The Windows 11 Start menu is almost twice as big as it was before an update in November 2025. That’s not a complaint—it’s a measurable fact Microsoft can’t ignore. Now, on May 16, 2026, the company is answering user backlash with a test rollout that finally lets Windows Insiders choose their Start menu size.
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft is testing Small and Large Start menu size options for Windows 11, available now in the Experimental channel.
- Users can hide or show Pinned, Recommended, and All apps sections independently, giving granular control over clutter.
- File recommendations can now be disabled in Start alone, without affecting other system locations.
- The taskbar can be moved to any screen edge—top, bottom, left, right—with alignment options that match the position.
- Privacy tweaks include hiding your name and profile picture in Start, crucial for streamers and presenters.
Start Menu Size Is Now a Choice, Not an Imposition
You don’t need a ruler to notice how bloated the Windows 11 Start menu got after last year’s update. But if you did measure it, you’d find it expanded to nearly double its previous footprint. That’s what Engadget’s testing revealed, and it’s what Microsoft finally admitted it was looking into. Now, six months later, they’re acting.
Starting May 16, 2026, Insiders in the Experimental channel can pick between Small and Large Start menu size variants directly in Settings. No registry hacks. No third-party tools. Just a toggle. And once you set it, that size sticks across all displays—a detail that matters for hybrid workers and multi-monitor setups.
That might sound minor, but it’s a shift in philosophy. For too long, Microsoft treated the Start menu like a fixed UI component, not a user-configurable workspace. This change says, you decide what fits your workflow. And while the option is rolling out gradually, its inclusion in the Experimental channel means it’s likely to land in stable builds by late Q3 2026.
The jump in size after November 2025 wasn’t accidental. It coincided with Microsoft’s push to make Windows 11 more “touch-first” for tablets and 2-in-1 devices. The logic was simple: bigger menus are easier to tap. But the trade-off hit desktop users hard. On a 27-inch 4K monitor, the Start menu ballooned into a third of the screen when opened full-screen. Even in windowed mode, it consumed vertical space that once held app icons or taskbar widgets.
That design decision ignored how most people actually use Windows. Touchscreen adoption on desktops remains below 12%, according to internal Microsoft telemetry cited in early 2025 briefings. Yet the UI was optimized for a minority use case. The backlash was immediate. Reddit threads lit up. Twitter polls showed over 70% of respondents wanted a smaller menu. YouTube tutorials on registry edits to downsize the menu hit over 2 million combined views in three months.
Microsoft didn’t act fast. It took Engadget’s side-by-side pixel measurements—showing a 98% increase in surface area—and a follow-up report from Windows Latest that tracked user complaints across forums, social media, and support tickets to force a public acknowledgment. Even then, the response was vague: “We’re evaluating feedback.” The May 16 update is the first concrete action that matches the scale of user frustration.
Section Toggles Give You Back Control
Beyond size, the real win is control over what appears in Start. Microsoft is adding section-level toggles for Pinned, Recommended, and All apps. You can disable any combination. Want a Start menu with only your pinned apps? Turn off Recommended and All. Done.
This isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about reducing cognitive load. The Recommended section, which surfaces recently opened files and apps, has been a source of distraction—and privacy risk—for many. Now, you can strip it out without losing pinned shortcuts or access to the full app list.
The Recommended section was introduced in 2023 as part of Microsoft’s AI-driven personalization push. It relied on local file indexing and app usage patterns to surface content. But because it pulled in filenames—sometimes with sensitive details like “Q2 financials” or “HR review”—it became a liability during screen sharing. Disabling it meant losing recents across the system. The new per-section control fixes that without compromising functionality elsewhere.
File Recommendations Get Isolated Controls
One under-the-radar improvement: file recommendations can now be disabled in Start independently. You don’t have to nuke them system-wide. That’s huge. Previously, turning off recommended files in Start meant losing them in File Explorer too. Now, they’ll keep working where you want them, while staying hidden in your menu.
It’s a small feature, but it shows Microsoft is finally treating personalization as a layered experience, not a binary on/off switch. That’s what power users have been asking for since Windows 11 launched with its locked-down design.
The change also reflects a shift in how Microsoft handles data visibility. In earlier builds, toggling recommendations disabled the underlying service entirely. Now, the indexing engine stays active, but UI exposure is decoupled. This allows finer control without sacrificing performance or search relevance. It’s a model that could extend to other areas—like timeline integration or clipboard history—where users want backend functionality without public exposure.
Hide Your Identity in Start for Screen Sharing
Another subtle but critical fix: you can now hide your name and profile picture in the Start menu. If you’re live-streaming, presenting, or sharing your screen in a meeting, that means no accidental exposure of personal info. It’s a privacy safeguard that should’ve existed from day one.
And yet, Microsoft didn’t add it until now. That’s telling. It suggests the company’s initial vision for Windows 11 prioritized aesthetics over real-world usage. But pressure from users—and coverage like the Windows Latest report that quantified the bloat—forced a rethink.
The feature is off by default, meaning users must actively toggle it in Settings > Personalization > Start. That’s a missed opportunity. For streamers and educators, this should be on by default in presentation mode, or at least prompted during screen-sharing activation. Still, its existence is progress. The profile image has long been a static element in the Start menu, tied to the Microsoft account login. Removing it doesn’t affect system functionality—it just reduces the chance of oversharing.
Taskbar Freedom Arrives (Finally)
Let’s be honest: not being able to move the taskbar in Windows 11 was absurd. macOS has had it for decades. Linux desktops have offered it since the 90s. Yet Microsoft locked it to the bottom edge, claiming it was “simpler.” Simpler for whom? Not for developers. Not for designers. Not for anyone using ultrawide or vertical monitors.
On May 16, 2026, that changes. The new Insider build lets you move the taskbar to any screen edge—top, bottom, left, or right. And it’s not just slapped on. Microsoft added proper alignment options: when the taskbar is on the left or right, you can choose top-aligned or centered icons. On the top or bottom, it’s left-aligned or centered.
That’s thoughtful implementation. It means vertical taskbars won’t force awkward centering, and top-aligned bars can match web UI patterns developers already use. This isn’t just cosmetic—it reshapes how people interact with the desktop, especially in multitasking or coding workflows.
The limitation? It only works in single-monitor setups for now. Multi-display configurations will have to wait. That’s a real constraint for power users, many of whom run dual or triple monitors. But the foundation is there. The code supports edge positioning logic, and alignment options suggest Microsoft is building toward full multi-monitor flexibility. Given the timeline of past features, a broader rollout is likely by early 2027.
Why This Isn’t Just About Pixels
These updates look like UI tweaks, but they’re really about trust. Microsoft spent years pushing a vision of Windows 11 as a clean, modern OS “designed for focus.” But when users couldn’t resize menus or move the taskbar, it felt less like design and more like control.
- The Start menu grew by ~98% in surface area after the November 2025 update.
- Section toggles are rolling out over the coming weeks, not all at once.
- Taskbar positioning only works in single-monitor mode initially—multi-display support is coming later.
- Profile picture hiding is optional but off by default—users must opt in.
- File recommendation isolation is limited to Start; other areas like Taskbar Jump Lists still mirror the setting.
These aren’t just details—they’re signals. Microsoft is learning that flexibility beats uniformity. And it’s doing so because users voted with their frustration, their third-party tools, and their public complaints.
What This Means For You
If you’re a developer, this shift matters. You no longer have to design applications around a rigid, oversized Start menu. You can assume users will have cleaner, smaller launch surfaces—and that they’ll expect the same level of configurability in your apps. If your software ships with locked UIs or forced layouts, now’s the time to rethink that.
For founders and builders, this is a case study in user-led design. Microsoft didn’t come up with these features in a vacuum. They responded to measurable feedback: the menu was too big, the taskbar too fixed, the recommendations too intrusive. The companies that win in desktop software aren’t the ones with the flashiest UIs—they’re the ones that listen when users say, “this doesn’t fit my life.”
Consider a developer using a vertical monitor for code. For years, the bottom-locked taskbar wasted prime horizontal space. Now, moving it to the side frees up the full width for IDEs and terminals. That’s not a minor quality-of-life improvement—it changes how efficiently they work.
Or imagine a startup building a presentation tool. With the ability to hide user identity in Start, their app can integrate smoothly into screen-sharing workflows without requiring users to switch accounts or obscure parts of the screen manually. That reduces friction and builds trust.
Another scenario: a remote team using Windows machines for daily standups. Before, someone might accidentally expose a sensitive filename in the Recommended section during a call. Now, they can disable it in Start while keeping file recents in Explorer. That’s peace of mind without sacrificing productivity.
Microsoft spent two years telling us Windows 11 was “done.” Now, they’re finally admitting it was never finished—just frozen. The real question isn’t whether these changes are good (they are). It’s why they took so long to arrive.
What Happens Next
The rollout is just beginning. The Experimental channel will continue testing these features over the next few months. Bugs will surface—especially around multi-monitor taskbar behavior and inconsistent toggle states after system updates. Microsoft will need to fix them before pushing to Beta and Release Preview channels.
But the direction is clear. User choice is no longer optional. The next phase will likely include deeper customization: custom Start menu widths, drag-to-resize functionality, and possibly even layout presets saved to cloud profiles. The taskbar could gain per-monitor positioning, letting you place it at the bottom on one display and the side on another.
And what about older features that still feel stuck in 2021? TheWidgets panel remains locked to the right side. Snap Layouts don’t adapt well to ultrawide screens. The Settings app still lags behind Control Panel in functionality. These could be next on the chopping block.
One thing’s certain: Microsoft can’t afford to ignore its users again. The backlash over the Start menu size wasn’t just about pixels. It was a referendum on control. Now that the company’s started giving it back, they can’t take it away.
Sources: Engadget, Windows Latest
