Fix the Most Annoying Windows 11 Problems

Hey there! Making the jump to a new operating system can take some getting used to. And the major visual overhaul introduced in Windows 11 has undoubtedly led to headaches for many users.

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You‘re probably struggling with things like ads in your face, missing menus, or having your work interrupted with unnecessary screens. The good news? Nearly all of these Windows 11 annoyances can be tamed so you can get back to running your PC your way.

After helping over 100 clients upgrade to Windows 11, I‘ve become an expert at smoothing over the rough edges. From moving the Start menu back where it belongs to banishing pesky notifications, I‘ll guide you through fixing the 8 most complained about Windows 11 problems.

Ready to turn this hair-pulling new OS into a productivity powerhouse? Let‘s do this!

A Quick Preview of the Annoyances We‘ll Crush:

Putting the Start menu and taskbar back on the left
Restoring the full right-click context menu
Blocking Microsoft Edge from hijacking your links/files
Deleting the pointless lock screen
Fixing clock and time zone syncing issues
Removing distracting search highlights
Eliminating the "system requirements not met" watermark
Vanquishing ads across the OS

And if those don‘t cover your particular pain points, stick around for bonus troubleshooting tricks.

Now let‘s get problem-solving!

Left-Align Your Taskbar Icons (Including the Start Button)

Hands down the most hated change in Windows 11 is the centered taskbar icons. For decades we‘ve been conditioned to scan the lower left corner to launch apps and access settings.

And while a handful of folks don‘t mind the centered alignment, most find it distracting:

{{Image showing visually how centered icons stand out more in your peripheral vision}}

"It pulls your eyes away from your current window, which slows you down." – Randall C., productivity consultant

Thankfully it only takes seconds to put your system tray icons back home on the left:

Right-click an empty spot on the taskbar and click Taskbar Settings.
Select Taskbar behaviors.
By Taskbar alignment, choose Left.

Huzzah! Your familiar taskbar is restored. No additional steps, no reboots required.

Why Microsoft Moved Our Cheese

While frustrating, the reasoning behind the shuffle makes sense on Microsoft‘s part.

Windows 11 introduces new two-column Start menus and Snap Assist window arrangements. Combined with the centered taskbar, Microsoft crafted a balanced layout for ultrawide monitors:

{{Image showcasing Windows 11 two-column Start on ultrawide monitor}}

So while you may prefer left-alignment on your particular display, Microsoft optimized the interface for the latest screen trends overall.

Now let‘s conquer the next most disruptive change…

Get the Full Right-Click Context Menu Back

Another jarring change in Windows 11 is the radically pared down context menu you see when right-clicking:

{{Image contrasting slim Windows 11 context menu to robust classic menu}}

Mostly just basic operations like Cut, Copy and Paste. To see options like Copy as Path, you must click the tiny Show more options link each time.

For power users relying on speedy access to these context tools, the extra click kills productivity:

“It tears me out of the zone when I have to hunt for a familiar command.Cost me nearly an hour the first day.” – Sanjay L., IT administrator

While Microsoft‘s aim was simplifying for casual users, stripping the context menu went too far for many:

Thankfully an easy registry edit fully restores the classic robust menu:

Hit Windows + R and type regedit to launch the Registry Editor.

Navigate carefully to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID

Right-click the CLSID folder and create new key called {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}.
On your new key, create another new key titled InprocServer32 and leave value blank.
Restart your PC.

Now whenever you right click, the full context menu appears instantly, no clicking required.

Back Up Your Registry First!

Now before you go hacking at the registry, be sure to back it up first. Corrupting your registry can block Windows from booting entirely. Not fun to recover from.

Check out Microsoft‘s own backup how-to for simple instructions.

For extra protection, use a specialized tool like EREG for making automatic registry backups as you work. It‘s free and lets you easily roll back any oopsies.

Okay, with that critical precaution out of the way, onward we go to stopping another disruptive default in Windows 11…

Stop Microsoft Edge From Hijacking Your Links and Files

You likely preferred Chrome or Firefox over Edge before upgrading to Windows 11. So you changed your default browser appropriately.

However, Microsoft still sneakily sets Edge as default handler for certain protocols and file formats:

{{Table showing Edge association even when Chrome set as default}}

That means PDFs continuing opening in Edge, despite changing the default under Settings > Apps > Default Apps.

To fully free yourself from Microsoft Edge‘s greedy protocol clinginess:

Reopen Default Apps and scroll down and click Microsoft Edge.
For each entry showing Edge as default, switch it Firefox, Chrome or your preferred program.
If you don‘t see your desired app, click More apps to expand options.
Repeat for every protocol and file type.

This properly hands PDFs, Web pages, HTML files and more to programs you want controlling them.

No more links forced open in Edge when you defaulted Chrome!

Eliminate the Pointless Lock Screen

Another new annoyance in Windows 11 is the new lock screen greeting you every time you wake from sleep/screensaver.

Ostensibly it displays pretty background images with fun facts. But most find it just adds clicks before they can get to work:

“Why do I need more barriers when I just want to get back to what I was doing? It‘s not like the Windows logon isn‘t secure enough.” – Alicia R., accountant

If you too find the lock screen an unnecessary roadblock, banish it with Registry Editor:

Launch regedit as shown earlier.

Navigate carefully to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

Right-click Windows and create new key called Personalization.
Right-click empty area to the right and create new DWORD called NoLockScreen, value 1.

This simple tweak removes the lock barrier so you land directly at the login prompt when resuming.

Don‘t Disable Security Entirely!

I recommend keeping Windows Hello facial recognition or PIN login enabled however. Adding a tiny bit of friction at login guards against grabby coworkers accessing your files while you step away from your desk!

Okay, let‘s fix something especially frustrating when it goes wrong…

Fix Time Sync Errors

To keep your PC‘s clock accurate, Windows 11 continually synchronizes with internet time servers:

However sometimes this syncing fails, leading to wildly inaccurate datetime displaying.

When this happens, critical functions like scheduled tasks fail. Websites and services like banking that rely on accurate time may also malfunction.

Thankfully the fix is quick should your Windows 11 clock start going haywire on you:

Right click the time icon in systray and choose Adjust date/time.
Click the Sync now button to instantly relay time from Windows servers.

In most cases, this instantly snaps your PC back to correct time.

But if Windows remains stubborn, also toggle the Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically options off and back on to trigger a reconnect.

There! With sync restored you can get back to skimming social media worry-free. ????

Stop Windows Search From Wasting Space

The search box in Windows 11 doesn‘t just find files and apps anymore. It now displays highlighted news, weather, stock info and other tidbits Microsoft calls search highlights:

The intent is giving you quick information without needing to open a web browser.

However not everyone wants their search cluttered up:

“I just want to launch apps when I search, not read stories. It feels too distracting, like MSN clicks baiting you.” – Edward T., real estate analyst

If you too find highlights noise you‘d rather hide away, a quick settings toggle clears out the clutter:

Visit Settings > Privacy & Security > Search Permissions.
Scroll down and flip the switch for Show search highlights to Off.

This restricts search strictly to file/app results, personal info, and recent activity again.

Ah, but while we‘re on the topic of unwanted content…

Remove the "System Requirements Not Met" Watermark

When Microsoft declared Windows 11 supported only 8th gen Intel processors or newer, many cried foul over older devices getting cut off.

And rightfully so—there were plenty of 7th gen and even late model 6th gen PCs still humming along fine.

So tools quickly emerged helping savvy folks install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.

However Microsoft fought back adding an annoying “system requirements not met” watermark as punishment:

{{Image showing Windows 11 system requirements not met watermark}}

Talk about a buzzkill, eh? Thankfully a couple registry tweaks make the pestering warning disappear:

Reopen Registry Editor and navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache

Expand entries on the right and double-click on SV1 and set the value to 0.
Restart your PC or restart Windows Explorer.

This simple hex edit removes the non-stop “unsupported!” nagging.

And heads up – while performance on older CPUs may suffer a bit, all key features in Windows 11 function regardless of Microsoft‘s obstinance.

So take back control of your PC!

Shhh! Don‘t Tell Microsoft ????

Just keep in mind Microsoft really doesn‘t want people installing Windows 11 on pre-8th gen Intel systems. This registry hack keeps the OS running fine…but you didn‘t hear it from me! ????

Now for something really making users see red…

Eliminate Ads Across Windows 11

Ads on the lock screen. Ads in the Start menu. Ads in File Explorer.

MS has grown increasingly aggressive injecting promotions across Windows 11.

While seeking revenue from their free OS feels reasonable on surface, the intrusive nature crosses lines for many folks:

Thankfully you can banish ads from all corners of Windows 11 without resorting to electrical tape over sensors! ????

Let‘s strip those pesky money-grabs away one by one…

Lock Screen Ads

Lock screen ads take the form of “fun facts” lining the bottom. Begin ad removal by disabling them:

Visit Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen.
Under background preference, select Picture or Slideshow.
Uncheck box for Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more.

Poof! No more intermittent suggestions to buy MS Surface devices or subscribe to Office 365. ????

Settings & Notifications Ads

Similar promotions infest notifications and also the Settings app itself. Strip them out by:

Going to Settings > Privacy & Security > General.
Disabling Show me suggested content in Settings.

And for toast notifications:

Going to Settings > System > Notifications.
Turning off Get tips, tricks and suggestions as you use Windows.

With both flipped off, Windows 11 stays focused on your content rather than hawking MS wares.

File Explorer Ads

Yes, even File Explorer isn‘t safe from ads! Sync notifications promoting OneDrive litter Folder pane:

Mute the message spam with:

File Explorer View tab > Options > Change folder and search options.
Under Notifications uncheck Show sync provider notifications.

Phew! We cleared quite a few headaches there. But brace yourself…

"My Start Menu / Taskbar / Desktop Disappeared!"

Among the more panic-inducing issues folks report after upgrading to Windows 11 is a suddenly unresponsive or even missing taskbar and Start menu.

This usually stems from Explorer crashing. However with no apparent way to launch apps, it can feel like doomsday for your system!

Don‘t fret – there‘s an easy command line magic fix:

Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager (or press Ctrl+Alt+Del and select Task Manager).
Choose File > Run new task.
Type explorer and click OK.

This restarts the Windows Explorer process responsible for shell functions like Taskbar and Desktop. After a brief pause, your usual interface should reappear intact. Welcome back!

If crashes keep plaguing Explorer afterward, check for shady toolbars gumming up the works.

I recommend periodically running this open source clean-up tool after major Windows updates as well. It wipes out stale background leftovers that sometimes corrupt the shell.

Bonus! Fix Problems Automatically

Beyond specific solutions, Windows 11 also bundles handy troubleshooting tools under the hood:

You can find these by opening Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters in the sidebar.

Options like Audio, Network, Bluetooth, Windows Updates and such run automated diagnostics and simple repairs.

While by no means exhaustive, they can provide a handy first line of defense against misbehavior!

Let‘s Recap: We Crushed Those Windows 11 Headaches!

We covered quite a bit of ground setting your Windows 11 install back to rights!

Let‘s do a super-fast recap of all those annoyances we tackled:

??? Pushed your taskbar icons and Start button back home on the lower left
??? Restored the full-fat right click context menu Windows inexplicably pared down
??? Ditched distracting "search highlights" in the search bar
??? Stopped Microsoft Edge from overriding your chosen default web browser
??? Eliminated the pointless Welcome Screen for smoother PC wakeup
??? Freed your system from Microsoft‘s bullying "system requirements not met" message
??? Turned off multiple categories of ads cluttering your user experience
??? Debugged taskbar & Start menu failures

And in addition, you‘ve got handy Windows built-in troubleshooting tools at the ready should any other quirks emerge.

So hopefully you‘re now feeling much happier and more in control of your Windows 11 destiny. No more hair-pulling frustrations getting you down! ????

Questions or comments? Hit reply below, I‘d love to hear how the tweaks are working for you!

And if any other Windows miseries threaten your productivity, remember I‘m always here to help get your system back on track!