Making a good Windows 11 Start menu shouldn't be this hard. Yet, somehow, Microsoft makes UI design look like an impossible task.
I'm hardly the first person to complain about the new Start menu. Heck, one Reddit thread got so much attention that we covered it earlier this week.
Microsoft promised to improve Windows 11 this year after receiving heaps of negative feedback.
"We need to improve Windows in ways that are meaningful for people," said the tech giant. The new Start menu is not a meaningful improvement.
To be fair, Microsoft made that promise at the end of January. The new Start menu was in the works far before then. I'm not saying Microsoft broke its promise. I'm saying the new Start menu is a glaring example of the type of thing Microsoft needs to move away from and fix.
But before we get into my specific suggestions, let’s look at the rest of a very busy week for Windows.
Weekly Windows Wrap: The Big News
Like many, I received an update to Windows 11 recently that brought the new Start menu. Also like many, I was disappointed in the change.
Windows 11's new Start menu tossed Crash Bandicoot 4, Auto Dark Mode, WhatsApp, and Slack into the "Other" folder. Truly, it's a strange collection of apps that clearly shouldn't be grouped together.
But even apps placed into somewhat sensible categories were grouped wrong on my desktop. Why is the Xbox app placed next to Spotify? Why is PowerToys in the same category as a shortcut to my OneDrive folder?
Even if Windows 11 accurately sorted games and apps into the correct categories — which it doesn't — I would still prefer to customize category view. I may want to split my games into different sections or organize apps from different categories into a single section because I use those apps side-by-side.
A recent Windows Central poll shows that 43% of voters don't like the new Start menu and feel it's more cluttered than before. An additional 25% of those polled miss the controls they used to have over the start menu. That poll represents a small sample size, but I'd be willing to bet those feelings are shared by many.
Rather than just complain about the new Start menu, I'll share five ways Microsoft can fix it:
- Don't show ads
- Let people move the taskbar
- Make categories customizable
- Let people resize the Start menu
- Add an option to collapse sections
To Microsoft's credit, the tech giant already committed to let users move the taskbar — a glorious feat that brings Windows 11 to feature parity with Windows 10.
If Microsoft is serious about its promise to improve Windows 11, its leaders and developers need to focus on improving one of the best-known parts of the operating system.
Shopping with Sean
A bad Start menu doesn’t mean we stop using our PCs.
While I'm waiting for Microsoft to listen to the feedback I’ve outlined above, I still have to get work done every day. If you’re in the same boat, these are the hardware deals this week that are worth your money.
If you do want to fix the Start menu madness, I've scored an exclusive discount from Stardock to take 25% Start11. Use the code windowscentral to get the discount (live for 14 days from publication).
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