The evolution of Windows 11’s Start menu has never just been about visual appeal—it’s a barometer for how Microsoft interprets the shifting needs of its user base and the relentless pace of device convergence. In its latest Dev Channel build, Microsoft is taking arguably its boldest step yet, unveiling a Start menu overhaul that brings scrollable layouts, granular customization, cross-device synergy, and visible AI under one unified roof. This feature-rich update, which has already sparked lively debate among Windows enthusiasts and professionals, could reset expectations for what the Start menu signifies in a modern computing world.
Yet, this journey is not without risk. Privacy, performance, and uneven integration remain real challenges. As with most profound changes in Windows’ history, success will rest not only on engineering but on how Microsoft listens to its community during the rollout.
For power users, IT admins, and everyday enthusiasts, the message is clear: keep your feedback flowing, test the new features on the Insider builds, and prepare for a desktop experience that may finally feel as dynamic, personal, and seamless as the mobile era demands. With this update, Windows 11’s Start menu stakes its claim—once again—at the heart of the user’s digital world.
Source: BizzBuzz Microsoft Updates Windows 11 Start Menu with Scroll and Phone Link
A Start Menu Tailored for the Individual
Legacy and Lessons
To understand the magnitude of this change, one must appreciate the Start menu’s journey. From Windows 95’s innovation to the polarizing Windows 8 Start screen, Microsoft has repeatedly reimagined and retrenched, often in direct response to user feedback. Windows 10’s return to tradition coupled with Windows 11’s focus on minimalism and centered layouts marked a dual pursuit: honoring classic workflows while inviting modern efficiency. But not all users were satisfied—customization options seemed lacking, and a heavily featured “Recommended” area surfaced files and apps many considered unwanted or intrusive.The Big Reveal: Breaking Down the Changes
Scrollable, Adaptive Layouts
The headline innovation in this update is the scrollable Start menu, an answer to the persistent pain of overflowing pinned apps and scattered application listings. No longer must users paginate or dive through deep menus—everything, from pinned groups to the full app catalog, is now accessible in a single, scrollable interface. The experience dynamically scales: larger monitors surface up to eight columns of pinned apps, while smaller devices adjust for usability by showing fewer columns, ensuring clarity and control no matter the device form factor.A Menu that Changes with Your Screen
Responsive design cues shape the Start menu’s new structure. On larger screens, users can expect to see up to 8 pinned app columns, 6 recommended apps, and 4 category columns; on tablets and smaller laptops, those numbers scale down to remain uncluttered. This means multitaskers and professionals aren’t limited by hardware, and casual users on smaller devices aren’t overwhelmed by visual noise.View Modes: Grid, Categories, and Classic
- Traditional List View: Remains for continuity—an alphabetical list echoing the Windows legacy.
- Grid View: Reimagines the app drawer with neat, resizable tiles, reminiscent of live tiles but more restrained.
- Category View: Groups apps automatically into logical folders (such as Productivity, Creativity, Social), channeling mobile OS organization while respecting desktop workflows.
Putting Control Back in Users’ Hands
Hide the "Recommended" Section
Perhaps the most user-requested feature is the ability to hide the Recommended pane. What began as a function to surface work-in-progress files and app suggestions quickly became for many a distracting, even privacy-compromising, distraction. User feedback—especially from power users and privacy-conscious sectors—made it clear that this feature needed to be optional. Now, a single toggle lets users turn it off, decluttering the Start menu and restoring focus to pinned and grouped apps.Enhanced App Organization with Drag and Drop
Customization runs deeper than visual tweaks: color-coded folders, user-definable tags, and a reengineered drag-and-drop interface make organizing and recalling applications frictionless. These changes, long championed by critics of previous, more rigid menus, mean no third-party tools or registry hacks are required to craft a personalized app space. For IT professionals and adventurous users, “Personalization” settings now expose more granular controls, putting the power back where it belongs: with the user.The Phone Link Companion: Desktop and Mobile, Finally in Sync
Native Phone Link Integration
The most significant structural change is the Phone Link panel—no longer a tacked-on widget, but a collapsible, core component of the Start menu. This area displays live phone battery data, connection status, recent photos, and messages, all within view and actionable at a glance. For Android users in particular, the breadth of integration is expansive; for iOS, core features like messages and battery are available, but deeper interactions remain limited by Apple’s device restrictions.What Can You Do?
- View battery and connection status for paired devices
- Instantly preview and act on recent photos
- Read and respond to messages, or dismiss notifications without opening Phone Link as a separate app
A New Command Center
This integration isn’t just about convenience—Microsoft views it as core to the modern workflow. Whether you’re lifting a photo from your phone for a PowerPoint presentation or replying to a text while screensharing, the boundary between devices begins to fade. For business, this means fewer distractions and for home users, true multi-device multitasking.Quick Access and Security
Microsoft asserts that all communications through the Phone Link panel are secured with strong encryption, and users retain control over what’s synced or shown. Yet, some privacy watchdogs urge caution, especially as exposure of notifications and live data in a desktop context could be risky in shared or public environments. It’s crucial for users to audit their sharing settings and for IT departments to monitor adoption in sensitive contexts.Widgets and Gamers Rejoice
Lock Screen Widgets
Another forward-thinking experiment: personalized widgets on the lock screen. Insider testers currently have access to Weather, Sports, Watchlist, and Traffic widgets, all rearrangeable or dismissible at will. For commuters or those who check their PCs for quick updates before logging in, this is a small but meaningful quality-of-life boost—one that’s also likely to see rapid iteration based on tester feedback.Accessibility for Handheld Gaming
With portable gaming devices like the ROG Xbox Ally gaining traction, Microsoft has introduced a gamepad keyboard for login screens. Users can now enter PINs or passwords without needing to reach for a keyboard—an accessibility win for gamers and those using Windows-based handhelds, further broadening Windows 11’s device ambitions.AI at the Core: From Paint to Copilot
Microsoft’s relentless push into AI continues unabated. Paint now features an AI-driven sticker generator, helping users create original content with minimal effort. Notepad, a staple for many, is also seeing incremental intelligence enhancements—quicker search, natural language suggestions, and more. Office applications, particularly Word, are evolving their Copilot experiences, leveraging on-device and cloud AI to anticipate user needs, autofill content, and even summarize or rewrite passages with natural flair.Smarter Search, Smarter System
A new “Settings Copilot” powered by on-device small language models enables spoken or typed commands such as “change my wallpaper” or “set up Focus Assist for 10 minutes”—a leap toward the voice-enabled, contextually aware desktop of the future. These AI assistants surface relevant controls, automate routine tasks, and promise to shrink helpdesk traffic for businesses, although, as always with AI, reliability in the wild will be tested over time.Strengths: What Microsoft Gets Right
- User Agency: More customization means more satisfaction and a menu that adapts to you, not the other way around
- Cross-Device Fluidity: Deep Phone Link integration turns Windows into a hub in a world where phones and desktops are ever-more intertwined
- Responsiveness: The new Start menu promises speed and near-instant adaptability thanks to improvements in underlying architecture
- Accessibility: Keyboard, touch, and controller support ensure inclusion, whether you’re on a desktop, convertible, or handheld
Challenges and Open Risks
Privacy and Data Sharing
The very features that promise convenience—surfaced mobile data, live notifications—also present risks. Showing recent photos or messages on the Start menu could compromise sensitive information, particularly for multi-user systems, in open offices, or on shared family PCs. Although Microsoft’s official stance on encrypted transmission is clear, users and admins alike should scrutinize phone-linking policies and be aware of unintended data exposure.Performance Overhead
As dynamic elements (real-time widgets, live data panels) proliferate, there’s a legitimate concern about increased RAM or CPU use—especially on older or entry-level PCs. While Microsoft touts improved efficiency and speed, only broad-scale public rollout will reveal if performance remains high across the vast spectrum of supported hardware.Usability: The Learning Curve
Customizable categories and auto-grouping, while generally positive, risk misclassifying apps or leaving users lost if groupings don’t mesh with their workflows. Edge cases—like professional users with dozens of niche applications—will put the robustness of these features to the test. The balance between helpful automation and predictable user patterns is a delicate one, and Microsoft’s Insider program will play a key role in tuning the system before mainstream deployment.Feature Fragmentation
Phased rollouts can mean support headaches, especially in enterprise where not all systems update simultaneously. Consistency—and clear migration paths—are vital for IT departments managing heterogeneous device fleets, lest the new Start menu introduce more confusion than convenience.iOS Limitations
While Android enjoys nearly all of the Phone Link features, iOS's integration remains partial, restricted largely by Apple’s policies. Microsoft acknowledges these gaps but promises iterative improvements. For now, this is a reality those in the Apple ecosystem will have to accept.How Does It Stack Up? Comparative Context
Microsoft isn’t just chasing its old self; it’s responding to innovations seen in macOS, iOS, and even Linux environments. The Start menu’s new features—dynamic app grouping, real-time device status, and deep personalization—closely resemble Apple’s Launchpad and iPadOS app shelves, as well as features long demanded (and often achieved through third-party tools) in GNOME or KDE desktops. Yet, Windows retains a unique dual legacy: the power user’s OS and the bedrock of the enterprise world. Balancing backward compatibility, mass-market ergonomics, and fresh ambition is no small feat.The Road Ahead: Rollout and Feedback
The redesigned Start menu and associated features are currently being rigorously tested by Windows Insiders. The staged approach—beginning in the Dev Channel—ensures Microsoft can iterate based on bug reports, real-world user feedback, and enterprise requirements. These features are expected to reach consumer and business users via a non-security preview update, with broad rollout anticipated by the time of the next major Windows 11 refresh.Final Thoughts
Microsoft’s new Start menu is, fundamentally, a response to the realities of 2020s computing: users demand flexibility, expect cross-device continuity, and want control over their digital environments. With scrollable layouts, robust customization, integrated Phone Link, smarter AI, and new accessibility features, the Start menu is no longer just a launcher—it’s the command center for a digital ecosystem that spans desktops, handhelds, and mobile phones.Yet, this journey is not without risk. Privacy, performance, and uneven integration remain real challenges. As with most profound changes in Windows’ history, success will rest not only on engineering but on how Microsoft listens to its community during the rollout.
For power users, IT admins, and everyday enthusiasts, the message is clear: keep your feedback flowing, test the new features on the Insider builds, and prepare for a desktop experience that may finally feel as dynamic, personal, and seamless as the mobile era demands. With this update, Windows 11’s Start menu stakes its claim—once again—at the heart of the user’s digital world.
Source: BizzBuzz Microsoft Updates Windows 11 Start Menu with Scroll and Phone Link
