The start menu changed, I want to change it back

Question

The start menu changed, I want to change it back

Wyser Martin 0

I set the start menu to show only pinned items. It suddenly changed, it now shows all apps below the pinned items. I hate it. I want to change it back. How? Can I uninstall an update?

2 answers

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 10,015 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Wyser Martin,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

In Windows 11, the Start menu has a fixed structure: Pinned apps, All apps, and Recommendations. Over time, settings or feature updates can reset parts of the layout, which is why you may now see apps listed below the pinned section.

Here are the possible settings that you can try in this situation:

Open Settings > Personalization > Start
Set Layout to More pins
Turn off:
- Show recently added apps
- Show most used apps
- Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps

The Start menu should now open with a larger pinned area and much less visual noise underneath.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Wyser Martin 0 Reputation points

2026-01-25T14:56:36.45+00:00

Hi Hendrix

Thanks for your answer, much appreciated. I had already turned off everything, so I had only pinned items left. I did this in response to the visual noise of previous start menu designs. Now, it seems that "All" is on again, and cannot be turned off again. As a consequence, I now have to travel a long way with the pointer to get to the pinned items.

I also don't know which particular update caused this, so I cannot uninstall that.
Hendrix-V 10,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-28T01:24:17.59+00:00

Hi Wyser Martin,

What you’re seeing is expected behavior in the current Windows 11 Start experience. The Start menu now uses a fixed structure that includes Pinned apps and All apps. While optional items (like recommendations) can be turned off, the All apps section can’t be fully disabled using supported settings. This isn’t caused by a single toggle being re‑enabled.

Regarding to updates, there isn’t a specific update that can be safely uninstalled to permanently restore the previous Start menu layout. These changes are part of ongoing Windows feature and UI updates, and rolling back updates typically results in the same layout returning automatically.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas.

Given these limitations, the most appropriate avenue for product changes or feature requests is to submit feedback through the official Microsoft feedback channels (or press Windows + F to open Feedback Hub app).

Answer 2

If your Start menu has changed to show all apps below the pinned items and you want to revert it to only show pinned items, you can use the Group Policy settings or the LayoutModification.json file to customize the Start menu layout. However, if you have already set it to show only pinned items and it reverted back, it may be due to a policy setting being reapplied or a Windows update that changed the configuration.

To change it back:

Using Group Policy: If you are on a Pro or Enterprise version of Windows, you can use the Group Policy Editor to enforce the Start menu layout. You can configure the policy to only show pinned items.
Using LayoutModification.json: You can create or modify the LayoutModification.json file to specify the pinned items you want to show. This file can be used to customize the Start menu layout.
Uninstalling an Update: If you suspect that a recent update caused the change, you can uninstall the update by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates. However, this is not always recommended as it may affect system security and stability.

Make sure to sign out and back in after making changes to see if they take effect.

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The start menu changed, I want to change it back

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