What is codename Windows K2 for Microsoft to save Windows 11



 Windows Central:

In March, Windows president Pavan Davuluri confirmed plans to address serious "paint points" across Windows 11 that have eroded user trust and generated a wave of negative sentiment around the OS, spawned from Microsoft's relentless push into AI and enshittification while neglecting core Windows fundamentals such as performance and reliability.

Of course, what Microsoft says externally isn't always reflective of what it's really thinking internally, but in this case, my sources say the company is serious about turning Windows 11 into a platform that people are proud to use. By the end of 2026 and into 2027, Microsoft is striving to have Windows 11 in a much better place.

According to my sources, this effort is codenamed Windows K2. It’s a project that was put together in the second half of last year that addresses the biggest complaints that people have about Windows 11 today. Everything from an overabundance of AI features and bloat to performance issues and reliability mishaps will be tackled.

Windows K2 isn’t a dedicated release of the OS. Instead, K2 is an ongoing initiative that will ensure Windows quality remains both high and consistent across current and future versions, building an OS that is always focused on improvements to fundamentals to ensure foundational aspects of the platform are continuously strong.


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Personally, my forecast is reserved. Microsoft is trying to attract users, that tells things aren't good. But things could change, for better or worse...
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built PC
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600G @ 3.9/4.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    MSI B550M-PRO-WiFi Ver. 1.4
    Memory
    2 x 16 GB DDR4 Kingston Fury Beast 3200 Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT MSI Mech 2X OC Edition 8 GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio (Integrated)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung C50Rx 27" LED / HP S2031 20" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 px / 1600 x 900 px
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SN570 NVME M.2 SSD [1 TB] -- External Drives: - WD Scorpion Blue 250 GB 5400 RPM (Data Backup) - Hitachi 500 GB 5400 RPM (Software / ISOs Backup) - Toshiba MQ01ABD100 1 TB 5400 RPM (OS Images) - HGST TravelStar 7K1000 1 TB, 7200 RPM USB 3.0 - ADATA SU800 2TB SSD USB 3.0
    PSU
    Corsair RM750e 750W Fully Modular
    Case
    Naceb Hydra NA-1602
    Cooling
    Naceb Orpheus x 3 (Front) + Naceb Cepheus 1200 RPM Max (Rear) + ThemalRight Assasin X 90 SE (CPU)
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK470 Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech MK470 Wireless
    Internet Speed
    120 MB Symetrical
    Browser
    Firefox / Brave / Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    - VMs: WMware Player - Windows 8.1 Pro x64 / Windows 11 Pro
    - Wacom Intuos Pro Small Tablet PTH-460
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15-eh3000la (80M53LA)
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 7730U @ 2.0/4.5 Ghz
    Motherboard
    HP 8BC7
    Memory
    2 x 16 GB Kingston Fury Impact DDR4 3200 Mhz
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon (tm) Graphics Vega 8 (512 MB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio (Integrated)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AU Optronics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 px (125% size)
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SN570 1TB NVME M.2 Drive
    PSU
    45 Watt Charger
    Cooling
    Laptop Cooling Pad
    Keyboard
    Free Wolf Foldable Portable Keyboard
    Mouse
    Free Wolf Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    120 MB Symetrical
    Browser
    Firefox / Brave / Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    - 41mWh battery.
    - Wacom Intuos Pro Small Tablet PTH-460
Windows 11 is still the best sloperating system.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming F16 (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    30Mbit/s up, 500Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    What's an antivirus?
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    30Mbit/s up, 500Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
As my signature says, my first PC was the original IBM PC running DOS 1.0. I've enjoyed the journey to where we are now with Windows 11. I've used most every version of Windows and for me this is the most solid and reliable version yet.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 DA16260
    CPU
    Intel Series 3 Core Ultra X9 388H
    Memory
    64GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Arc graphics B390 Panther Lake
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" 3.2K Tandem OLED Infinity Edge
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 2000 16:10 236 PPI
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    NPU delivering 67 TOPS
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Snapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) with Hexagon NPU delivering 45 TOPS
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Adreno GPU
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.8″ PixelSense Flow touchscreen 120 Hz 600 NIT
    Screen Resolution
    2304 × 1536 (201 PPI), 3:2 aspect ratio
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio 2026
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Microsoft Sysinternals
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
Considering the literal billions, perhaps trillions of different combinations of hardware, firmware, software, peripherals etc that are all just expected to work when you plug them in, it is a remarkable achievement that generally Windows does all that without any fuss.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    EVGA home brew
    CPU
    Broadwell-e 6850K 4.5ghz @1.36v
    Motherboard
    EVGA X99 FTW K
    Memory
    32GB Corsair LPM 3600 C16
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW
    Sound Card
    Asus Centurion true 7.1 headset. (5 speakers in each earpeice)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG C4 55"
    Screen Resolution
    4K 144hz
    Hard Drives
    Various models of SSDs ~10TB No HDDs installed.
    PSU
    be quiet! BN516 Straight Power 12-1000w 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Corsair 780T modified to dual 200mm intake fans
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 Platinum
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 RGB Elite
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs
As my signature says, my first PC was the original IBM PC running DOS 1.0. I've enjoyed the journey to where we are now with Windows 11. I've used most every version of Windows and for me this is the most solid and reliable version yet.
I skipped Windows Millennium Falcon for Windows 2000.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    EVGA home brew
    CPU
    Broadwell-e 6850K 4.5ghz @1.36v
    Motherboard
    EVGA X99 FTW K
    Memory
    32GB Corsair LPM 3600 C16
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW
    Sound Card
    Asus Centurion true 7.1 headset. (5 speakers in each earpeice)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG C4 55"
    Screen Resolution
    4K 144hz
    Hard Drives
    Various models of SSDs ~10TB No HDDs installed.
    PSU
    be quiet! BN516 Straight Power 12-1000w 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Corsair 780T modified to dual 200mm intake fans
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 Platinum
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 RGB Elite
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs
Considering the literal billions, perhaps trillions of different combinations of hardware, firmware, software, peripherals etc that are all just expected to work when you plug them in, it is a remarkable achievement that generally Windows does all that without any fuss.

Without a fuss? - - - :oops:

Well....I used to believe that, but not anymore.... - - - :nope:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 build: (26200.7623)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro
    Memory
    32GB
  • Operating System
    Microsoft 25H2 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Pro 14 - PC14250
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7
    Memory
    64GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Integrated Graphics
    Hard Drives
    Micron 1TB SSD

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