One of the best things about being a Windows Insider is getting a first look at features Microsoft is still cooking up. The latest change I’ve tested tackles one of my biggest annoyances with the Windows 11 Start menu and I really hope it makes it to release.

One of the most frustrating parts of Windows 11’s Start menu is how Microsoft forces the Recommended section on you. It’s often filled with suggestions I don’t need, and I’ve had to regularly sift through them to clean up and keep my Start Menu as uncluttered as possible.

But with the new changes currently available to Windows Insiders, Microsoft seems to be testing a wider, more flexible Start menu. I won’t call it fully customizable—tools like Start11 still do more if you really want to customize Windows—but this is a clear improvement.

The biggest change is that you can finally turn off recommendations for apps, files, and more. It’s a small tweak, but one that makes a big difference. In past builds, disabling the Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more option didn’t actually get rid of the clutter.

With this update, Microsoft has (at least temporarily) fixed that glaring problem.

A Unified View That Makes More Sense

Another standout feature is the option to show all your apps directly on the main panel, below your pinned items (and recommendations if you choose to keep them on).

Instead of having to click the All apps button and bring up a separate view, you can just scroll straight through everything in one panel. That’s how it should have always worked.

Again, it’s a small change on paper, but for usability, it’s a huge move forward for a Start Menu that has felt obnoxious since Windows 11’s first release. As someone who relies on the Start Menu dozens of times throughout his workflow, any usability changes are going to be a massive win in my book.

Only for Windows Insiders

Right now, these changes are hidden inside the latest Dev and Beta builds for Windows Insiders. That means Microsoft hasn’t officially announced them and they’re not enabled by default. That’s why I want to make it very clear: these changes could only be available temporarily. However, I’m hopeful they’ll make it to the release build at some point down the line.

To try them out, I had to activate them using a tool called ViVeTool and a series of PowerShell commands. This lets you toggle experimental features buried in Windows, though you have to know the feature codes yourself. That’s a red flag itself, as it means Microsoft isn’t quite ready to ship this new Start Menu as the default look, even to Insiders.

That said, with Microsoft gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary in May, I wouldn’t be shocked if this gets a spotlight during the Build conference or a related event. But, I’ve tested enough Insider builds to know not everything makes the cut.

Is Microsoft Finally Listening?

This update feels like a direct response to years of user feedback. People have been asking for more Start menu control since Windows 11 launched. And with Windows 10 support ending in October, now’s the time for Microsoft to prove that Windows 11 is ready to become their go-to operating system.

Of course, not everyone is buying into the hype that Microsoft is trying to sell, and even I’m cautiously optimistic despite running Windows 11 since the first Insider builds came out.

Giving users a single-panel layout and the power to remove recommendations is a great start to another 50 years of Windows. However, the fact that these changes are still hidden makes me wonder how serious Microsoft is about rolling them out.

Last year, the company said it had no plans to let users fully disable recommendations. Instead, it hopes to improve them in time. So either that stance has changed, or this is just a limited test to see how people take to the idea.

I’m Hopeful, But Not Holding My Breath

I really hope this version of the Start Menu makes it to the release build of Windows 11. It solves real usability issues without overcomplicating anything.

If you want to test out the new Start Menu, make sure you have the latest Dev or Beta Windows Insider build installed (you can join the Windows 11 Insiders program at any point), download ViveTool, and then follow our ViVeTool guide to enable the following feature ids:

• 49402389
• 55495322
• 49221331
• 47205210

Until Microsoft confirms it, I’ll keep my expectations in check. If nothing else, it’s encouraging to see signs that the company is at least testing ideas that the community has been asking for. Whether it follows through or not, though, is an entirely different question altogether.