Windows 11 Build 26200.5518 - unlock a fresh start menu

 There is some interesting stuff happening in the Windows Insider channel at the moment.  We have recently the Dev channel branch to Build 26200, and this brings the first look into Windows 25H2 or perhaps we would call Windows 12?

The Windows Start menu in  Windows 11 , appeared first in the extremely short lived Windows 10X as a simplified Start Menu allowing you to get you into your stuff quicker (not my words!). This features the area you could pin apps that you use regularly and a recommended section of the documents and things you were working on (your stuff), this moved away from the hybrid Start Menu with Live tiles which was a mix of Windows 7 and Windows 8 combined into Windows 10.

Microsoft has started looking at the Start Menu layout in the latest Dev build of Windows 11, and remember these channel builds are not guaranteed to make the final cut of Windows 11. So I though it would be a good moment to take a look at what is coming down the line!

To get the new Start Menu you need to be in the Dev Channel of Windows 11, though the Windows Insider option located in the Windows Update option in Settings.

You will need to join the Windows Insider Programme and then select the Dev channel to experience the new Start menu.   Once selected restart the device, and wait until Windows Update picks up the update, this will take you to build 26200.5518.

Once your machine has updated, login and you may or may not experience the new Start Menu, if you do you will something like :

The new look  Start Menu showing app-grouping.

A/B testing in the Windows Insider Programme has been around for a while, means although you download the feature it may not be enabled.  Therefore after going though the process you may not see the finished result.  If you don't see it you can enable the feature using the 3rd party Vivetool from Github.

Download here 

There are now two versions of Vivetool, one for ARM64 and one for Intel/ AMD so be sure to download the right one !   at the time of writing the version number is 0.34

Once installed right click on the zip file and choose to extract it to a location.  My tip here is to extract to a place like c:\vivetool

Once extracted launch an elevated command prompt window, and the navigate to c:\vivetool , or wherever you decided to extract it to!

Remember to open an elevated command prompt 

Now change directory to the location you have downloaded Vivtool  in my case its c:\vivetool

Now enable the new start menu by the following commands

vivetool /enable /id:49221331,47205210 vivetool /enable /id:48433719 vivetool /enable /id:49402389 vivetool /enable /id:55495322

Once you have completed this, and then restarted your computer the new Windows Start Menu will be available to you.  Look out for the next post about the new Start menu functions, also if you have a Copilot+PC there is also some updates coming to Windows Recall.

What are your thoughts on a somewhat iOS / Android look to the apps list?  Please leave a comment in the section below.