Microsoft Unveils Scrapped Concepts for Windows 11’s Start Menu Redesign
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Microsoft has offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creative journeybehind its newly revamped Start menu in Windows 11. As part of the latestdesign update rolling out to Windows Insiders this month, the refreshed Startmenu introduces a wider layout and finally gives users the option to disablethe recommended feed of files and apps.
But this isn’t the only version that could have made it touser desktops. In a detailed blog post, Microsoft’s Windows design teamrevealed several early concept designs that were ultimately rejected, some ofwhich radically reimagined how the Start menu could look and function.
Among the discarded ideas was a rounded Start menu withwidget-like tiles and a "For You" section that surfaced Teamsmeetings, YouTube suggestions, and recent documents. Another concept featuredan app-category-focused layout with the personalised "For You" feedplaced off to the side.
One prototype went even further, transforming the Start menuinto an immersive landing page, combining app shortcuts, recent files, creativetools, and seamless access to your Android phone. A particularly bold visioneven took over the screen’s vertical space, letting users scroll throughsegmented sections in a completely restructured experience.
“Whiteboards, Figma frames, floor-to-ceiling paperprototypes—nothing was too scrappy,” said the Windows design team. “We sketchedout a plethora of layouts, letting ourselves go wild and discover new thingsbefore applying the editorial pen.”
To refine its final design, Microsoft didn’t work inisolation. The team collaborated with more than 300 Windows 11 enthusiasts,gathering feedback through user testing, co-creation sessions, and behaviouranalysis.
“We watched eye-tracking heat maps swirl, counted scrollwheels, and listened for ’oh!‘s of delight to know where we were hitting themark,” added the team.
The finalized design places emphasis on ease of access,personalization, and respecting long-time user habits. Microsoft says the goalwas not to reinvent the Start menu entirely but to improve its customizabilityand speed while honouring “three decades of muscle memory.”
The new Start menu is now being tested with WindowsInsiders, and Microsoft is expected to roll it out more broadly in the comingmonths.