Microsoft has officially started the mass distribution of the large-scale January update for Windows 11, which brings the most serious change to the “Start“ menu since the debut of the operating system. The redesign, which appears automatically after installing the KB5074109 package, aims to bring the user experience on the computer closer to what we know from mobile devices.
The main emphasis is the transition to a single-page structure that eliminates the need to switch between different tabs
The search bar remains at the top, but below it we now see a denser arrangement of icons – up to eight columns on larger screens. The most discussed innovation is the new “Category“ view, which uses algorithms to automatically group applications into folders such as “Productivity“, “Creativity“ and “Social“. This is reminiscent of the App Library in iOS, but currently users cannot manually move apps between categories, which has already caused a wave of criticism in the Feedback Hub.
The “Recommended“ section has also undergone development, and can now display up to two rows of recently used files or applications. Microsoft has finally allowed this panel to be completely disabled through the personalization settings. It should be borne in mind, however, that if you hide the recommendations in “Start“, the list of recently opened items in File Explorer and in the context menus of the taskbar will also automatically disappear.
Integration with mobile devices is brought to the forefront through the new Phone Link panel, which appears as a sidebar next to the main menu. It gives direct access to the phone's battery status, recent messages, calls and photos. For users who prefer a cleaner interface, this panel can be collapsed or completely hidden, becoming a discreet icon.