Windows Central editor Zac Bowden, citing his own sources, has disclosed fresh details regarding a significant overhaul planned for the Windows 11 Start menu. This development is part of an internal project codenamed “Windows K2,” aimed at refining the operating system and rebuilding user confidence in Windows.
From a visual perspective, the refreshed Start menu will bear a strong resemblance to the existing layout. However, the settings panel will introduce considerably expanded options for customizing the menu’s appearance. For instance, users will gain the ability to manually specify their preferred Start menu size: either compact or expanded. Currently, the system automatically determines one of these options based on the screen dimensions.
Furthermore, users will have the capability to disable entire sections within the Start menu if they find them unnecessary. Do you never use the “Recommended” area? Do you prefer not to pin any icons? Would you like to hide the list of all applications? In this new iteration of the Start menu, any of these segments can be hidden via the Windows 11 settings, allowing users to keep only the elements they deem most essential visible.
It is confirmed that the redesigned Start menu will be built upon the contemporary WinUI 3 framework. This transition is anticipated to result in a faster and more responsive menu. Developers are aiming for the Start menu to launch instantaneously, even when the CPU is under heavy load, a situation where the present version can sometimes take several seconds to appear.
These performance enhancements are also projected to positively impact the search functionality. Users will be able to open the Start menu and immediately begin typing their query without the concern that the system might ignore the initial characters. This issue with premature input tracking occurs frequently in the current setup if the user proceeds too quickly.
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