Windows 11 Update Brings More Control Over the Start Menu
If you’ve been using Windows 11, you probably know that Microsoft made some controversial changes to the classic desktop environment when they first launched the OS. They simplified a lot of things, but in doing so, they stripped away highly loved features—like moving your taskbar or heavily customizing your Start Menu.
But there is good news! Microsoft has been listening to community feedback. Over the last few months, they have been working hard to bring back personalization features and make Windows 11 look and feel exactly how you want it to.
Today, we are diving into an exciting new feature currently in testing: advanced Start Menu customization.
What’s New in the Start Menu?
In the standard version of Windows 11, your Start Menu is static. You get pinned apps on top, recommended files on the bottom, and your profile picture in the corner.
With this upcoming update, Microsoft is giving you total control. Here is what you can do:
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Change the Start Menu Size: You can now choose between Small, Automatic (Default), and Large sizes. If you pair a small Start Menu with a small taskbar, you get an incredibly sleek, compact setup.
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Hide Pinned Apps: Want a clean look? You can completely hide the pinned apps section.
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Turn Off Recommendations: No more recently added apps, recommended files, tips, or ads cluttering your screen. You can toggle these off individually or all at once.
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Go Completely Minimalist (Empty Start Menu): If you toggle all of these features off, you can literally have a beautifully blank Start Menu.
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Hide Account Info: You can even choose to hide your profile picture and username from the corner of the Start Menu for ultimate privacy.
How to Try These Features Early
As of right now, these advanced options are still experimental and are not available in the stable release of Windows 11. However, if you are running a Windows 11 Insider Preview build (on a test PC or a virtual machine), you can force-enable these settings today using a popular community tool called ViVeTool.
Here is how to do it step-by-step:
Step 1: Download ViVeTool
First, you need to grab the tool that unlocks these hidden features.
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Head over to the official ViVeTool GitHub Releases page.
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Download the latest ZIP file (usually named
ViVeTool-vX.X.X.zip). -
Extract the contents of the ZIP file to a folder on your computer.
Step 2: Copy the Folder Path
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Open the extracted folder.
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Click on the address bar at the top of your File Explorer and copy the full folder path (e.g.,
C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\ViVeTool).
Step 3: Open Command Prompt as Administrator
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Press the Windows Key, type
cmdinto the search bar. -
Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
Step 4: Run the Enable Command
In the Command Prompt, type cd followed by a space, then paste the folder path you copied earlier and hit Enter. It should look something like this:
cd C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\ViVeTool
Once you are inside the ViVeTool folder, copy and paste the following command, then hit Enter:
vivetool /enable /id:61754985,61225604,61596616,61596617,61596618,615966191
If successful, you will see a message saying: "Successfully set feature configurations."
Step 5: Restart and Enjoy!
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Restart your computer to apply the changes.
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After booting back up, right-click on your desktop and select Personalize.
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Go to Start settings.
You should now see all of your new Start Menu size options and toggles ready to go!
Final Thoughts: Is Microsoft Winning Back Our Trust?
It is incredibly refreshing to see Microsoft actively pushing out updates that allow us to personalize our space. For a long time, users felt boxed in by Windows 11’s rigid design. Features like movable taskbars and modular Start Menus show that user feedback is finally translating into real features.
Some tech enthusiasts speculate that Microsoft is stepping up its game because alternative operating systems like Linux (with user-friendly distributions like Linux Mint or CachyOS) are becoming easier to use and more popular by the day. Whether it's to compete with Linux or simply to win back user trust, these updates are a massive win for Windows users everywhere.
I’ve also made a video on this topic — you can watch it below.
Check out my other posts, I post useful tutorials and tech tips, maybe you will find something useful 😉.