(Credit: PCMag)
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the company is focusing on its consumer products and “doing the foundational work required to win back fans.” If the company is serious about this effort, it needs to improve the default Windows apps that people associate with the core OS experience because most have fallen far behind third-party alternatives. I don’t use much Microsoft software on my Windows 11 PC anymore because I prefer competing services, and I doubt I'm alone in that opinion. To win people like me back, Microsoft has to build apps that work even better than the ones I use every day, starting with the 10 below.
1. Edge: Feature-Heavy, AI-First, and Losing Its Simplicity
Mozilla Firefox, with its streamlined interface and privacy features, is my current web browser of choice. I’ve spent a lot of time using Google Chrome and Brave, too. I first used Edge years ago when it was codenamed Project Spartan, thanks to its minimal interface. However, over the years, Microsoft has seriously bogged Edge down with features, and now I can't stand it any longer.
And whereas Firefox has an AI kill switch, Microsoft insists on marketing Edge as an AI browser. Windows 11 often tries to trick me into setting Edge as my default web browser, too, which I find obnoxious. Microsoft Edge also stores saved passwords in plain text in memory, whereas other browsers make greater efforts to protect them.
2. Word: Powerful, But Slower and Pricier Than Google Docs
Everyone in my personal and professional life seems to prefer Google Docs for document collaboration. Although Microsoft 365 applications like Excel, PowerPoint, and Word might still be the standard in some businesses, no one sends me Word document files anymore.
Microsoft 365 starts at $100 per year for access to desktop office applications, whereas Google Docs is free. Microsoft’s web-based office suite apps are also free, but the people I know still prefer Google Docs.
In theory, I prefer capable native desktop applications that work outside a browser. In practice, however, I prefer the faster feel of Google Docs and Sheets over the heavier experience of Excel and Word. Microsoft 365 applications have a deeper collection of advanced features, but most people don’t need them.
3. Teams: Still Feels Like a Work Tool, Not a Personal Chat App
I use Discord, Google Chat, Signal, Slack, SMS messages, and Telegram to communicate with people. And they all work splendidly for their purposes. Microsoft Teams isn’t just for businesses, but I don’t use it to chat with anyone.
Yes, Microsoft has a free personal version of Teams, and Windows 11 shipped with a now-removed taskbar Chat button that used it. But home PC users had already used other chat services, and professionals saw Teams as a business tool, so no one had much reason to adopt it.
Microsoft says Teams is the successor to MSN Messenger and Skype, but I’ve never met anyone who used Teams for anything other than their job. Skype reportedly once had 660 million users, so it’s a shame that Microsoft mismanaged its apparent successor.
4. Outlook: Functional, But Less Seamless Than Gmail and Calendar
I switched to Gmail back in 2004, leaving my Hotmail email address behind. The Gmail web interface works perfectly. Microsoft’s new Outlook connects to Gmail, but it does so by syncing all your Gmail emails to Microsoft’s servers. That seems unnecessarily complex when I could just use Gmail and Google Calendar. I use an Android phone too, so both of those apps work seamlessly on mobile.
If I wanted a desktop email app that doesn’t store my emails on another company’s servers, I’d install Mozilla Thunderbird.
5. To Do: Weak Calendar Integration Holds It Back
I now use Google Tasks as my to-do list app because it works seamlessly with Google Calendar. Microsoft To Do doesn’t have any sort of comparable calendar integration.
I was a fan of Wunderlist, a popular to-do list app Microsoft acquired back in 2015. And when Microsoft launched To Do in 2017, it felt like Wunderlist with a different name. Since then, however, the company has focused on task management in Outlook and seemingly forgotten about To Do. I’d use Todoist if I wanted something more complex.
6. OneNote: Feature-Rich, But Sync Reliability Undermines It
Google Keep is a fast, streamlined note-taking application that’s perfect for writing grocery lists, reminders, and other quick notes to myself. I like Microsoft OneNote, but I’ve repeatedly encountered cross-device syncing problems. I’ve never run into any such problems with Google Keep.
OneNote has powerful features, such as audio recording and handwritten notes, but I don’t need them. I need a fast note-taking application with a reliable sync feature. If I wanted something with more features, I’d switch to Obsidian before I tried to make OneNote work for me again.
7. OneDrive Photos: Serviceable Storage, Weak Photo Experience
Google Photos is a polished, modern photo app. For years, I automatically uploaded my smartphone photos to OneDrive, taking advantage of the 1TB of cloud storage I get with my Microsoft 365 subscription. Now, I’m tired of the OneDrive Photos experience, which feels like a photo viewer shoehorned into a cloud file storage service.
Google Photos has superior search features and editing tools, along with a faster interface for browsing photos. Meanwhile, the Gallery experience in Windows 11’s File Explorer is slow and clunky. I’ve reached a breaking point and am moving my photos out of OneDrive and into Google Photos.
8. Phone Link: Great Concept, Unstable Real-World Performance
Google Messages for Web is a simple web interface for texting from your PC. All you need to set up the experience is an Android phone with the Google Messages app.
I have a love-hate relationship with Microsoft’s Phone Link app. When it works, I enjoy the tight integration between my Android phone and PC. I particularly like the ability to copy and paste SMS security codes and send messages from the comfort of my PC's full keyboard.
However, the Phone Link experience is extremely unreliable and prone to frequent connection drops. Google Messages for Web runs in a browser and handles only texting, but it’s much more enjoyable and dependable.
9. Copilot: Ambitious AI Vision, But Lacks User Trust and Control
If I had to recommend an AI chatbot, I’d recommend Claude. I’ve never enjoyed using Copilot because it offers fewer options than other chatbots. I’m also skeptical of Microsoft’s long-term plans for Copilot. Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, has shared his vision for the future:
“Copilot will certainly have a kind of permanent identity, a presence, and it will have a room that it lives in, and it will age,” he said on The Colin & Samir Show in July 2025. He talked about how Copilot would follow you through your life, building a long-term memory. I don’t want that experience, and I’d rather avoid Copilot.
10. Xbox: Subscription Model Trails Steam's Ownership Appeal
I prefer buying PC games on Steam. I’ve also used Xbox Game Pass, which was once a good value. Microsoft has backed off on recent price increases, but I don’t want to pay a monthly fee for a library of games Microsoft chooses for me. I want to own copies of the PC games I want to play and enjoy them at my leisure. Games I buy on Steam can run on my Steam Deck or Linux PC, too. I don’t want to buy games on Microsoft’s Xbox app either because that locks me into the Windows platform. Some titles even offer more features on Steam, too, such as Steam Workshop support for mods.
Microsoft's App Gap Is Undermining Windows
I'm not so unhappy with Windows that I'm replacing basic utilities like File Explorer, Notepad, PowerToys, and the Snipping Tool, but that's a fairly low bar to clear. (I will say that I supplement Task Manager with AppControl, however).
The broader issue becomes clearer when you look at ChromeOS and macOS. Both ship with more cohesive, polished, and user-friendly default apps that handle everyday computing tasks in a way that feels intentional and refined. For many users, that's enough—they don't immediately feel the need to search for third-party replacements just to get a smooth experience out of the box.
If Microsoft wants us to use its first-party software again, it has to develop a better collection of apps that makes the Windows experience worthwhile. Otherwise, people will seek out third-party software that runs in any browser or buy non-Windows machines that work better by default.