Since its debut in 2021, Windows 11’s Start menu has seen minor design tweaks and a few customization features—but no major redesign. Now, Microsoft is finally giving the Start menu a complete overhaul, introducing a fresh layout and expanded customization options. Thanks to @phantomofearth, we now have an early look at what this revamped Start menu will look like.
On Thursday, Microsoft rolled out new Windows 11 Insider builds for the Dev (26200.5518) and Beta (26120.3671) channels, revealing a hidden Start menu layout. The redesigned Start menu features a single scrollable page that displays both pinned and installed apps—eliminating the need to click “All” to view your full app list.
Most notably, you can now disable recommendations in the Start menu and have all your pinned apps visible by default. As you scroll, you’ll be able to view all installed apps, with multiple layout options available. The “Name list” arranges apps alphabetically, similar to the classic view, while the “Name grid” presents them in a clean, grid-style layout.
Lastly, the new “Category” layout organizes apps into grouped sections, a feature we’ve already highlighted in our upcoming Windows 11 features article. It resembles the iOS App Library, automatically sorting apps into six categories: Utilities & Tools, Productivity, Creativity, Games, Business, and Other. In addition to these layout changes, the Start menu itself has also been made taller and wider, offering more space and a refreshed look.
If you’re running the latest Beta or Dev build of Windows 11, you can unlock the new Start menu layout by enabling feature ID 49402389 using ViveTool. If that doesn’t activate it, try enabling the following additional feature IDs as well: 49221331, 47205210, and 48433719.
In addition, Microsoft announced in a recent blog post that Windows 11 will soon let users resize Taskbar icons. You’ll be able to keep smaller icons enabled at all times, disable the feature, or have icons shrink automatically when the Taskbar gets crowded. This means you’ll no longer need third-party tools to adjust icon size.
All in all, as Microsoft marks its 50th anniversary, the company seems focused on addressing long-standing user frustrations in Windows 11 and finally delivering features the community has been asking for.
