Top User Requests for Windows 10, Take 2

In early October, I published the results of a script-based analysis of the top feedback requests for Windows 10 in the Windows Technical Preview. Here's a second peek at this data, updated after almost two months of testing. As with the initial posting, the most popular requests are again an interesting mix of common sense ideas and superficial changes.

Once again, this list comes courtesy of reader Matt Goldstein, so allow me to once again thank him publicly, both for this data and for his very helpful typo/grammar fixes (which are always appreciated). Thanks, Matt.

So here are the top individual feature requests in the Windows Technical Preview as of late November 2014, and with three milestone builds behind us. As before, these entries are edited for legibility, and I've removed feedback that does not represent an actual request). And as before, it's possible that I've missed some duplicates that would push some requests higher in the list. I don't think the order is super-important, but these are roughly the top 12 requests.

400 or more "likes"

1. Add drag and drop so you can move an application or window between desktops using Task View. I just tested this because it sounds so obvious. Yes, this needs to be added. 685 votes across two different bits of feedback.

2. Add a little animation/transition when opening the Start menu. The request notes that "the lack of animation and the rawness in which it simply appears and disappears makes it look unpolished." I couldn't disagree more. This is a superfluous piece of feedback and shouldn't rank anywhere near the top. 453 votes.

3. A little fade in with an upward slide would look incredible! Another superficial request for an animation. Seriously, people. 415 votes.

300 or more "likes"

4. Windows Search should not display search results from the web. Now we're talking: This is great feedback, though of course the solution is already available in Windows 8.1: Just make this an option that users can disable, since some people will really like this functionality. Looking at PC Settings, I can see that the 8.1-type option for disabling web results is missing. I assume it will be added back, and it certainly should be. 361 votes.

5. Make a local account easier to create during initial Setup. "The option to use a local account should not be hidden under the 'Create a new Microsoft Account' dialogue. It should be in the initial login screen." The types of users who need this functionality will figure it out, and average users should indeed not be presented with this confusing option. I think this is fine the way it is, and this item is a typical example of how the power users who would gravitate to testing Windows 10 provide feedback that doesn't apply to the majority of normal users. 329 votes.

6. Add tabs to File Explorer. "It'll be better to have multiple tabs instead of multiple windows when viewing different folders. Also, add feature to drag a tab and auto-resize it to a new window." I'm not honestly sure this matters in the slightest, but this addition wouldn't hurt users who will never even find this feature. 325 votes.

200 or more "likes"

7. Charms bar is hidden. "Even though I have 'When pointing to the upper left corner, show the charms' checked, I can't get to the Charms bar." This is what we call "fake hustle" in basketball: Everyone knows the Charms are transitioning to some new UX in Windows 10 and won't be implemented fully until the consumer preview or beyond. So we're moving on. 296 votes.

8. Make a beautiful boot screen. Better: Make it boot so fast it doesn't need a boot screen. 293 votes.

9. Unable to select multiple tiles when using CTRL. I only tested this on the Start menu, but sure enough you can't multi-select using the CTRL key. (You can do this on the Start screen in Windows 8.1.) 292 votes.

10. Merge PC Settings with Control Panel. It is "strange and confusing to have two settings programs." Sure. But if you're on a phone or tablet, you'll need/want PC Settings. And if you're using the desktop, PC Settings is only fine if it does 100 percent of what Control Panel does. Since it can't, this will never happen. 277 votes.

11. Update all of the icons to the new look. Another bit of "fake hustle" feedback. Duh. 271 votes.

12. Unique virtual desktops. This one is a good idea: "I would like to be able to have a type of desktop that has specific background and folders." In other words, as you switch between virtual desktops with Task View, each would have its own look and feel and be more readily identifiable. While we're at it, let's name those desktops and retain them between reboots. 266 votes.

Looking over the remainder of Matt's list, you see the same mix of dumb and interesting. Changing the color of the Start button. Add Cortana. Keep the Windows Feedback app in the final version of Windows 10. The new Shutdown button is not intuitive. (What?) It's like Star Trek movies: Every other one is good. I don't envy Microsoft the task of sorting the good from the bad. There's a lot of both.