Below are the layout options, the clutter controls and the folder shortcuts, checked against Microsoft's own support documentation. After that is a short look at what Windows Insiders are testing next.
How the Start menu got here
The new design has been rolling out slowly for about a year. The new Start menu arrived as part of the October 2025 non-security update and was rolling out gradually to all users on Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2. Neowin reported that you must be on build 26100.7019 or 26200.7019 to get it.
The rollout came in waves. Windows Latest noted that if the menu didn't appear even after installing the November update, it's likely because it is a gradual rollout, and once you get the new design you won't be able to go back. In July 2026 the same outlet reported that Microsoft is completing the rollout of its 2025 Start menu redesign to all Windows 11 users on versions 24H2 and 25H2.
So does every PC have it? Most supported PCs that are up to date probably do. If yours still shows the old layout, check that you're on 24H2 or 25H2 and fully updated before you assume something is broken.
Section summary: The redesign started shipping in October 2025, with a staged rollout to versions 24H2 and 25H2. It's now close to universal on updated machines.
What's in the new Start menu
Microsoft's support page lists the redesigned menu's main areas:
- Search for apps, files and settings
- Pins, your pinned apps, files, folders and websites
- Recommendations: recently added and frequently used apps, plus recently opened files
- All: installed apps in Category, Grid or List view
- Account: profile, folder shortcuts and the Power button
- Mobile device companion: phone messages, calls and notifications through Phone Link
The biggest change is that the full app list is now on the main page. Yahoo Tech noted that the upgraded version shows the "All" menu without requiring extra clicks, and that Windows 11 groups apps automatically into categories, such as "Productivity" or "Developer Tools."
Step 1: Choose a view for All apps
MakeUseOf's author tried all three views and ended up preferring Category. Her advice is to try each one, because the best choice depends on how you work.
- Open Start.
- Scroll to the All section.
- Use the View dropdown to pick Category, Grid or List.
Microsoft says Start remembers the last view you chose. The Pinned section works the same way: choose Show all and Pinned stays expanded the next time you open Start.
Which view should you pick? Category suits people who think in terms of "where's my dev stuff?" A flat list is better if you'd rather scan by name. MakeUseOf says Grid and List sort apps alphabetically. Microsoft's page confirms the three views but doesn't describe how each one sorts, so it's worth checking on your own build.
Step 2: Cut down Recommended, and know what else changes
The author's first cleanup was hiding the Recommended section, because she rarely used its recent files and suggested apps.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Personalization > Start.
- Turn off the recommendation options you don't want, such as recently opened files and newly added apps.
There isn't one master switch here. Microsoft's support page says you can unpin apps and turn off individual recommendation sources in Settings. If you turn off all of them, the section collapses and disappears.
What to know before you turn it off: Microsoft's May 2026 Windows Insider Blog post admitted that, at the time, turning off Recommended in Start also turned off jump lists and recent files in File Explorer. If you depend on File Explorer's recent files or right-click jump lists on the taskbar, test the change first, because cleaning up Start could cost you those features in other places.
Step 3: Add folder shortcuts next to the Power button
This was the change MakeUseOf's author got used to fastest: one-click access to places like Downloads and Documents without opening File Explorer first.
Microsoft documents this route:
- Open Start, right-click the bottom of the menu and choose Start settings. (Going to Settings > Personalization > Start gets you to the same page.)
- Select Folders.
- Turn on the folders you want next to the Power button.
The options include Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, Network and your Personal folder. Turning on all seven just recreates the clutter you were trying to remove, so pick only the ones you actually use.
Other tweaks
- Pin and unpin: Search for an app, right-click it and choose Pin to Start. In File Explorer, right-click a folder and choose Pin to Start. In Edge, go to More options > More tools > Pin to Start to pin a website. Right-click any pin and choose Unpin from Start to remove it.
- Make folders: Drag one pin onto another to create a folder, then rename it. Drag pins out to remove them. Microsoft notes that a folder disappears once only one pin is left.
- Move Start to the left: Right-click the taskbar, choose Taskbar settings, expand Taskbar behaviors and change Taskbar alignment.
- Phone Link panel: MakeUseOf says you can hide it if you don't use a phone with your PC.
Section summary: Pick an All view, reduce Recommended (keeping the File Explorer side effect in mind), add only the folder shortcuts you need, and use pin folders to keep things tidy.
The author's wish list, and what Insiders are testing
MakeUseOf's author lists several things she wants. These are her preferences, not documented limitations:
- Moving whole sections around so the ones she uses most sit at the top
- Resizing by dragging a corner, like a normal window
- Hiding the Start button if every section is turned off, and choosing what the Windows key does
Corner-drag resizing did exist before. Microsoft's support page still explains how to resize the Windows 10 Start menu by dragging its edges, or set it to full screen. Plenty of long-time Windows users noticed that loss when they moved to Windows 11.
Microsoft is already testing more controls. Its May 15, 2026 Insider post said these would reach Experimental channel Insiders over the following weeks:
- One toggle each to show or hide Pinned, Recommended and All
- A separate control for file recommendations, so you can turn them off in Start without losing recent files elsewhere
- Small and Large size options that stay consistent across displays
- An option to hide your name and profile picture when sharing your screen
- Renaming Recommended to Recent, while keeping recently installed apps visible
Windows Latest reported that this next wave is in Experimental Insider build 26300.8553 (released May 29, 2026), and that if you disable all sections, the Start menu shows a message reading 'All Start menu sections are off' with a link back to settings. That partly answers the author's question about turning off everything. None of this is confirmed for regular PCs yet. Windows Latest linked it to a bigger overhaul expected with 26H2, but treat it as preview software until it ships.
Bottom line
The new Start menu won't please everyone. Some users still use replacements like Start11, StartAllBack or Open Shell. But ten minutes of setup makes the built-in menu much better: choose a view, cut down recommendations (knowing what else that switch turns off) and add only the folder shortcuts you use. The changes that would fully answer the critics, including section toggles, size choices and a separate file-recommendation switch, are still only in Insider builds.