STRIP DOWN THE START MENU
We’re always reluctant to write about the Windows Start menu here at APC, because by the time we’ve got to print Microsoft has usually altered the design at least eight times.
Ads – or Microsoft-promoted apps – have crept into the operating system in recent versions, and now that looks set to get even worse. A preview build of Windows 11 released in March is “continuing the exploration of badging on the Start menu with several new treatments for users logging in with local user accounts to highlight the benefits of signing in with a Microsoft account,” according to a Microsoft blog post.
In other words, more nagging to sign in with a Microsoft account if you’ve somehow crept past the badgering to do so when you first set up the machine or upgraded the OS. It’s all very tiresome.
There’s nothing you can seemingly do in Settings to stop Microsoft dropping random app icons into your Start menu or to prevent the Microsoft account nagging. The most effective way to get control back is to replace the Start menu entirely, although this does come at a cost.
We’ve recommended Stardock’s Start11 in the past, mainly for those who didn’t like the design of the Windows 11 Start menu and wanted to go back to the Windows 10 (or even earlier) version. However, Start11 also does a decent job of delousing the Windows 11 design, letting you remove space-hogging irritations such as the Recommended Apps and allowing you to customise the Start menu to your own liking. The settings let you show recent documents on the Start menu, change the size of icons, force the Start menu to open with a full list of installed apps, among many others. The app also lets you tweak the Taskbar, aligning from the left and putting text labels back on open apps, and more.
Start11 can even replace the Search functionality with its own engine, which is much better than the default Windows search, in our opinion. For example, it lets you search the content of files, not just filenames (albeit at the expense of a little speed).
Stardock offers a 30-day trial of Start11, so you can find out if you get along with it before buying. After that, it’s $9.67 for a single PC licence or $24.18 for a licence on up to five PCs. You’ll find it at stardock.com, and it’s also available via Steam. The most effective way to get control back is to replace the Start menu entirely