Windows 10 users have been eagerly awaiting a new Start Menu since the Creators Update was released in April. Microsoft finally delivered on that promise with the release of the Windows 11 Fall Creators Update. The new Start Menu is a welcome addition, but some users are reporting problems. The biggest issue seems to be that the new Start Menu doesn’t work with all programs. For example, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator won’t open when launched from the Start Menu. Microsoft is aware of this problem and is working on a fix, but it’s not available yet. Another issue is that the new Start Menu doesn’t work with all keyboard shortcuts. For example, pressing Ctrl+Esc will take you to the Task Manager instead of opening the Start menu. Microsoft is aware of this problem and is working on a fix, but it’s not available yet. Overall, though, most users seem to like the new Start Menu. It’s faster and more organized than the old one, and it works better with some programs than before. If you’re having problems with it, though, Microsoft recommends trying different keyboard shortcuts or using an alternative launcher program like Classic Shell or Launchy (which are both free). ..


Start11 from Stardock is a popular application for customizing the start menu and taskbar, on either Windows 10 or Windows 11. There are multiple start menu layouts to choose from, including designs that mirror the menu on Windows 7 or Windows 10, and more customization options are available for the taskbar. Some of the taskbar features can also be accessed by modifying registry settings in Windows, such as moving the taskbar to the top of the screen, but the start menu designs are exclusive to Start11.

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Starting this week, Start11 is now available on Valve’s Steam store in addition to the company’s own online store — a great option for anyone with some Steam gift cards or store credit to spend. Just like the non-Steam version, it costs $5.99 and is limited to one computer at a time, but the $8.99 multi-device upgrade brings that up to five PCs. There’s no recurring subscription, at least.

Microsoft is still working on the start menu and taskbar in Windows 11, and a few improvements are slated to arrive in this year’s Windows 11 22H2 update, such as the ability to drag files onto apps in the taskbar and more widget features. However, Microsoft is unlikely to remove the Bing integration and other changes that aren’t popular with everyone, so alternatives like Start11 are great to have.