Windows 11 Insider Build 26200.5641: The New Scrollable, Customizable Start Menu

For years, the Windows Start menu has been a familiar launching pad, but Microsoft continues to iterate on its design in pursuit of an experience that feels modern, efficient, and adaptable for a growing diversity of devices. With the introduction of a scrollable and more customizable Start menu in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5641, Microsoft is not just refreshing aesthetic elements but responding to a changing landscape in user needs, form factors, and productivity paradigms.

The Evolving Start Menu: Context and Rationale​

When Windows 11 first launched, some users celebrated the cleaner, centered Start menu, while others lamented the reduction in customization and density compared to past versions like Windows 10. Early feedback suggested a tension between minimalism and functionality. Microsoft’s recent moves—now under public testing via the Insider Program’s Dev Channel—signal a shift toward bridging these expectations, particularly for users on larger screens such as desktops, all-in-ones, or hybrid tablets.
The latest enhancements introduce a Start menu that intelligently adapts to device size. Larger screens now benefit from a more expansive grid: up to 8 columns of pinned apps, 6 recommendations, and 4 categories, while smaller screens retain a more compact arrangement. Such adaptability offers a tailored, visually balanced interface, minimizing wasted space and maximizing accessibility for a wide array of users.

What’s New in the Scrollable Start Menu?​

The key feature under test is a fully scrollable Start menu. This means users are no longer constrained to a fixed grid or forced into managing their app layout through constant manual shuffling. Instead, as users pin more apps or as new recommendations surface, the Start menu seamlessly expands, enabling vertical scrolling to access deeper lists of apps, files, or categories.

Category vs. Grid View​

Microsoft has also introduced two primary ways to browse apps:

• Category View is the new default. It dynamically groups apps by type—work, entertainment, utilities, and so forth—placing frequently used apps within easy reach, organized by their functional category. Categories form automatically when at least three apps from the same genre are detected. A special “Other” category captures orphaned or niche apps that don’t fit existing groups, ensuring nothing is lost or hidden.
• Grid View presents all apps in an alphabetical lineup akin to the traditional “All Apps” experience. This grid is also scrollable, making it ideal for users who prefer systematic browsing or who remember app names rather than categories.

Clicking the “All” button brings up the comprehensive app list, maintaining consistency across both views. Notably, the Start menu will remember a user’s preferred view, reducing friction for those who’ve established habits around a particular method of navigation.

Enhanced Personalization and Recommendations​

Microsoft continues to refine how recommendations are surfaced. From the Settings > Personalization > Start panel, users may toggle visibility for:

• Recently added apps
• Recommended files
• Website suggestions from browsing history
• App or content recommendations and tips

The control over these elements attempts to address privacy-conscious users and those seeking a less cluttered, more intentional workspace. For those who dislike distractions—or wish to avoid inadvertent exposure of sensitive files—being able to suppress recommendations or browsing history is a welcome gesture.

Lock Screen and Widget Improvements​

Outside the Start menu itself, Build 26200.5641 brings another notable shift: the ability to choose which widgets appear on the Windows lock screen, previously restricted to users in the European Economic Area. This empowers users globally to curate at-a-glance information—such as calendar events or weather—tailored to their immediate needs on wake.
A new phone-shaped button adjacent to search activates the Phone Link panel, underscoring Microsoft’s ongoing ambition to tightly integrate mobile and desktop workflows.

The Power Behind the Update: Technical and Usability Considerations​

From a technical perspective, making the Start menu scrollable involves rearchitecting a UI element that was, for decades, designed around fixed-size grids and static real estate. The move allows for future expansion—potentially accommodating larger app libraries or deeper integration with content sources (cloud storage, web apps, etc.) without risking clutter or cognitive overload.
By grouping apps by category, Microsoft leverages machine learning or intelligent heuristics to anticipate user intent and usage patterns. However, this automated grouping may prove less helpful for power users who design their own elaborate folder or shortcut structures. The fallback to “Other” ensures inclusivity but could become an undifferentiated catch-all if not thoughtfully maintained.
The decision to make these changes optional—and to persist user preferences—shows a sensitivity to user feedback. Many long-time users express frustration when forced to adapt to abrupt UI overhauls that ignore their habits.

Strengths of the New Approach​

• Flexibility Across Devices: Adapting the Start menu based on screen size is a crucial usability win, particularly as the Windows ecosystem now includes various hybrids, tablets, and desktop monitors exceeding 30 inches in size.
• Personalization Options: Granular controls over recommendations, recent files, and widgets address both privacy advocates and task-oriented professionals who demand a distraction-free zone.
• Improved Discoverability: Scrollable lists reduce the pressure to constantly rearrange or prune pinned apps. Newcomers can add, remove, or ignore app tiles without breaking their layout.
• Consistency: Retaining the option to view apps by grid or category enforces no ideological approach on how to organize—accommodating both casual and advanced users.
• Seamless Expansion: As app stores, PWA (progressive web apps), and cloud services proliferate, this flexible model futureproofs the Start menu for larger, more diverse content libraries.

Potential Weaknesses and Unresolved Questions​

While the redesign brings several positive changes, it is not without caveats:

• Cognitive Load in Categorization: Automatically grouping apps may confuse users if categorizations do not match their mental models. For instance, productivity, entertainment, or utilities are broad terms, and misclassified apps could frustrate users.
• Performance Concerns: On lower-end hardware, expanded UI elements with real-time recommendations or dynamic content could impact performance, particularly as more widgets and categories are added.
• Privacy Risks: Recommendations drawing from browsing history, files, or recent activity—even if toggleable—pose risks if default settings are too permissive. In professional or shared environments, this could surface sensitive content unintentionally.
• Learning Curve: Long-term users used to static Start menus may find scrollable layouts less intuitive. Discoverability enhancements must be balanced against the additional complexity of multiple navigation paradigms.
• The "Other" Category and Clutter: The catch-all nature of the "Other" category, while a safety net, could become a dumping ground for miscellaneous or unrecognized apps, potentially leading to clutter.

How Does It Stack Up Against Previous Versions?​

Comparing this test build with Windows 10 and earlier Windows 11 releases, the new Start menu is a clear evolution:

• Windows 10 favored tiles and lists, offering extensive drag-and-drop customization but sometimes becoming unwieldy on smaller displays.
• Early Windows 11 stripped down much of this, emphasizing minimalism at the expense of control. Feedback highlighted loss of efficiency for heavy multitaskers.
• Insider Build 26200.5641 seemingly merges the best of both worlds: adaptive scaling, category grouping, optional recommendations, and user-controlled navigation modes.

For reference, official documentation and community feedback from Microsoft's own forums and user feedback channels corroborate user demand for precisely this kind of flexibility and adaptability. Early testers have noted both increased speed in app access and the occasional hiccup with category assignment.

Implications for Power Users, Enterprises, and Everyday Consumers​

Power Users​

Experienced Windows enthusiasts who habitually curate their environment will likely appreciate the granular controls and the ability to expand their Start menu dynamically. However, they may see the default categorizations as redundant, preferring to manually sort or suppress recommendations for a cleaner aesthetic.

Enterprise and Professional Environments​

In a business context, control over recommendations and recent files is vital. Many organizations lock down Start menu customization to prevent data leaks and confusion. IT administrators will need clear policies—and potentially new Group Policy or Intune controls—to align this flexibility with stringent security protocols.

Everyday Consumers​

Home users, especially those on touch-enabled devices or with large displays, will find the expanded and scrollable Start menu a welcome convenience. Parents or less tech-savvy users will appreciate the fewer manual steps required to access new apps or recently used files.

Looking Ahead: The Future of the Windows Start Experience​

Microsoft’s ongoing testing in the Dev Channel signals that substantial feedback-driven revisions are still likely before general release. Should these grouped, scrollable, and customizable Start menu features prove popular, they could set a new standard for all Windows editions—potentially spilling over into other Microsoft products such as Windows Server, Surface devices, or even Xbox.
In parallel, the blend of local and cloud-recommended content may hint at deeper Microsoft 365 and Azure integrations on the horizon, where productivity data and content sync across devices in increasingly intelligent ways.

User-Centric Choice: A Welcome Development—But the Details Matter​

Ultimately, the scrollable Start menu for Windows 11 represents Microsoft’s clearest attempt yet to reconcile modern design with decades of entrenched user expectations. By empowering users to tailor what, how, and when content appears—and by making these choices persistent—Microsoft shows a willingness to cede some top-down control in favor of real-world flexibility.
Yet, the success of this approach will depend on several factors:

• Transparent communication about changes and options
• Defaults that respect privacy and minimize intrusive recommendations
• Responsive performance on a wide range of hardware
• Comprehensive enterprise controls for regulated or sensitive environments
• Ongoing user testing and iterative refinement, particularly for non-English markets or accessibility needs

Conclusion: A Step Forward—If Feedback Shapes the Final Product​

For now, these Start menu enhancements remain the domain of Windows Insiders willing to test early builds. The early signs point to a more nimble, personalized Start experience, but only widespread deployment and robust feedback will determine if the balance between flexibility, clarity, and simplicity is truly achieved. As Microsoft gathers input and fine-tunes these features, users and IT professionals alike should monitor changes closely—your feedback could shape the very hub of productivity for millions in the days ahead.

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Source: gHacks Technology News Microsoft begins testing scrollable Start menu for Windows 11 - gHacks Tech News