I think most average users might notice or care about.
Under the hood
Many changes under the hood don’t necessarily change how you see or interact with Windows 11 but improve its overall performance and/or security.
Many of these changes are positioned specifically as relating to gaming, gaming interaction, and gaming performance. It’s unclear whether the improvements impact non-gaming activities. I expect that while some might, many will not. In my experience using both Windows 10 and Windows 11, performance appears similar for non-gaming tasks.
Other changes, like Virtualization-Based Security, kernel DMA protection, and others, add security.
I have also seen claims that Windows 11 has made an assortment of changes to improve both boot time and performance of the application(s) currently being used (aka “foreground apps”). Much like the gaming improvements, it’s unclear if these are noticeable to most users.
Not really Windows 11
Complaints about the apps below get bundled into Windows 11 complaints, but they’re not really about Windows. While they are from Microsoft and might be interwoven into Windows 11 more tightly than we’d like, they’re separate from Windows.
- OneDrive
- Edge
- Office / Office 365 / Microsoft 365 / Microsoft 365 CoPilot
- Outlook / Outlook [new]
- CoPilot (though this integration is getting tighter every day, so the line is definitely blurring, particularly with “CoPilot+ PCs”.)
Although these are independent of Windows, you may experience some of their changes and updates regardless of which version of Windows you’re running.
From the start, my take on Windows 11 has been that it’s less a major new version of Windows than it is a substantial upgrade. In years past, we might have called it a service pack. I suspect that the change in hardware requirements, more than anything else, drove Microsoft to call this Windows 11 rather than Windows 10 Service Pack 1.
I say that to make this point: Windows 11 isn’t that huge a leap from Windows 10. While it looks a little different at times, it’s just Windows. As long as your machine is capable, the differences are manageable and not that difficult to get used to.
The biggest difference might be this: while it will keep working, Windows 10 stops being officially supported in October 2025. While no official, final, end-of-support date has been announced for Windows 11, it will be supported for many years to come.
Do this
Question: if you’re already using Windows 11 after having used Windows 10, which changes did you notice the most? What impacted you the most? Obviously, I’ve highlighted the changes I think most people will care about, but your experiences can help others decide as well. Leave a comment below. (Comments that are just Microsoft or Windows bashing will, of course, be removed.)
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compare win 11 to win XP or even win 7, every new windows OS is a pale comparison to the previous one. and the worst thing MS did was eliminate the installation disk.
Microsoft didn’t eliminate the installation disc. They just moved the files online.
You can download a Windows installation ISO from Microsoft and create an installation drive using Rufus.
Where Can I Download Windows? – Ask Leo!
Convert an ISO to a Bootable USB Using Rufus – Ask Leo!
It’s more work, but in many ways, it’s better.
1. Computers no longer come with optical drives.
2. Many people misplace their installation discs.
3. A downloaded version will be a much more recent version.
First, I had no problems switching from Windows 10 to 11. The TPM requirement wasn’t an issue because I use Bitlocker and had made sure that when I purchased a replacement computer it had a TPM (That was back in Windows 8, BTW). All of my computers were able to upgrade.
The only thing I had a big issue with was File Explorer. I didn’t care for the way Microsoft changed the Context Menu and appearance. I found ways to put things back to the way they were in Windows 10, usually by making changes to the registry. It now looks and works as “hybrid” between 10 and 11. I keep a file of all the changes I made in a folder and keep a copy on a flash drive in my “tool kit” for when I might have to reinstall Windows.
I guess I’m different from most subscribers in that I’m willing to pay a few extra dollars for the Pro versions of Windows over the Home versions when buying a computer. I’ve found that doing so gives me greater flexibility in setting up Windows the way I want using Settings, Local Group Policy, and the registry if I have to.
Rather than complain because Microsoft did this or Microsoft did that, I look at the changes, decide whether or not I can live with it, and if I can’t then look for ways to roll the changes back. And, sometimes, just learn to live with it. As a benefit, I’ve learned a lot about how Windows works and how to troubleshoot issues when they arise.
Microsoft didn’t really get rid of Cortana. They replaced it with Copilot.
I like WordPad to open many files as it opens much faster than MS Word or LibreOffice Write, so I downloaded and installed a copy. I prefer not to say where I got it because I haven’t fully tested it, but you can search for the downloadable version.
I’m told one of the simpler ways to get it is to locate a copy on a previous installation of Windows 10 (or 11 before Wordpad was removed) and just copy it to the same location in your Wordpass-less Windows 11 installation.