Microsoft has officially promised its redesigned Windows 11 Start Menu will be coming to Windows 11 users in the future, bringing a more customizable layout and deeper integration with Phone Link. This update, which has been in testing with Windows Insiders for the past month, is part of a broader push to make Windows 11 more intuitive and AI-powered.
What’s New in the Start Menu?
The new Windows 11 Start Menu introduces several improvements:
- Three different views for the All Apps list:
- Classic Name list view (traditional alphabetical sorting).
- Name grid view (a more spacious layout).
- Category view (automatically groups apps into folders based on usage).
- Phone Link sidebar: Displays battery level, connection status, recent photos, and messages from your smartphone.
- More customization options: Users can now hide the Recommended feed and show all pinned apps by default.
Microsoft is positioning this update as a way to make the Start Menu more personal, allowing users to organize their apps more efficiently while keeping their phone connected at a glance.
Other Features Coming in the Next Big Windows 11 Update
Beyond the Start Menu, Microsoft is rolling out several AI-powered enhancements across Windows 11:
- Photos Relight: Adds dynamic lighting controls to improve picture quality.
- Paint Sticker Generator: Allows users to create custom digital stickers from a simple text prompt.
- Snipping Tool Perfect Screenshot: Automatically adjusts the capture area for better framing. Also includes a Text Extractor to copy text from images and a Color Picker for precise color selection.
- Rich Image Descriptions in Narrator: Improves accessibility by recognizing charts, photos, and UI elements.
- AI Agent in Settings: Users can describe what they need help with, and the AI will suggest solutions or perform actions automatically.
- New Click to Do Actions: Lets users schedule meetings, send messages, convert data into Excel tables, and draft content in Word.
- Improved Phone Companion: Enhances integration between Windows and smartphones, making it easier to access phone features.
- AI Actions in File Explorer: Suggests relevant actions when right-clicking files, such as summarizing content or editing images.
- AI in Notepad: Adds text generation, summarization, and lightweight formatting options.
- Microsoft Store AI Hub: Highlights AI-powered apps and provides personalized recommendations.
A More AI-Driven Windows Experience
Microsoft is clearly doubling down on AI, integrating Copilot+ features across the OS. While some of these updates will be exclusive to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, others—like the Start Menu redesign—will be available to all Windows 11 users.
With these changes, Microsoft is aiming to make Windows more intuitive, more connected, and more efficient. But the big question remains: Will these AI-driven features truly enhance productivity, or will they just add more complexity?
What do you think—are these updates exciting, or do they feel like incremental tweaks?
