Good grief and good riddance, the old Windows 11 Start menu is gone. It’s something I don’t miss, and I hope it never comes back. The new Start menu has what I need, where I need it. What’s even better is that the redesigned Start menu showed up for me after KB5068861 in November, and Microsoft confirmed on May 15 that more controls are on their way. Microsoft said it wanted the Start menu to feel personal and calm, but I just care that it feels faster. It’s doing more, and I’m doing less to get my stuff done.

I stopped alt-tabbing every time my phone buzzed

The Start menu shows me my texts, calls, and files right there

The phone section in the new Windows Start menu is one of the things I like most about it. If I get a call or text message, I no longer have to reach for my phone since I can simply click the Start button to access it. For example, if I get a text message, the Phone Link panel of the Start menu will show a blue dot indicating I received one. I also have the option to access my phone's pictures without taking my eyes off the screen.

The best part is that I can send files from my computer to my phone, which is great when I need to keep working on my way out. I can either send an image or a doc, and now I can have the file in two places. So, if the power goes out and my laptop’s battery dies, I can use my phone to keep reviewing the file. I did run into an issue where I had to try to send a file twice, but I can’t say it surprised me.

My forgotten apps are easier to find because Start groups them for me

Sections like Social and Productivity put apps like WhatsApp back in plain sight

I love it when a layout makes an app or feature easier to find. The new Windows Start menu shows me my apps in three different ways: Category, List, and Grid. But I always keep them organized in my category since that makes a new app easier to find when I can’t remember its name. The Start menu organizes apps into categories such as Social, Productivity, Utilities & Tools, Developer Tools, Entertainment, Accessibility, and Information & Reading.

The Start menu was not the first place I would go to find my apps since I always have them in the Taskbar. However, when I needed to open the Start menu for whatever reason, I would see an app I had forgotten I had even installed, which would remind me to either uninstall it or test it out. That makes Start useful even when I’m not opening it to open an app.

The Start menu finally makes better use of my bigger screen

My monitor shows more apps without making the menu feel crowded

I’ve been using my Samsung monitor for a long time, and I never really noticed the difference between the Start menu on my laptop and the one on my external monitor. I mean, who actually stops to count how many icons are in each row? I would just open the Start menu, look for the app I needed, and open it. If I didn’t find it, I would search for it.

On my smaller 14-inch ASUS Zenbook display, I would only see 6 columns of pinned apps, 4 recommendations, and 3 columns of categories. But when I switched to my bigger monitor, the Start menu showed 8 columns of pinned apps, 6 recommendations, and 4 columns of categories. I can see more apps right away, which means fewer trips to the search bar. I have to scroll on my laptop because fewer apps fit on the screen, but that's not the case on my bigger monitor. It’s nice to see that the Start menu adjusts to my screen size.

The new Start menu is still missing a key option

Windows 10 users could resize it, but Windows 11 users can’t?

The new Start menu is better than the previous one, but I don’t like how much space it takes up. On my bigger monitor, it’s not that annoying because I have room to spare, but when I have to work without it, and only use my 14-inch ASUS Zenbook display, the space it hogs is just too much. There are times when it feels like I’m kind of using Windows 8 with the space it takes up.

What’s missing is the option to manually resize it myself. At least with Windows 10, I had the option of resizing it, but not with Windows 11. I only had to drag the border to resize it. I see the benefit of automatic sizing, but it doesn’t give me the size I want. Not having an option to resize it makes it feel like a step in the wrong direction.

Windows 11 is getting the feature I’ve been waiting for

The Small and Large options should give me more control

There is hope after all! On May 15, Microsoft confirmed it’s testing Start menu size settings with Windows Insiders, which should eventually let me choose between Small and Large layouts. That means my 14-inch laptop and my larger monitor can automatically show different Start layouts. Once the setting arrives, I should be able to choose the size that works better for me and not just accept whatever Windows picks for me.

That’s the part I’m most excited about. I’m happy with everything else, such as the Phone Link panel, and how it adjusts to the monitor I’m using. When Microsoft releases these Start menu size controls, I’m going to be one happy camper.

The new design is what I need, and it’s going to get even better

I don’t want the old Start menu to ever come back. I’m good with the new one and looking forward to the announced changes. It’s a good improvement, since I can access my phone via the Phone Link panel, and when I’m using a larger monitor, I can automatically see more app options.