Microsoft is now rolling the redesigned Start menu out to Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel with Insider Preview Build 27965, expanding testing beyond the Dev and Beta rings where the design first appeared earlier this summer. The Windows team frames this release as a broader validation step, using controlled rollouts to gather feedback before considering any wider public release.
The updated Start combines Pinned, Recommended, and All into a single, fully scrollable surface that adapts to screen size and shows more content on larger displays; on big screens users can see up to eight columns of pinned apps, six recommendations, and four columns of categories, while smaller devices get proportionally fewer columns. The All view now offers two new ways to browse installed apps: a category view that groups apps automatically when three or more similar apps are present, and a grid view that lists apps alphabetically and makes horizontal scanning easier. The Recommended section can be collapsed or removed through Settings by disabling the relevant toggles for recently added apps, recommended files, website suggestions, and tips.
The Start menu adapts its layout dynamically so sections expand or shrink based on how many pinned apps you have, and a new mobile sidebar button near Search opens Phone Link features for connected devices. Microsoft also bundled other Canary updates in Build 27965, such as the restored Edit command-line text editor and the removal of .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as a Feature On Demand, signaling this build is more than a single-feature test.
Insiders who want to try the new Start menu should be on Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27965 in the Canary Channel; Microsoft cautions that Canary features are rolled out incrementally using Control Feature Rollout and may only appear for a subset of devices initially. Microsoft also warns that some features previewed in Canary may change, be removed, or never ship beyond Windows Insiders, and switching channels or leaving Canary may require a clean install due to channel build-number differences.
Expect the experience to keep evolving as Microsoft collects feedback from Canary testers and refines localization, performance, and discoverability before wider distribution to Dev, Beta, or general release channels.
