Microsoft appears to be working on a significant update to the Start menu on Windows 11 that merges the pinned and recommended areas with the apps list, bringing it all into one combined interface.
Additionally, the new Start menu appears to be wider, allowing you to pin even more apps, with an option to automatically show all of your pinned apps without needing to expand the view first.
The new Start menu will also finally let you remove the Recommended area below your pinned apps, which usually showcases recent apps and files that you have installed or opened.
The new Start menu is hidden in the latest Windows 11 preview build and was first spotted by @phantomofearth on X. It's yet to be officially announced, but with Microsoft's 50th anniversary coming up tomorrow, and Microsoft Build later in May, I suspect we'll be hearing about it in the next handful of weeks.
The current Windows 11 Start menu isn't very customizable which makes it a frequently critiqued area of the OS. It places the apps list in a separate view that you have to manually click into first to see all of your installed apps. The Recommended area is also not something the user can currently turn off.
The new Start menu looks to be solving those issues, which is great to see. Merging the apps list with the pinned area is likely an attempt to appeal to Windows 10 users, which has a Start menu that can show both pins and the apps list at the same time.
Hidden in today's Dev/Beta CUs: a major update to the Windows 11 Start menu! It has a new, larger layout with everything on one scrollable page, with the "All" list below recommendations - which can FINALLY be turned off! Pinned list is now limited to 2 rows, but can be expanded. pic.twitter.com/JkP3V2I5g6April 3, 2025
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