I’ve been running Windows 11 Canary builds on a spare ThinkPad X1 (32GB RAM, Hyper-V nested inside a Server 2022 host) just to keep tabs on where Microsoft’s heading. Build 25977 dropped recently, and the Start menu got a noticeable facelift—enough that I paused my usual “install-and-ignore” routine to poke around.
Why I Bothered Testing This
Let’s be honest: the Windows 11 Start menu has been a mixed bag since launch. Between the “Recommended” clutter and the extra clicks to get to “All apps,” it always felt like a UI designed for someone else. So when I saw that Microsoft was testing a scrollable, unified app view, I figured it was worth a spin—especially since I rely on muscle memory more than search when launching tools.
What’s Changed (and What It’s Like to Use)
- Unified App View: The “All apps” button is gone. Now, you just scroll through everything—pinned and installed—in one continuous list. It’s subtle, but it feels faster. No extra click, no context switch. I didn’t realize how much that annoyed me until it was gone.
- Phone Link Shortcut: If you’ve got an Android phone paired via Phone Link, there’s a new toggle near the Start menu search bar. It pulls in recent messages, photos, and notifications. I didn’t expect to use it much, but it’s surprisingly handy when I’m mid-task and don’t want to pick up my phone.
- Adaptive Layout: I tested this on a touchscreen convertible and a standard desktop. The layout really does adjust—more tiles on wider screens, tighter spacing on smaller ones. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s cleaner.
- Hide “Recommended” Section: Finally. You can now toggle off the “Recommended” section entirely. I’ve been disabling that via Group Policy or registry hacks for ages. Now it’s just a setting. About time.
A Few Gotchas
- Not all Canary users get the new Start menu right away. I had to enable the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle in Windows Update, and even then, it didn’t show up until I used ViveTool to force it.
- The new layout doesn’t play well with some custom Start menu layouts I had saved via XML. If you’re managing fleets with pre-defined layouts, test carefully.
- The Phone Link toggle only shows up if your Android device is actively connected. Otherwise, it’s invisible—which might confuse some users expecting to see it all the time.
Other Bits in Build 25977
- There’s a new lightweight text editor for command-line folks—just called
Edit. Think Notepad, but CLI-friendly. - .NET Framework 3.5 now needs to be manually enabled via Windows Features. Heads-up if you’re deploying legacy apps.
- Taskbar responsiveness feels snappier, especially on multi-monitor setups. I noticed fewer layout glitches when docking/undocking.
- Video playback tweaks are subtle, but smoother on my test VM with GPU passthrough.
Final Thoughts
This Start menu update isn’t flashy, but it’s one of those rare UI changes that actually improves day-to-day use. It feels like Microsoft finally listened to the folks who use Windows to get work done—not just swipe around on a Surface.
If you’re managing test environments or just curious, I’d say it’s worth enabling on a non-production machine. Just don’t expect it to show up automatically—you’ll need to be on Build 25977+ in the Canary Channel, and possibly nudge it with ViveTool.
Ever tried customizing the Start menu layout across a fleet? I’d love to hear how you’re handling it now that this new design is rolling out. Drop your tips—or horror stories—in the comments.
