Windows 11 gets a new start menu. Microsoft has been introducing one of the biggest updates in a long time, which is primarily intended to improve more user comfort, but also the AI integration.
This is what the new Windows 11 start menu looks like. At the top right you can see the telephone link area. (Source: Microsoft)
- Microsoft announces a large update of the Windows 11 start page on the in-house blog.
- The most important new functions include a categorized app view, a more modern design and a AI assistant for problem cases.
- Various Windows apps are also expanded to include various AI functions.
In a blog entry from the beginning of May 2025, Microsoft announces a “new generation of Windows experiences”. It comes in the form of a new start menu for Windows 11, which has many innovations. This should not only fit better in Microsoft's operating system, you should also offer you more options for personalization.
Among the numerous innovations of the start menu Above all, the modernized design and the categorized app view stand out. Microsoft has given the start menu a more generous layout that is much clearer. The “All Apps” view has also been revised and now represents the programs in a scrollable grid with larger symbols.
Windows 11 update: More overview and more AI
The applications in the app view are no longer just sorted alphabetically, you can also group them according to categories or represent them as a grid, which should provide more overview on the screen. Appropriately, you can now adjust your start menu individually and add folders such as documents or pictures. Once added, you will find them as symbols next to the shutdown button. This allows you to create individual quick access to your most important folders and files.
Another important innovation is the so-called telephone link area in the start menu, which gives you information about the battery level, messages and calls of a smartphone connected to the PC. This feature is intended to improve the connectivity between the cell phone and PC, but you can also hide it if necessary. Microsoft introduces the “Start Menu Companions” for the better integration of widgets. With them you can show adaptive cards and widgets directly in the start menu.
Compact AI computer in the test: The best Windows 11 notebooks with 14-inch display
For links on this page, Netzwelt may receive a commission from the dealer. More information.
There are also innovations in the ACI area: A AI agent that can be reached via the Windows settings is intended to help adapt the system and fix errors. Microsoft points out that the AI recommendations are not always flawless. In the course of this, Microsoft also gives various Windows apps new AI features that would be there:
New AI functions for Windows apps
- For the photo app: A “religious” function with which you can position several light sources in your pictures.
- For the paint app: A feature to create stickers via text prompts and a selection tool for moving, deleting and generative filling.
- For the snipping tool: A feature with which you can automatically cut out the most present content of your image and an option to copy out texts from images and screenshots.
But many of you have to wait some time for the big Windows 11 update. For now, it is only distributed for Windows insiders who use a Copilot+PC with Snapdragon X chips. Copilot+PCs with AMD and Intel processors are to follow later. In the course of the year, the update is also to be published for all other Windows 11 users.
- » Tipp: The best VPN providers for more security and data protection
- »Buy the balcony power plant: Compare the best solar systems
Nothing missed with that NetworkNewsletter
Every Friday: the most informative and entertaining summary from the world of technology!
