How to replace your Windows 11 Start menu with something better - try my favorite or this free option

The Windows 11 Start menu has frustrated many users with its clumsy layout, rigid limitations, and lack of customization. Instead of enhancing and improving the previous menu designs from Windows 7 and 10, Microsoft seemed to go backwards with a redesign that left many of us wondering, "What were they thinking?"

Hit by user complaints, Microsoft has taken steps to try to revamp the menu. One option added in late 2022 lets you create folders in which to store your Start menu shortcuts. A more dramatic overhaul that strives to address some of the menu's flaws and quirks rolled out to all Windows 11 users in October 2025. Though that update certainly improved the look and layout, the Start menu is still saddled with an awkward design.

Also: Your Windows 11 Start menu is getting a design makeover - here's how to try it ...