START menu has changed suddenly -- how do I revert this change?

Question

START menu has changed suddenly -- how do I revert this change?

Arboretum 15

Hello, all.

For some reason, the day after I decide to create my own Start Menu categories, Windows has decided to make all apps visible on the first brush of my Start key.

User's image

I really STRONGLY dislike this and want my old Start Menu back. It's included a lot of redundant categories (which I already made folders for) which seem to exclusively include the apps I intentionally did not put in my selective folders. It's taking up a lot of space and the pinned folders I've actually categorized are extremely small and difficult to click on.

User's image

User's image These are my settings and it changes nothing. The categories I'm being shown are, to their credit, not available categories to turn off.

I am aggressive about wishing I could tuck 'all' back behind a button and get my CHOSEN PINNED FOLDERS on my Start Menu.

User's image

I do not want to view all as Category, Grid, or List; I want to view all when I choose to view all.

Does anybody know what version of Windows I'd need to rollback to and how I would do that to get the old Start menu back? I'd very much prefer to avoid installing third party software that changes the appearance of the menu because it slows my PC down.

Here is my system info.

Device name PII removed

Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 8-Core Processor (3.80 GHz)

Installed RAM 32.0 GB

Device ID PII removed

Product ID PII removed

System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Pen and touch Pen support

Edition Windows 11 Home

Version 25H2

Installed on ‎7/‎11/‎2025

OS build 26200.7922

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.300.0

If I cannot get my old Start Menu back, instructions on how to uninstall Windows and install Linux would be appreciated, because this is truly the final straw weighing down this camel's back with pounds and pounds of issues, not the least of them being ethical complaints over Microsoft's use of AI and the way they handled the pushback on that issue. Their employees deserve better, their users deserve better, and the change from 'My PC' to 'This PC' was around the time I started resenting pressing my power button.

0 comments

Answer recommended by moderator

Vyacheslav Gudimov 5

I was able to revert this using Group Policy
WIN+R -> gpedit.msc
navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administartive Templates -> Start Menu and Taskbar
look for Remove all Programs lsit from the Start Menu
set to Configured,

and Options: Collapse

Ivan Zdanchuk 0 Reputation points

2026-06-11T15:44:53.3733333+00:00

This setting removes the app list from the first Start menu screen, but it leaves an empty space and doesn’t bring back the “Show all apps” button.

Previously, this could be done using vivetool /disable /id:47205210, but after the June update it stopped working.

Like many users, I have my own pinned apps in the Start menu, and the rest are needed only occasionally. The category, list, or grid view doesn’t work for us and only gets in the way of using Windows normally.
Joanne Boli 0 Reputation points

2026-06-17T11:29:32.2533333+00:00

computer can find gpedit.msc

2 additional answers

Your answer

Ivan Zdanchuk 0 Reputation points

2026-06-11T15:44:53.3733333+00:00

This setting removes the app list from the first Start menu screen, but it leaves an empty space and doesn’t bring back the “Show all apps” button.

Previously, this could be done using vivetool /disable /id:47205210, but after the June update it stopped working.

Like many users, I have my own pinned apps in the Start menu, and the rest are needed only occasionally. The category, list, or grid view doesn’t work for us and only gets in the way of using Windows normally.
Joanne Boli 0 Reputation points

2026-06-17T11:29:32.2533333+00:00

computer can find gpedit.msc

Answer 1

Thomas4-N 18,725 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Arboretum, welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand your situation, and I'm sorry for your frustration. Don't worry though, many users wanted the same thing and have worked out fixes.

First method - Registry command:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoStartMenuMorePrograms /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f && taskkill /f /im explorer.exe && start explorer.exe

(change 1 to 0 if you want to revert)

Then restart your PC. After that, you can switch to Grid or List view from the "View" dropdown in Start Menu.

That said, from what other users have reported, this method might only remove the Category option itself—the Start Menu might still look oversized with blank spaces. In that case, you can try the ViVeTool to fully reverts to old Start Menu (it's only a portable tool and doesn't install on your computer).

Second method - ViVeTool:

Download ViVeTool from https://github.com/thebookisclosed/ViVe/releases
Extract it somewhere like C:\ViVeTool
Open Command Prompt as Administrator
Navigate to the folder: cd C:\ViVeTool
Run: vivetool /disable /id:47205210
Restart your PC

This should bring back the compact old Start Menu with the separate All apps button.

Let me know how it goes!

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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MB 0 Reputation points

2026-03-02T19:21:47.54+00:00

Very not cool that the MS response to this is to edit the registry and use a 3rd party tool. Just give us the option to turn it back off please.
Thomas4-N 18,725 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-04T13:50:19.25+00:00

Hello Arboretum,

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful.

Have you had a chance to check the answer provided? Any update would be appreciated.
Thomas4-N 18,725 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-04T13:57:16.2766667+00:00

Hello MB,

I understand, however I'm not representing Microsoft—I'm a normal user like you, just sharing workarounds that other users have found.

If you want to give feedback to Microsoft team, the Feedback Hub is the official channel.
Vyacheslav Gudimov 5 Reputation points

2026-05-31T07:08:17.4866667+00:00

The aggressive Menu is back in last update,
and none of the options dosnt work anymore
Thomas4-N 18,725 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-31T12:36:48.59+00:00

HiVyacheslav Gudimov, it looks like it's a deliberate design decision from Microsoft. Unfortunately, I'm a normal user like you and I can't make any change. If you want to give feedback to Microsoft team, the Feedback Hub is the official channel.
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Gaming Divy 20 Reputation points

2026-06-01T09:16:18.08+00:00

Administrator privileges aren't needed for HKCU (HKEY_CURRENT_USER)

Answer 2

Anonymous

There is no option to turn it off - that is a Microsoft UI change.

Mike Lee 10 Reputation points

2026-03-17T16:50:03.9033333+00:00

Hmmm... There might not be an option to turn it off, but today my start menu reverted to the original Windows 11 start menu, all by itself. Microsoft, what's up with that??