A new category view is in the works for the Windows 11 Start menu. While Microsoft hasn’t announced the new feature, the option can be enabled through third-party hardware if you’re running Windows 11 build 22635. 4010, which shipped recently. to Windows. Insiders in the Beta Channel.
The replacement was spotted by user X phantomofearth, who also shared a video of the feature in action.
The category view works the same way as the way apps are organized on iOS or Android. App icons appear in subsections, making it easier to find quick apps. The view differs from that of folders, as Windows 11 groups apps automatically and in a different grid. guy.
Here’s the new category view in Home > All Apps in Build 22635. 4010 – it works in this update!Only app icons are displayed, some apps are also grouped into small groups within categories (trying to open them still doesn’t work). August https://t. co/4AsZjWYy5R pic. twitter. com/TgBsAEvAZRA9, 2024
The general concept of a category view works well, but I think the design needs to be refined. The icons don’t look natural in their grid layout and the hover effects look a little out of place. Since Microsoft hasn’t even announced it. This feature still has plenty of time to refine its design and make improvements. Presumably, the demo of the categories will also happen through the Windows Insider program, giving Microsoft more opportunities to get feedback.
Windows 11’s Start menu has been the subject of complaints since its release. Personal design tastes are topical, of course, but there are some not unusual court cases over the menu. Many don’t like the sheer number of apps and classified ads promoted in the Start Menu, which has become increasingly numerous since the initial release of Windows 11. Others don’t like the lack of customization features in Windows 11’s Start menu and turn to systems like Start11.
Microsoft also removed some features when moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11, such as the ability to move the taskbar to the top of your monitor. The technology giant also uploaded features that few people asked for. For example, the notification dot on the symbol above for anything urgent. Instead, it’s a spark to upload my phone number to my Microsoft account. I’m pretty sure Microsoft already has this data somewhere, but I doubt the Start menu knows about it.
A comment about X made in reaction to the new category vision test echoed sentiments I’ve noticed shared repeatedly. “All that’s missing is the removal of Recommended,” Meriç Bağlayan said. This comment refers to the fact that you can’t hide the Recommended segment from the Start menu. Even if you turn off all the content that would appear in this section, Windows 11 simply wastes space with a spark gone off to allow for recommended content.
I don’t hate the general concept of the Windows 11 Start menu. I’m okay with Microsoft moving away from Live Tiles and adopting a more launcher-like technique for opening apps. But Microsoft has gotten rid of beloved features and added features that few people have. It wants reduced, customization features and refuses to address the issues raised in the community. Some design tweaks and customization features would be very useful for the Start menu. In the meantime, or unless you believe them, we have at least one horrible edition of the watch through category to play.
Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now leads our news coverage. If you have a tip or app you’d like to check out, reach out to them on sean. endicott@futurenet. com.
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