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Start Menu Destruction, AI gone Haywire?

Rudolph van Eijken 0 Reputation points
2026-02-26T10:21:18.9833333+00:00

Has Microsoft already fired the guy that changed the start menu in Win 11 into this stupid new - un-useful- design?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Desktop, Start, and personalization | Start Menu
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  1. Thomas4-N 10,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-02-27T14:33:27.62+00:00

    Hello Rudolph van Eijken, welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    I'm sorry you're experiencing this frustration with the redesigned Start menu. However, the Microsoft Q&A forum is not tracked by the Windows team for official feedback. To ensure that your opinion reaches the relevant Microsoft teams, please send it through the official channels below:  

    Feedback Hub (built into Windows): Open the Feedback Hub through the Start menu, then select Report a Problem or Suggest a Feature.  

    Feedback Portal: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/  

    You can submit your concerns there or upvote existing feedback about the Start menu changes.

    I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully, these channels will help make your voice heard. 

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  2. Rudolph van Eijken 0 Reputation points
    2026-02-26T10:23:49.7233333+00:00

    When can we revert back to something that the user is in control and not the system?

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  3. Rudolph van Eijken 0 Reputation points
    2026-02-26T10:22:56.8733333+00:00

    I think the design is so awful and presumptuous there are no words for it!

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  4. Q&A Assist
    2026-02-26T10:21:41.6+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    Windows 11 introduces a redesigned Start menu by design, as part of broader user experience changes. The new Start menu centers pinned apps and a Recommended section, and integrates cloud-powered content from Microsoft 365 to show recent files across devices. It is intended to be modern, simplified, and more consistent across form factors, not a mistake or a malfunction.

    On consumer and enterprise devices, the layout and behavior of the Start menu can be customized but not reverted to the classic Windows 7–style menu using built-in options. Customization options include:

    • Personalization settings: Under Settings > Personalization > Start, users can adjust some Start menu behaviors and layout preferences (for example, which items appear, and how recommendations are shown).
    • Organizational control: In managed environments (for example, Windows 11 Enterprise or Windows 11 IoT Enterprise), IT admins can deploy custom Start layouts and apply policies, including hiding the app list or controlling the Recommended section, using Configuration Service Providers (CSPs) and Group Policy.

    There is no supported Microsoft setting that fully restores the classic Start menu. For a classic-style menu, third-party utilities such as Open-Shell are required.

    The AI-related enhancements in Windows 11 (such as widgets, recommendations, and other personalized content) are part of the overall design direction and are not considered “haywire” features by default. They can often be tuned or reduced via personalization and policy settings, but they are not removed entirely in standard consumer builds.

    References:

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