As recently as March, Windows president Pavan Davuluri confirmed plans to address serious "pain points" across Windows 11. And according to Windows Central, "sources" say the company is serious about turning Windows 11 into a platform that people are proud to use. These changes should be done by the end of 2026 and into 2027.
This effort is codenamed Windows K2. It's a project that was put together in the second half of last year, and it addresses the biggest complaints that people have about Windows 11. It should be noted, that Windows K2 isn't a dedicated release of the OS. K2 is an ongoing initiative that will ensure Windows quality remains both high and consistent across current and future versions.
The three main pillars of Windows K2 are "performance, craft, and reliability". Microsoft is addressing feedback directly from users and Insiders, analysing telemetry data, and conducting focus groups with customers. Another thing is how teams internally can better contribute code to the Windows product. Apparently this means that being agile has been replaced with an obsession with quality.
The fourth pillar is going to be community. Windows Insider meetups are back, and members of the Windows team are going to be more forward facing on social media and in forums to respond directly to feedback from people online.
We here in Gamereactor are of course interested in gaming, and for that, Microsoft views steamOS as the benchmark. They are therefore working to optimise the platform so that steamOS and Windows gaming performance are comparable. This should be true within the next year or two.
We should be aware, that Windows K2 doesn't have a completion date. It is an an ongoing initiative that essentially defines how Windows should be built and what it should prioritise going forward. The goal is to fix up Windows 11 and reposition the platform as something people are proud to use, and maintain that consistently.
At least the plans are now in motion. Now we as users are waiting for the results.