Microsoft revealed recently that it plans to regain the trust of its users and focus in areas such as Windows stability and security. Yesterday, the company announced two new initiatives that it says will strengthen “Windows trust and security through user transparency and consent”.
The two features, Windows Baseline Security Mode and User Transparency and Consent, will make Windows more resilient according to Microsoft.
Baseline Security Mode is a new architectural safeguard designed to ensure that every application, regardless of its origin, operates within a set of “safe” boundaries by default. Only “properly signed apps, services and drivers” are allowed to run by default, but users and administrators may override the defaults to run apps, services or drivers that do not meet the new requirements.
User Transparency and Consent shifts the Windows experience toward a mobile-centric privacy model, giving users granular control over what their apps can access. This includes new real-time prompts by apps when they try to access sensitive data, such as the location, camera, or personal files, or install unintended software.
Microsoft plans to roll out the changes “through a phased approach”. It says that it is already working with partners and that the work has begun already. Next step is — probably — the integration in Insider builds for a first round of extended tests before the features will land eventually on stable machines.
It remains to be seen how these features are integrated. Run-time permission prompts sound useful, as they introduce much needed transparency to Windows for users. Baseline security mode could go either way. It might help protect machines, especially in corporate environments, but it could also become a nightmare for users who need to run something that is not signed or meeting Microsoft’s requirements. Especially, if there is no easy option to whitelist apps, drivers, or services.
It does not look as if this is coming soon, as Microsoft seems to have taken a cautious approach to introducing major new features to Windows. Slow, steady and stable could be the mantra of the year for Microsoft, especially after a rather frustrating first patch day in January 2026.