Microsoft is once again reworking Windows 11's Start menu

Microsoft is reportedly rebuilding the Start menu with WinUI 3 for better performance and more customization.

In 2025, Microsoft introduced a redesigned Start menu to address user feedback and bring some much-needed, long-requested features. While the new version is indeed significantly better than what Microsoft shipped in 2021, it is still far from perfect and is missing some important things. The good news is that Microsoft is redoing the Start menu once again.

According to a newly published report, Microsoft is reworking the Start menu using WinUI 3, with the main goal of improving performance and making it more customizable. If you often use your PC under heavy load, you probably know how slow the Start menu can be. With the upcoming redesign, Microsoft wants to make the Start menu snappy and responsive even under 100% resource load.

It is not just performance, though. A major point of criticism is the inability to resize the Start menu. While Windows 11 can adjust the menu's size per your monitor settings, there is no way to resize it manually, unless you use third-party mods like Windhawk. It is a stark contrast to Windows 10, where you can resize the Start menu by simply holding and dragging one of its edges. Details remain scarce, but the report claims that you will be able to switch between small and large layouts.

Finally, Microsoft wants to make the Start menu more modular. In the current version, you can remove the Recommended section (finally!), but some other major elements remain always on (again, unless you opt for third-party mods). The "third-generation" Start menu should fix that by letting you disable pins, app groups, the list of all apps, and recommendations.

With Microsoft recently revealing its plan to fix Windows 11, it makes sense for the company to focus on the Start menu, the most iconic and widely used part of the operating system. This, in addition to Windows Update changes, taskbar updates, a redesigned Windows Insider program, and many more, should make a solid effort to reignite the long-gone enthusiasm and excitement in Windows.

Source: Windows Central

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Posted Saturday 18 April 2026 at 7:38 am AEST (my time).

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