Microsoftis always tinkering and retooling various components of its flagship Windows operating system, which it goes about testing via theWindows Insider Program. Oftentimes, the company will experiment with new features and user interface tweaks in a behind-the-scenes fashion, without formally acknowledging that they’re doing so in blog post form.
Some of theseWindowsfeatures and experimental tweaks end up in stable production builds of the OS, while others disappear into the ether, destined to never see the light of day. With Microsoft’s latest interface experiment – aStart Menuredesign – I sure hope the former scenario bears fruition, and not the latter.
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The Windows Start Menu is about to receive a major glow-up
Microsoft hasn’t confirmed anything, but the new design has been uncovered in preview form
While Microsoft has so far remained silent on the matter, phantomofearth has uncovered a hidden Start Menu redesignin the latest Windows 11 Dev buildof the operating system.
While aesthetically similar to the existing Windows 11 Start Menu, there are a ton of changes to be found here. The All Apps section has been incorporated into the main page, now being located under the Pinned and Recommended sections. Pinned apps can be collapsed or expanded into a full view, with a new Settings option to choose the default behavior.
As we’ve seen in previousWindows Insider builds, the All Apps section can be adjusted not only by alphabetical order in a list view, but also in an Android app drawer-like grid view, and in an iOS/iPadOS App Gallery-like Category view.
Other Start Menu changes include the option to remove the Recommended section entirely, which Windows users have been clamoring for since 2021, and a slightly larger overall footprint for the menu itself.
…I’m surprised to see how stable and performant the new interface appears to be.
With all these changes in mind, I’m surprised to see how stable and performant the new interface appears to be. Of course, being an experimental and unannounced feature, there are bound to be bugs lurking under the hood, and I’d advise against testing the new interface out on your main PC.
If you’d like to test out this redesign for yourself, you’ll need to:
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So far, I like what I’m seeing
Of course, there’s always room for improvement
While it’s impossible to please everyone, I feel that even in this early experimental state, Microsoft has hit the nail on the coffin with its new Start Menu design. This new incarnation of the menu is more flexible, requires fewer steps to access all apps on the system, and, importantly, finally allows you to remove the Recommended section that so many of us have found to be a pesky waste of space.
While the system appears to crash when removing all pins from the top section, it appears that you’ll be able to remove them all if you’d like, leaving only an All Apps section in the menu if you so please.
Personally, I think the new menu looks great, but I’d love to see even more improvements added in for good measure.
Reception on social media appears to be positive so far, though some users have pointed out that a dual-column view à la Windows 10 would make better use of space. Personally, I think the new menu looks great, but I’d love to see even more improvements added in for good measure. Some things I’d still love to see implemented include:
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The Start Menu has come a long way
This single user interface element has helped catapult Microsoft Windows into the stratosphere
The Start Menu first debuted inWindows 95, and has remained a staple of Microsoft’s PC operating system ever since. The (short-lived) removal of the menu inWindows 8, and the backlash that then ensued, is proof that you shouldn’t mess with a good thing.
Windows 10’s Start Menu has generally been well regarded for its flexibility and customization potential. Windows 11’s menu, which is roughly based on thecanceled 10X operating system, has received less favorable PR. In its quest for simplicity, Microsoft may have overcorrected when it shipped the updated design in 2021.
I’m happy to see the company continue to iterate on the Start Menu, and I hope to see it treat the iconic interface element with the reverence it deserves. Along with the taskbar, Windows' Start Menu changed the game when it came to human-computer interactions at a mainstream level, and this latest incarnation is arguably the best yet from the company.
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