Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 Start Menu updates

Windows Insiders will be first to see if the Windows 10 itch has been scratched

The latest changes to Microsoft's Start Menu are being rolled out to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. However, users in the European Economic Area have a little longer to wait for the promised Android and IOS device integration.

Windows 11 Start Menu – sans Recommended (Pic: Microsoft, click to enlarge)

Microsoft previewed these tweaks to the Start Menu in May, and is now rolling them out to Windows Insiders as part of Windows 11 build 26200.5641.

"We're making it easier for you to launch your apps with our updated, scrollable Start menu," Microsoft said. The 'All' group is now at the top level, and the company has added two new views – category and grid view.

Sadly, there is no "Make it work like it used to" view.

The category view groups applications together; the most used apps are bubbled to the top. The grid view is ordered alphabetically, like list view, "but allows for better scanning of all your installed apps with more horizontal real estate."

Microsoft has also recognized that some users have bigger screens, and is allowing the Start Menu to grow based on screen size, meaning a potential eight columns of pinned apps.

Finally, it also includes the ability to collapse and expand mobile content, such as messages, via a button next to the Search box. However, the functionality only applies to connected Android and iOS devices in "most markets." European Economic Area users will need to wait until later in 2025.

Other changes in the release include more widget options for the lock screen and an update for the Gamepad layout of the Windows touch keyboard with "enhanced controller navigation." Handy, considering that Microsoft is pitching Windows 11 mobile gaming devices to users.

While Microsoft's attempts to deal with some of the longstanding complaints about the Windows 11 Start Menu are welcome, it is unlikely that users unhappy with the loss of functionality who failed to make the jump from earlier versions of Windows will be satisfied with the update. Yes, it will be possible to collapse the "Recommended" section, and "All" is now on the top level, but resizing the Start Menu manually? Nope, not possible.

There have long been third-party solutions to restore missing functionality from the Windows 11 Start Menu, but Microsoft simply adding a "make it work like it used to" option would be an admission that perhaps, just perhaps, some users were right all along. ®