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    The Windows 11 Start menu is getting a big update with a dedicated widget panel

    Karlston

    By Karlston,
    Published Date:

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    1715279967_start_menu_companions.jpg

     

    The recently released Windows 11 Canary build 26212 quietly introduced support for so-called "Start Menu Companions"—widget-like apps for the Start menu to show up next to your pins or the All apps list to display glanceable information, such as weather, stocks, etc.

     

    Microsoft has not mentioned Start Menu Companions in the official release notes for build 26212. They were discovered by Albacore (@thebookisclosed on X), and here is a sneak peek of what may soon be available for testing in the Windows Insider Program:

     

    There is not much information about the new Start Menu Companions, considering the feature has not been announced by Microsoft yet. Still, Albacore shared more details about the thing:

     

    Start Menu Companions look and feel like the resurrection of live tiles, which Microsoft killed in late 2021 when announcing Windows 11 and its, let's be honest, lackluster Start menu.

     

    It will be interesting to see if developers will pick the idea up. Meanwhile, we have to wait for Microsoft to announce all the details and let users test Start Menu Companions first.

     

    What do you think about Start Menu Companions in Windows 11?

     

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    spudboy

    spudboy 468

    Posted (edited)

    After using Win11 since launch, I could never set the Start Menu and Quick Launch pins to be aligned to the left. It looks fugly and is counter productive to having them in the middle. And not hiding the search box in the taskbar is sacrilege. lol. Those pictures make me 🤮.

    Edited by spudboy
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    spudboy
    3 hours ago, Karlston said:

    @spudboy Fortunately there are Start Menu alternatives and some of them like Stardock's Start11 can also fix Microsoft's Windows 11 Task Bar crazyness. See here.

    I don't use an alternative. I like the Win11 Start Menu with just some registry tweaks like hiding the "recommended" section. Also removing the search box and keeping the start menu centered instead of moving it to the left. Center alignment improves workflow for me personally. I could never go back to having the Start Menu on the left. :) 

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