Microsoft Updates Windows 11 Start Menu: Larger Layout, More Customization

Microsoft has rolled out a new update for Windows 11 that will bring changes to the Start menu. The updated Start menu is bigger and combines pinned apps, recommendations, and the “All Apps” list into a single view. This change removes the need to navigate through separate windows, as reported by @phantomonearth on X.
The pinned apps section now shows two rows by default, but users can expand it if needed. For people who like all pinned apps without clicking “expand,” the option to turn off “Show recently added apps” is available in the settings. Users can also organize apps based on their names or functions for better navigation.
In this update, users can now completely turn off the recommendation feed as well. Thanks to this, people can customize the Start menu to show only what they want. The update also has new animations, as reported by MSPowerUser.
To use the updated Start menu, you need to activate feature ID 49402389 with ViVeTool, a third-party tool. For it to work fully, you must also use additional IDs (49221331, 47205210, and 48433719). After enabling these IDs and restarting the computer, the new layout becomes active.
This update is currently available in Windows Insider builds and might roll out widely in future updates. Microsoft hopes these changes will give users more control over their Start menu experience while improving usability and design.
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