Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Windows 11’s New Start App Views: Find Any App In Two Clicks Or Less

Windows 11’s New Start App Views: Find Any App In Two Clicks Or Less

The Windows 11 Start menu just learned a few new tricks that quietly fix years of everyday annoyances. If you have too many apps and not enough patience, the new Start app views might be the most useful change you see all year.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor
May 6, 2026
Subscribe  |  Read the Newsletter Version.


Windows 11
How many times a day do you open the Start menu, stare at a wall of icons, and still not find the app you need? 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Check the New Start Menu.

Windows 11’s refreshed Start menu in versions 24H2 and 25H2 tackles that exact problem by turning the old, split layout into a single, smarter app launcher with multiple ways to browse.

Instead of bouncing between Pinned, All apps, and Recommended, you now get one continuous surface with new Category, Grid, and List views for your apps. 

The result feels more like a modern phone launcher: scroll, tap, done.

New Windows 11 Start Menu image

Feature Explanation

The new Start app views are part of a broader Start menu redesign in Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.

 Microsoft merged the old Pinned, Recommended, and All apps pages into a single scrollable layout, then upgraded the All apps area with three discovery modes:
  • Category view: Groups apps into buckets such as Productivity, Communication, Games, Developer Tools, and Other.
  • Grid view: Shows apps as a dense icon grid, similar to a phone home screen.
  • List view: Keeps the classic alphabetical list for people who like predictable, text-first navigation.
You can switch views from the All apps section, and Windows remembers your choice. The menu itself is taller and scrollable, which means more apps and categories are visible at once without extra clicks.

Why it matters:
  • You spend less time hunting for apps.
  • You can browse by task (Category) or by name (List) or by icon (Grid).
  • The Start menu finally behaves like a true launcher instead of three separate panels.

For many users, this is the first Start menu that feels designed for large app collections, not just a handful of pinned icons.

What You’ll Gain
  • Faster app launches: Jump to the right app in one or two clicks instead of digging through multiple pages.
  • Cleaner mental model: One Start surface, three views, no guessing where Windows hid something.
  • Better for big app libraries: Category and Grid views make sense of crowded installs.
  • Less clutter: Optional ability to hide Recommended if you want a work-focused launcher.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here's how to do it.

Microsoft Windows 11 (Desktop)
  1. Open Start: Click the Start button on the taskbar or press the Windows key.
  2. Open All apps: Look for the All apps section or button in the Start menu and select it. This reveals the full app list with the new views.
  3. Change the app view: In the All apps area, use the view selector to choose Category, Grid, or List.
  4. Try Category view for task-based work: Pick Category view and scroll. Apps are grouped automatically into logical buckets such as Productivity or Communication. This is ideal if you remember what you want to do, not the exact app name.
  5. Use Grid view for visual scanning: Switch to Grid view if you recognize apps by icon. The denser layout is great on high‑resolution monitors where you want many apps visible at once.
  6. Stick with List view for alphabet hunters: Choose List view if you prefer scrolling alphabetically. This is closest to the classic Windows app list and works well for keyboard-heavy users.
  7. Customize what appears in Start: Go to Settings > Personalization > Start. Here you can toggle options like showing recently added apps, recommended files, and websites from browser history.  In the new design you can even hide the Recommended section entirely.
Your Windows 11 Start Menu Just Got Smarter


Pros and Cons

Pros:
  • Faster discovery: Category and Grid views reduce the time spent hunting through long lists, especially on app-heavy machines.
  • Single mental model: One unified Start surface is easier to explain to new users and to support in a business environment.
  • Better use of space: The taller, scrollable menu shows more apps at once on modern displays.
  • Privacy and focus controls: The ability to hide Recommended and tune recent items helps organizations keep Start focused on work.

Cons:
  • More scrolling: The larger surface can feel like “too much Start” on small screens or laptops.
  • Automatic categories only: You cannot yet edit categories, create your own, or move apps between groups, which limits power-user control.
  • Staggered rollout confusion: Two identical PCs may show different Start menus until Microsoft finishes the phased rollout, which complicates support and training.
Subscribe to One Cool Tip

Feature Access

The redesigned Start menu and new app views are available in Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2, starting with builds 26200.7019 (25H2) and 26100.7019 (24H2).

Microsoft began shipping the change through cumulative updates KB5067036 (October 2025) and KB5074109 (January 2026 Patch Tuesday), delivered as an enablement package layered on top of existing installations.

This is currently rolling out in phases, so some devices on the same build may not see the new Start menu until Microsoft flips the feature flag for that machine.

If you are on Windows 11 Home, Pro, or Enterprise and fully patched on 24H2 or 25H2, you are in the target audience, but timing can vary by region and device.

Score

Criterion  |  Score (0–10)  |  Justification

Value  |  9 
Delivers everyday time savings for almost every user who launches apps from Start.

Usability  |  8 
Simple view switcher and clear layout, though lack of custom categories holds it back.

Wow Factor  |  8 
Not flashy, but the unified surface and Category view feel like a modern rethink of Start.

Total: 25/30 🌟 Excellent
A quietly excellent upgrade that finally turns Start into a serious app launcher, comparable in usefulness to the best Android and iOS home screen organizers.

Key Takeaways

The new Start app views in Windows 11 replace a fragmented menu with a single, flexible launcher that fits different working styles. 

Category, Grid, and List views help you find apps by task, by icon, or by name without extra clicks. 

For anyone who lives in Start all day, this is a quality-of-life upgrade worth seeking out as soon as it reaches your device.

Cool Tip Snapshot
  • Feature Name: Windows 11 Start Menu App Views (Category, Grid, List)
  • Platform(s): Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 (desktop)
  • Quick Benefit: Find any app faster with a unified Start surface and multiple browsing modes.
  • Access Type (Free, Subscription, Beta): Free feature, currently rolling out via Windows Update on supported builds.

Try It Yourself

Open Start on your Windows 11 PC, switch All apps to Category view, and spend a day launching everything from that layout to see how much faster your routine becomes. 

Then share this article with your team, family, or friends, and subscribe to the One Cool Tip newsletter to compare how everyone configures their own “perfect” Start.


READ MORE


Stay Connected with One Cool Tip

👍 Like and Share: Help others discover OneCoolTip.com!
📬 Subscribe: Get the FREE OneCoolTip Newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
💡 Support the Site: Chip in through TIPJAR to keep the Cool Tips coming.

Explore More

X (Twitter): @OneCoolTip
Threads: @onecooltip

Have a great tip or tech question?

Rodger Mansfield, a seasoned technology expert and editor of OneCoolTip.com, transforms complex tech into practical advice for everyday users. His Cool Tips empower readers to stay productive, secure, and one step ahead in the digital world.



One Cool Tip
Cool Tech Tips for a Cooler Life!


#Windows11 #Microsoft #Productivity #StartMenu #ITPros #RemoteWork @Windows 
#TechTips #OneCoolTip @onecooltip


Copyright © 2008-2026 | www.OneCoolTip.com | All Rights Reserved
at
Cool Tip Topics: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)