The first thing that will catch your attention when you upgrade to Windows 11 or purchase a new PC that is shipped with Windows 11, is the Start menu. In almost all previous versions of Windows, Microsoft always designed the Windows Start menu on the bottom left, something that every user has become familiar with over the years.To upgrade the Windows 11 user interface, Microsoft dug deep into its design portfolio and created a more engaging and refreshing user interface that enhances the user experience along with other features to improve system performance.
One of the notable design changes in Windows 11 is the Start menu, which is now in the center of the taskbar rather than on the left as we've seen before. In addition, after clicking on the Start menu in Windows 11, you'll see a floating window with rounded corners and with the location of the power button changed to the bottom right. Also, the new Start menu has two sections: the top section is for Pinned apps and the bottom section contains the Recommended apps.
If you are one of the users out there who are not fans of the new Windows 11 Start menu design and want to change it back to the classic Windows 10 start menu, follow the steps below. *
* Note: If you might be wondering why a user would want to go back to the old design of the Start menu, I believe that individual preferences and Live Tiles in the Windows 10 Start menu are reason enough to do so.
How to Switch to Windows 10 Start Menu in Windows 11.
- Method 1. Bring Back the Windows 10 Intrface in Windows 11 with a third-party utility.
- Method 2. Restore Windows 10 Start Menu in Windows 11 manually.
Method 1. How to have the Windows 10 Start Menu & Working Interface in Windows 11.
The first and easiest method, to get the known working environment of Windows 10 in Windows 11, is by using one of the following third party utilities:
Explorer Patcher.
The Explorer Patcher is a completely free utility that modifies the Windows 11 environment to look like Windows 10, with a few clicks.
1. Navigate to Explorer Patcher download page on GItHub.
2. Scroll down and click Download the latest version of the setup program.
3. Run the downloaded file and ask Yes to UAC warning to install the program.
4. After your screen flashes for a few seconds, you'll be greeted by the familiar Windows 10 taskbar with the classic Windows 10 Start Menu aligned on the left.
5. Right-click if you want on the taskbar and open Properties to customize any other options offered by Explorer Patcher and you're done!
StartAllBack
StartAllBack can change the Windows 11 taskbar, Start menu and File Explorer to look like in Windows 7 or 10. You can try the software for free for 30 days and if you like it you can buy it for $4.99.
1. Navigate to StartAllBack download page to download and run the setup file.
2. At the first screen choose Install for me if you're the only user on your PC or click Install for everyone to install the program for all users.
3. When the installation is complete, you'll see the familiar Windows 10 Start menu and taskbar in Windows 11 with the StartAllBack settings open to customize any other options you want.
Method 2. How to Get the Classic Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 11 manually.
Step 1: Change Windows 11 Taskbar Alignment from Center to Left.
The first step to bring back the classic Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 11, is to change the position of the taskbar (and Start menu) from the center to the left.
To move the Windows 11 Taskbar at the left:
1. Click Start and search for Settings.
2. Click Personalization on the left, then select Taskbar at the right.
3. Scroll down to Taskbar behaviors, and change the Taskbar alignment from Center to Left by using the drop-down menu.
4. Now, the taskbar should have moved to the left.
Step 2: Get Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 11.
To bring back the old Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 11, you have to add the "Start_ShowClassicMode" REG_DWORD with value "1" in Registry: *
* Update (23 Nov 2021): This method no longer works because Microsoft banned the change to the Windows 10 Start Menu after updating Windows 11 to build 22000.65.
1. Click on Start, type regedit and open Registry Editor.
2. When prompted from User Account Control, click Yes
3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following folder:
- Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
4. Important Step > Backup Registry.
Since making changes to your Registry settings can be dangerous because even a minor mistake can result in system harm, it's important to make a backup of the Registry Key you're about to update before you start. To do that:
a. Right-Click on the Advanced key at the left-hand side panel and choose Export.
b. Give a suitable name (e.g. "Advanced_Backup"), and save the REG file to your desktop. *
* Note: If something goes wrong after editing the registry, you can simply undo the changes by double-clicking the extracted registry key (REG file) on your desktop.
5. Then right-click on Advanced and select New → DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Change the Value name to Start_ShowClassicMode and press Enter.
7. Now, double-click on Start_ShowClassicMode value, change the Value data to 1 and press Enter.
8. Close Registry Editor and restart the PC to apply the change. *
* Update (23 Nov 2021): This method no longer works because Microsoft banned the change to the Windows 10 Start Menu after updating Windows 11 to build 22000.65.
Conclusion: I believe that Microsoft ought to give Users the option to choose the Start menu they prefer from Settings. Users doesn’t have to tweak the Registry Editor which is a complex tool, to have the Classic Windows 10 Start menu on Windows 11. Kindly use the comment section below to share your view about the Windows 11 Start menu – love it or hate it?
That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.