Microsoft reveals its rejected Start menu redesigns

Microsoft is redesigning the Start menu in Windows 11 this month with a new, wider design that finally lets you disable the recommended feed of files and apps. While the new Start menu looks different to what exists in Windows 11 today, this design refresh could have looked a lot different as Microsoft has now revealed in concept images.

In a blog post detailing the process of redesigning the Start menu, Microsoft has revealed five concept designs that could have radically overhauled how the menu works in Windows. One includes an even more rounded menu with widget-like functionality, and a separate For You section that lists Teams meetings, YouTube videos, and recently used files.

Another concept has the For You section separated at the side, with the main menu focused on categories of apps, and another prototype imagines a landing page as the Start menu, complete with shortcuts, apps, files, and separate sections to access your Android phone, personalized app lists, and creation tools. There’s even a start menu concept that appears to take up the entire vertical space of a screen, complete with separated sections that you seem to scroll vertically to access.

“Whiteboards, Figma frames, floor-to-ceiling paper prototypes—nothing was too scrappy,” says the Windows design team. “We sketched out a plethora of layouts, letting ourselves go wild and discover new things before applying the editorial pen.”

Microsoft tested its various Start menu designs with more than 300 Windows 11 fans and even co-creation calls with select fans. “We watched eye-tracking heat maps swirl, counted scroll wheels, and listened for ’oh!‘s of delight to know where we were hitting the mark,” says the design team.

The focus of the new Start menu has been on being able to easily see your apps, customizability, speed, and not overhauling it too much to “respect three decades of muscle memory.” The result is a new Start menu that’s bigger and more customizable than what exists today. Being able to remove the recommended feed will be a welcome addition for many, and the phone companion panel looks like it’s fully built into the Start menu to provide quick access to recent calls, messages, and phone files.

Microsoft is testing this new Start menu with Windows Insiders over the coming month, so expect to see it show up for all Windows 11 users in the coming months.