Windows 11 is getting a redesigned Start menu. This is a big deal for the soon-to-be-four-year-old operating system and its highly controversial design bits. After years of slow to no progress in the Start menu area, Microsoft is finally delivering a much better variant with many new features and plenty of feedback addressed.
How much has been addressed? In 2023, we posted a list of the "Top 10 Start menu features and changes Windows 11 users want," so it is now time to compare that to the new Start menu.
Note: The new Start menu is not yet publicly available. Microsoft is testing it in Windows 11 preview builds from the Dev and Beta Channels, and you can check out this article to learn how to enable it so that you can try it yourself.
1. Allow users to turn off the "Recommended" section - Delivered (17K+ upvotes)
Round of applause for Microsoft, everyone, as the company actually delivered the most requested Start menu feature. The redesigned variant lets you turn off the Recommended section and hide it altogether so that it does not waste any space.
2. More customization options - Nope (5.4K+ upvotes)
Although Microsoft now allows turning off the Recommended section and switching between three views for the All apps list, the menu remains quite restricted when it comes to personalization, so if you want true customization, Windhawk and the Start menu styler mod are here for you, allowing some seriously cool Start menu designs, as one on the screenshot below:
3. Allow resizing the Start menu - Sort of delivered (3.8K+ upvotes)
You still cannot change the size of the Start menu manually like you could in Windows 10. However, the menu is now more adaptive, which means you will see more content if you have a bigger screen. Still, I would like to have the ability to make the menu bigger, so this one remains standing.
4. Go back to the Windows 10-style Start menu - Nope (3.4K+ upvotes)
Microsoft is not going back to the Windows 10 Start menu, so if you are one of the 3,400+ people who upvoted this in Feedback Hub, your best course of action is to install a third-party Start menu or just stick to Windows 10.
5. Use Grid view for the All apps list - Delivered (1.5K+ upvotes)
Another popular request was delivered fully. I would even say that Microsoft over delivered it. Instead of just killing the standard list view in favor of grid view, Microsoft let users decide what kind of view they want. You can stick to the classic list, switch over to grid view, or enjoy a categorized view. Again, well done!
6. Display jump lists when right-clicking pinned apps - Needs fixing (1K+ upvotes)
Microsoft has already fixed this problem, and you can access jump lists and recent files by right-clicking pinned applications in the current Start menu version. However, turning off the Recommended section also turns off jump lists on the Start menu and taskbar for some reason. A very frustrating design for those who use jump lists and do not want the Recommended section. This needs fixing.
7. Make the Start menu open on the All apps list by default - Delivered (1K+ upvotes)
The new Start menu ticks this box as well. There is no need to click "All apps" when you open the Start menu. It now features a single-view user interface with the list of all apps right below your pins and recommendations. All you need to do is start scrolling.
8. Add a full-screen Start menu - Nope (1K+ upvotes)
Even though Microsoft "has got this," nothing indicates that the company plans to reintroduce a full-screen Start menu from the days of Windows 10 and Windows 8. A shame, if you ask me. Interestingly, it appears that Microsoft considered a full-screen Start menu for Windows 11. The company recently showed some of the prototypes it considered implementing, including a scrollable full-screen menu.
9. Bring back live tiles - Nope (1K+ upvotes)
Tiles are no longer alive. They are as dead as Windows Phone, and there is no return.
10. Make the Start menu button follow the system accent color - Nope (760+ upvotes)
Microsoft "has got this," but the blue Start button is here to stay.
Do you like what Microsoft did to Windows 11's Start menu? What features are still missing in your opinion? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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