Microsoft quietly rolled out a sweeping Windows 11 Start menu redesign in October 2025, replacing its fragmented layout with a unified scrollable pane built around three core sections: Pinned, Recommended, and All Apps. The update arrived through standard Windows Update channels with zero prior announcement — classic Microsoft. Auto-categorisation, adaptive column layouts, and toggleable views signal a deliberate shift toward streamlined simplicity over manual control, with full rollout extending into 2026 and plenty more details waiting ahead.
Microsoft has quietly overhauled the Windows 11 Start menu, rolling it out in waves across versions 24H2 and 25H2 beginning October 2025. The update arrived through standard Windows Update channels, meaning millions of users booted their PCs one morning to find something unfamiliar staring back at them.
No dramatic announcement. No countdown. Just a redesigned Start menu, live and already reorganising their digital lives.
The new layout ditches the old fragmented approach and consolidates everything into a single scrollable pane divided into three distinct sections: Pinned, Recommended, and All. The Pinned section defaults to two rows holding up to eight apps each, shrinking dynamically when fewer apps are pinned to redistribute space elsewhere.
Three sections. One scrollable pane. The fragmented Start menu is gone, replaced by something that actually redistributes space as you use it.
Larger screens get eight columns; smaller screens get six. It adapts rather than forces, which is more than most software redesigns can claim.
The Recommended section surfaces recent files, applications, and Microsoft Store promotions, expanding to four rows on certain configurations. Users who find that intrusive can disable it entirely through settings. Fair enough.
What’s harder to ignore is the All Apps section, which now lives directly within the main menu rather than behind a separate button. It auto-categorises apps into groups like Productivity or Developer Tools, mimicking the organisational logic familiar to anyone who’s ever arranged an iPhone home screen.
Users can toggle between Category View and an alphabetical Grid View, which keeps things from feeling too algorithmic.
Adaptive design does the heavy lifting under the hood. Screen resolution and size automatically dictate how many columns and category rows appear, with no manual size adjustment available.
That last part matters as Microsoft removed the layout sizing option from Start settings entirely. Some users will see that as streamlining. Others will call it a quiet stripping of control. Both reactions are reasonable.
Phone Link integration was likewise spotted during the Insider testing phase, though it remains in testing as the broader rollout continues into 2026. Microsoft ran the redesign through Insider builds before wide release, which suggests the company stress-tested the reaction before committing.
The features that survived that process, including pin grouping and the Grid versus Category toggle, hint at where Microsoft drew the line between opinionated design and user tolerance.
Customisation isn’t gone, just narrowed. Pin organisation, grouping, and the ability to hide Recommendations entirely remain intact.
What’s gone is the ability to manually resize the menu or reconfigure its fundamental layout structure. Microsoft has clearly decided the adaptive system knows better.
Whether it actually does depends heavily on the screen in front of you and the workflow behind it.
The rollout extending into 2026 means not every user will encounter this immediately, but the direction is set. The Windows 11 Start menu no longer asks what you prefer. It adapts, categorises, and reorganises on your behalf. The redesign aligns with user feedback favouring all apps visibility, a preference Microsoft acknowledged when making a similar change to Windows 10. Users seeking greater control over the experience have turned to third-party apps like Start11 to restore personalisation options that the native menu no longer provides.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft’s Start Menu redesign for Windows 11 marks a significant evolution, indicating the company is committed to bold changes rather than small updates. This shift invites users to adapt to a new experience. If you’re navigating these changes and need assistance, the Moreton Bay Computer Repairs team is here to help you get the most out of your Windows 11 setup. Don’t hesitate—click on our contact us page to reach out and discover how we can support you!
