Windows 11 Start Menu Recommendations: Updates and User Reactions

If you've been a Windows 11 user for even a short while, chances are you've developed some strong opinions about the operating system’s features. One particularly divisive feature is the Recommended section in the Start menu—a feature you either appreciate for its occasional usefulness or loathe for its irrelevant suggestions. While Microsoft has confirmed that it has no intentions of removing this feature, the tech giant is rolling out substantial improvements in an attempt to win over its critics. Let's break down what all this means for you, the end-user.

---

What Are Start Menu Recommendations?​

To recap (or in case you’ve studiously ignored this part of your Start menu), the Recommendations feature in Windows 11's Start menu serves up suggestions based on what you do on your PC. For example:

• Frequently accessed apps like Microsoft Teams or Telegram might appear.
• Recently opened files could pop up here for easy access.
• Oddly, your browser activity could influence website suggestions.

Sounds neat, right? Unfortunately, the logic behind these recommendations has historically been wonky. Many users report irrelevant, unhelpful, or inaccurate suggestions that barely align with their actual usage habits. Some merely see this feature as clutter or, worse, emblematic of Microsoft's push toward combining local and cloud-based ecosystems.

---

The Problem: Why Do People Hate It?​

While the idea of automating one-click access to frequently used apps, files, or services sounds great on paper, the execution leaves much to be desired.

• Irrelevant Suggestions: Imagine booting up your computer to get started on a project, only to find the Start menu "recommends" yesterday’s work playlist instead of any of your actual project files.
• Privacy Concerns: The idea that Microsoft analyzes your app usage, file interactions, and possibly web history creeps out privacy-conscious users. Even if the data never leaves your device, it raises eyebrows.
• Visual Disruption: The feature disrupts the clean aesthetic of the Start menu, presenting a cluttered range of “suggestions” you didn’t ask for.

And yet, despite the backlash, Microsoft stands firm—they’re not removing recommendations. Instead, they promise to make it better by fixing what's broken.

---

The Upgrade: What's Changing?​

Starting with the KB5048753 update, now available in the Beta channel, Microsoft is improving the Recommendation system’s logic. Here’s what they’re up to:

• Enhanced Filtering: The Start menu will now prioritize showing apps, files, or sites that align more closely with your actual habits. No more puzzling recommendations for apps you used once six months ago.
• Better Quality Results: Browsing behavior can inform smarter suggestions, though it's unclear whether this applies solely to Edge or browsers like Chrome and Firefox.
• User Feedback Focus: Microsoft acknowledges these changes are a work in progress. They’re actively looking for feedback to enhance and fine-tune future iterations of the feature.

Some early testers report that the system feels faster, “smarter,” and more accurate in predicting what users actually want to open. Whether this resolves the larger usability complaints remains to be seen.

---

Bing-Free Search Is Coming (Wait, What?)​

If these tweaks aren’t your idea of earth-shaking news, another forthcoming feature might pique your interest: Microsoft is separating local Search results from Bing-powered Search. For users in the EU, this means:

• A default local Search experience that exclusively searches your PC (no web results unless you specifically ask for them).
• A separate Bing tab for web-based searches, addressing potential anti-competitive concerns raised by the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Though limited to European markets, this could have broader implications for future Windows updates globally, should users demand a similar bifurcated Search elsewhere. Just don’t hold your breath if you’re in the U.S., where typical anti-competitive regulations are a distant drumbeat.

---

Broader Implications: Why Should You Care?​

1. Quality of Life Improvements​

For those of us running Windows as our daily driver—whether for work, gaming, or creative pursuits—minor refinements like accurate recommendations or a streamlined Search function add up. Even the small shift toward prioritizing local Search by default gives you better control and avoids unnecessary web distractions.

2. End of One-Size-Fits-All Features?​

Microsoft’s openness to feedback signals a broader cultural shift: Instead of dictating features few want, they’re seemingly embracing customization. Whether this marks a more user-focused iteration of Windows or just a temporary blip remains to be seen, but it’s encouraging to know users are being heard through beta tests and insider builds.

3. Privacy Concerns Still Linger​

Improving the Recommendations feature means sharper algorithms, which in turn require better data collection and pattern analysis from your system usage. While Microsoft insists this information remains on your device, privacy hawks might still wish for a way to disable the feature outright. Sadly, that option remains off the table—at least for now.

---

What's Next for the Start Menu?​

Microsoft hasn’t stopped at “improving recommendations.” Here are some related updates in the pipeline:

• Search Evolution: As previously mentioned, separating local and Bing Search could change Search functionality for good—at least in regulated regions.
• Further Start Menu Tweaks: Although specifics weren’t discussed, the company promises continued refinement through future cumulative updates.

For those longing for taskbar repositioning (one of the most requested features), don’t hold your breath. Like Y2K fashion, some trends aren’t coming back anytime soon.

---

TL;DR​

Rather than scrapping the Start menu’s divisive Recommendations feature, Microsoft is doubling down and improving it:

• Expect smarter suggestions thanks to re-engineered filters.
• Early adopters in the Beta channel are reporting success.
• Coming soon: Bing-free local Search to keep EU regulators happy.

Is this Microsoft listening to its audience or an unavoidable consequence of global market forces? Either way, your Start menu is about to get a little less frustrating—and that’s a win most Windows 11 users can get behind.
What’s your take on Start menu recommendations? Share your thoughts on the forums!

---

Source: Windows Latest Windows 11 won't remove Start menu's recommendations, but Microsoft will make it better