Rudy Huyn, a Microsoft partner architect for Windows and the Store, took to X this week with a straightforward question: “What do you miss most in Windows?” The responses, pouring in during the company’s global hackathon, deliver an unequivocal message — Windows 11 users are less enamored with headline-grabbing AI and more focused on the small, nagging usability gaps that eat away at daily productivity.

What Users Are Asking For

Huyn’s public outreach, first reported by Windows Latest, quickly surfaced a consistent wish list that spans from hardcore power users to casual laptop owners. The most repeated demands include:

  • Folder sizes in File Explorer: Users want the Size column to show folder sizes directly, rather than right-clicking Properties or relying on third-party disk scanners.
  • Smoother Virtual Desktop switching: Windows 10’s fluid transitions are missed; Windows 11’s animation can feel choppy and delayed. One user told Huyn it takes “about 2 seconds to start the animation.”
  • Customizable context menus: The extra “Show more options” step frustrates people who rely on legacy commands, and many want to pin or expose frequently used verbs without a second click.
  • Better battery life and background app controls: Users reported “battery anxiety” on laptops that barely last a few hours, and demanded clearer ways to rein in power-hungry background processes.
  • Automatic theme switching: A feature that adjusts dark/light mode based on time, location, or focus status—something already prototyped in PowerToys but absent from native Settings.
  • Consistent UI animations: Reports of lag and stutter during transitions, not just Virtual Desktops, were common across different hardware configurations.

Huyn responded to several suggestions. When folder sizes were raised, he called it “very good feedback,” a strong signal that the idea is landing on internal radar. The exchange, couched in the hackathon’s creative atmosphere, suggests the Windows team is at least open to folding these quality-of-life touches into future Insider builds.

What Microsoft’s Response Tells Us

The outreach itself is notable. It’s rare for a senior product architect to publicly solicit raw feature requests during a hackathon. Huyn is a respected figure in the Windows development community, known for his work bridging the Store and consumer experiences. His involvement hints that the feedback isn’t merely for show — it could directly influence prototypes that come out of the hackathon’s rapid development cycle.

However, Microsoft’s priorities over the past 18 months have leaned heavily toward AI: Copilot integration, on-device AI on Copilot+ hardware, and features like Recall. While these investments have their place, the backlash in the responses underscores a growing perception that the company has deprioritized the basic ergonomics that make an operating system feel fast and effortless. Huyn’s question may be a recognition that the balance needs recalibration.

What It Means for You

The impact splits naturally across user groups:

Home and Casual Users

If you primarily browse, stream, and handle documents, the biggest wins will come from battery and background app improvements. Clearer power controls mean fewer unexpected drain episodes, and a native auto-theme option removes a minor but persistent annoyance. Folder sizes in File Explorer also help you spot space hogs without summoning the Properties dialog — a small change with big “my disk is full” value.

Power Users and Creatives

For those who juggle multiple workspaces, customizable context menus and snappier Virtual Desktops are potential game-changers. Pinning your most-used commands (think “Open in Terminal,” “Run as Administrator,” or editor shortcuts) to the top context menu saves countless clicks over a workday. Smooth Virtual Desktop switching keeps your flow intact, especially when you’re darting between project groups.

IT Administrators and Enterprises

Admins will watch compatibility closely. Changes to context menus can break legacy shell extensions that line-of-business apps rely on. A staged rollout with an opt-in toggle, similar to how Microsoft has handled past UI shifts, would be essential. The folder size feature, if introduced, should come with Group Policy controls to disable it on network shares or older PCs where disk scanning could degrade performance.

How We Got Here: AI Ambitions vs. Everyday Friction

Windows 11 launched with a redesigned Start menu, centered taskbar, and a modernized File Explorer that swapped many classic context menu entries for a simplified ribbon. The “Show more options” button was supposed to streamline, but for muscle-memory-driven users, it added a step. Over subsequent updates, Microsoft layered in Copilot, enhanced search, and AI-tinged features like Studio Effects for NPU-equipped devices. The Insider program saw a steady stream of AI experiments ported into OS builds.

Simultaneously, PowerToys — Microsoft’s open-source utility suite — has become a bellwether for what power users actually need. FancyZones window management, Keyboard Manager, and a preview build of automatic theme switching are widely adopted, yet they remain separate downloads. The gap between what PowerToys offers and what ships in-box has become a frequent talking point in Windows communities. Users argue that if Microsoft can deliver an AI chatbot natively, it can fold a folder-size column or an animation toggle into Settings.

The competitive landscape adds urgency. Rumors of a $599–$699 MacBook powered by an iPhone chip — potentially an A19 Pro with 12GB of RAM — are circulating. If Apple delivers that at entry-level pricing with macOS’s polished UX and all-day battery claims, Windows laptops will face renewed pressure. The message from Huyn’s thread is clear: users want Windows to win on the basics before the AI fireworks.

What You Can Do Now

While Microsoft considers official implementations, practical workarounds exist for several of the requested features:

  • Folder sizes in File Explorer: Third-party tools like WinDirStat or WizTree provide visual disk space maps. For a native-like experience, PowerToys isn’t there yet, but you can use Explorer add-ons such as Folder Size for Windows (note: these inject a background service and carry the usual shell extension risks — test on a non-critical machine first). Alternatively, use PowerShell: Get-ChildItem -Directory | ForEach-Object { $size = (Get-ChildItem $_.FullName -Recurse | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum).Sum; [PSCustomObject]@{Name=$_.Name; SizeMB=[math]::Round($size/1MB,2)} } | Format-Table -AutoSize will list folder sizes for the current directory.
  • Virtual Desktop performance: Disable animation effects under Settings > Accessibility > Visual Effects > “Animation effects.” This will toggle system-wide animations off. For a less drastic approach, open Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings, then under Performance choose “Adjust for best performance” or selectively disable “Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing.” These changes can reduce the perceived lag in desktop switching.
  • Context menu clutter: You can still access the classic full context menu by holding Shift while right-clicking. For a permanent solution, the third-party tool Nilesoft Shell lets you customize the modern menu. Exercise caution: malware has masqueraded as shell customization utilities, so stick to reputable sources and verify digests.
  • Battery anxiety: Under Settings > System > Power & battery, choose “Best power efficiency” for a conservative power plan. Drill into “Battery usage” per app to identify rogue drainers and set background permissions. For Intel-based laptops, the Intel Graphics Command Center often offers additional panel self-refresh and power-saving tweaks. Finally, disable startup programs you don’t need via Task Manager > Startup tab.
  • Auto theme switching: PowerToys will be adding this imminently; you can enable it through the PowerToys Awake utility preview. Until then, a scheduled task that runs a script to toggle the registry key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize\SystemUsesLightTheme is a low-level alternative for advanced users.

Most importantly, submit your own feedback via the Feedback Hub (Win+F). Posts that receive upvotes and comments are prioritized for review, so linking to this discussion may help accelerate official action.

What to Watch For

The hackathon’s output typically surfaces in Insider builds within weeks or months, though not all prototypes graduate. Given Huyn’s engagement, expect at least one of these features — folder sizes or Virtual Desktop animation controls — to appear in Dev or Canary channels by late 2025. Microsoft has a pattern of testing opt-in features cautiously; an “Enable folder sizes” toggle in File Explorer options would be a minimal viable start.

Longer term, the feedback thread reinforces that the AI roadmap cannot steamroll foundational UX polish. As Apple’s rumored budget MacBook looms, Windows 11 must demonstrate that it respects users’ time with every click and transition. The features requested aren’t revolutionary — they’re restorative. If Microsoft acts on them, it could rebuild the goodwill that flashy AI demos alone won’t sustain.