The Start Menu has been the single most visible and emotionally charged element of the Windows experience for three decades, and the ongoing tug of war between Microsoft’s design choices and user expectations has rarely been more visible than it is today. Recent Windows 11 updates have attempted to restore some power-user functionality while also simplifying the interface; at the same time, third‑party replacements — both commercial and open source — continue to attract users who want a different balance of familiarity, speed, and customization. This feature examines the redesigned Windows 11 Start, the enduring appeal of Open‑Shell as a free alternative, how Open‑Shell compares with paid rivals, and the real-world trade-offs you should weigh before swapping the native menu on a production PC.
Background / Overview
Windows’ Start Menu has evolved from the hierarchical launcher introduced with Windows 95 into a search-first, touch-aware, and cloud-aware surface. Microsoft’s most recent large‑scale Start redesign reached Windows 11 through an optional preview update (KB5067036) and moves the OS away from the two‑pane pinned vs. all‑apps model to a single, vertically scrollable Start surface with multiple “All apps” views that adapt to screen size and user habits. Microsoft documents the redesign in the KB notes and highlights three major changes: a scrollable “All” section, Category and Grid views (with the menu remembering your last choice), and a responsive layout that scales to larger displays. Independent reporting and early hands‑on coverage confirm the practical effect: pinned apps, a Recommended area, and the full All‑apps inventory now live on a single canvas and users can hide Recommendation items if they prefer a minimalist Start. The rollout is controlled and gradual; installing the KB alone does not guarantee immediate access because feature flags and server‑side gating determine exposure. Those platform changes are the reason many users are once again evaluating third‑party Start menu replacements. Commercial options such as Start11 and StartAllBack offer polished UI choices and broader shell controls, while free, open‑source projects like ExplorerPatcher and Open‑Shell focus on restoring legacy behaviours without cost. Community discussions and product roundups make clear there’s no one-size-fits-all answer: the right choice depends on whether you value polish and integration, or control and low cost.
What Microsoft Changed — The Practical Details
A single, scrollable Start surface
The redesigned Start eliminates the separate All‑apps page by folding everything into one vertically scrollable surface. In practice, that reduces the number of clicks to reach installed software and makes the Start feel more like a modern launcher while preserving pinned shortcuts and recent items. The official KB describes how the Pinned, Recommended, and All sections now share the same canvas and how the layout adapts to different screens.
Multiple “All” views: Category, Grid, List
Users can pick between Category view (apps grouped automatically into topical buckets like Productivity or Games), Grid view (denser alphabetic grid), and List view (classic A→Z list). The Start menu remembers the last selection so the experience persists across sessions — a small but important QoL improvement for those who prefer deterministic layouts. Coverage from major outlets confirms these view modes and offers practical impressions of each.
Responsive layout and Phone Link integration
The Start adapts to large screens by showing more pinned icons and content columns. It also includes a Phone Link integration toggle that expands a phone sidebar when a handset is paired, folding cross‑device workflows into the launcher. These additions are targeted at users with many apps and those who rely on a connected phone as part of their workflow.
The rollout model and stability caveats
Microsoft ships the redesign as part of KB5067036 but uses staged feature flags for controlled rollouts, which means visibility will vary across machines and regions. Early adopters have reported occasional side effects after installing the preview update; a known issue affecting Task Manager duplication emerged around the same optional update, and Microsoft has acknowledged and is working on fixes. This reinforces the common advice to treat optional previews as test builds — not full production updates — until Microsoft pushes fixes.
Enter Open‑Shell: A truly free, classic‑style Start replacement
What Open‑Shell is and what it does
Open‑Shell is the community‑maintained continuation of the Classic Shell project. It’s a focused collection of utilities designed to restore classic Start behaviour and a few Explorer conveniences. Open‑Shell provides three Start menu styles — Classic single column, Two‑column, and Windows 7 style — and exposes deep customization: skins, custom Start buttons, searchable menus, and keyboard-friendly navigation. It also brings a toolbar and status bar to File Explorer and other legacy touches that many power users appreciate. The project is open source and distributed on GitHub and the Open‑Shell homepage; the public docs and README enumerate the features and list supported platforms.
Why it’s still compelling in 2025
- It’s free and permissively licensed — no trialware, no nag screens.
- It restores highly efficient two‑column and Windows 7‑style workflows that many users still prefer for productivity.
- It’s lightweight: Open‑Shell’s CPU and memory footprint is modest compared with some commercial competitors, making it attractive on older hardware or VMs.
- It’s configurable: skins, icon packs, and a deep preference panel let experienced users tune almost every visual and behavioural detail.
What Open‑Shell does not do
Open‑Shell intentionally focuses on the Start menu and a few Explorer add‑ons. It is not a full shell replacement that manipulates the taskbar, window manager, or Live Tile infrastructure. If you want taskbar relocation, floating taskbars, or advanced Explorer hooks (beyond toolbar and status bar tweaks), commercial tools or other open projects will be required. This is a deliberate trade‑off that keeps Open‑Shell simple and stable.
Hands‑on: Installing and configuring Open‑Shell
- Download the latest stable release from Open‑Shell’s GitHub releases or the project homepage and run the installer with administrative privileges.
- Open Open‑Shell settings and choose your Start Menu Style: Classic, Two‑column, or Windows 7.
- Pick a skin and a Start button graphic (or import your own). Adjust behavior: search scope, keyboard shortcuts, and which system folders appear.
- If desired, enable Classic Explorer to add a status bar and toolbar to File Explorer, and configure commands and columns to match your workflow.
Open‑Shell changes appear immediately and do not require a reboot. For users migrating from a paid tool, matching toolbar and visual settings may take a little trial and error — but the intuitive settings panels make this straightforward. The project’s docs and community discussions are helpful when trying to replicate a very specific legacy look.
Comparing the options: Open‑Shell vs. Start11, StartAllBack, ExplorerPatcher
What you get from commercial rivals
- Start11 (Stardock) targets users who want a highly polished, integrated experience that can place the Start button and icons wherever they please, apply modern skinning, and add deep taskbar adjustments across multiple monitors. It’s polished and offers enterprise deployment options.
- StartAllBack concentrates on restoring classic visual metaphors while keeping the modern feel, with a tight focus on taskbar polish and File Explorer improvements.
- ExplorerPatcher is a free, open source alternative aimed specifically at restoring Windows 10–style Start and taskbar behaviors by patching Explorer shell behaviour and exposing a robust settings UI. It’s popular because it can return a near‑complete Windows 10 shell experience on Windows 11 without cost.
Trade‑offs at a glance
- Cost: Open‑Shell and ExplorerPatcher are free; Start11 and StartAllBack are commercial but offer a more finished UI and support model.
- Scope: Open‑Shell focuses on the menu and Explorer toolbar; Start11/StartAllBack cover taskbar behavior, multi‑monitor placement, and more UI polish.
- Stability: All tools interact with the shell; risk rises with the breadth of changes. ExplorerPatcher (because it hooks explorer.exe deeply) can be the most powerful but also requires the most caution after major Windows updates.
- Integration with modern Windows 11 features: Commercial tools are more likely to maintain seamless integration with evolving Windows 11 components, while open projects sometimes lag behind new feature flags and platform updates.
Strengths and limitations of Open‑Shell — a critical take
Strengths
- Zero cost, open source transparency. Anyone can audit the code, and there’s no paywall to access powerful customization features.
- Classic, productivity-proven layouts. Two‑column and Windows 7 styles remain exceptionally efficient for keyboard users and those who rely on predictable, hierarchical menus.
- Low resource footprint. For systems where every megabyte counts, Open‑Shell typically consumes less memory and CPU than richer replacement suites.
Limitations and risks
- UI polish and modern integration. Open‑Shell’s look-and-feel can feel slightly dated beside commercial alternatives that mimic Windows 11’s Fluent design language more closely. Users who want seamless visual parity may prefer a paid solution.
- Compatibility with Microsoft’s staged rollouts. Because Microsoft is actively updating the Start and taskbar code paths (KB5067036 is a recent example), third‑party shell utilities sometimes need updates to retain compatibility. When Microsoft ships a UI or behavior change, expect a short lag before community tools are patched.
- Security and anti‑malware false positives. Tools that hook into explorer.exe or modify shell behavior can occasionally trigger antivirus heuristic detections. Use official release channels, verify checksums where available, and prefer signed builds. Unofficial mirrors or patched copies increase risk.
- Operational risk for managed PCs. In enterprise environments, changing the shell or Start behavior can complicate support, break scripted policies, and introduce unexpected behaviour with management tools. IT teams should pilot changes on a small group, validate support tools (MECM, Intune), and maintain rollback plans.
Practical recommendations for everyday and power users
For people who want classic functionality without paying
- Try Open‑Shell first. It’s free, low-friction to install and uninstall, and gives the most direct path back to tried-and-true menu workflows. Tweak the skin and menu style to match the balance between nostalgia and productivity you prefer.
For users who want a polished, integrated experience
- Consider commercial tools like Start11 or StartAllBack. They cost money but offer a more modern aesthetic, integration with taskbar controls, and vendor support if you need it in a production environment.
For cautious or enterprise users
- Avoid changing the shell on critical workstations until you’ve piloted the update on representative machines. Use System Restore or image backups and document a rollback procedure. If security policy forbids third‑party shell hooks, work with IT to evaluate approved tools or Microsoft’s built‑in settings.
If you install Microsoft’s Start redesign (KB5067036)
- Be prepared for phased exposure and some instability with optional preview builds. Monitor for known issues (for example, Task Manager duplication) and defer installing the optional KB on mission‑critical machines until fixes are released. If you do experiment, keep backups and consider testing in a virtual machine first.
The bigger picture: why the Start menu still matters
The Start Menu is more than an app launcher; it’s a daily workflow hub, an onboarding surface for new users, and a battleground for design philosophies: minimalism vs. customizability, continuity vs. change, and accessibility vs. visual experimentation. Microsoft’s recent redesign signals an attempt to reconcile discoverability and modern design, while the continued popularity of replacements like Open‑Shell shows that many users prioritize speed, predictability, and personal control.
This dynamic is healthy: competition and community projects push Microsoft to listen, and Microsoft’s staged rollout model suggests the company is trying to balance telemetry‑driven experimentation with conservative release practices. For users, the choice between stock and third‑party will depend on how much risk and maintenance they are willing to accept in exchange for the exact Start behaviour they prefer.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s November‑era Start redesign restores several long‑requested conveniences — a single, scrollable Start surface, multiple “All apps” views, and a more responsive, display‑aware layout — while shipping those changes behind staged flags and optional updates. For many users that will be enough. For others, particularly those who prefer a compact, two‑column classic menu and deep customization without cost, Open‑Shell remains an excellent, pragmatic choice: it’s open source, mature, and purpose‑built for the classic‑menu use case. However, it’s not a one‑size‑fits‑all solution; commercial alternatives deliver broader shell control and a higher degree of polish, and shell‑level modifications always carry compatibility and support trade‑offs that deserve careful consideration.
Whether you adopt Microsoft’s refreshed Start, install Open‑Shell, or opt for a paid product, treat the change like any other system‑level tweak: back up, test in a non‑critical environment, and keep an eye on update notes and community reports so you aren’t surprised by interoperability issues after a Windows update. The Start Menu may be an icon of the past, but it remains central to modern productivity — and choosing the right menu is still one of the single most effective ways to tune your Windows workflow.
Source: Pocket-lint
I finally found a better Windows 11 Start Menu