The Breakdown

  • Microsoft account required for basic setup
  • Default telemetry and data harvesting
  • TPM 2.0 hardware gatekeeping obsoletes PCs
  • Start menu ads and OneDrive nagging
  • Improved security sandboxing over Win10

Side Effects

ads in your OS, data to Redmond, forced upgrades

Buy Instead

Skip Windows 11. Install Linux Mint — free, no telemetry, full user control, no account jail.