Key points to remember
Microsoft is adding a new feature to the Windows 11 Start menu that might finally make it useful.
A category view to sort apps under specific categories is in the works, revealed in a recent Windows 11 beta.
Users can force the new feature to appear by modifying their system using ViveTool, providing a preview of a potential improvement.
The Windows 11 Start menu isn’t the best, and it has its fair share of detractors. It’s gotten to the point where there are plenty of third-party Start menu replacement apps that add features that Microsoft never got around to creating. Fortunately, it seems like Microsoft isn’t done with the Windows 11 Start menu just yet, as it’s adding a new feature that could actually make it useful.
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In for money.
Source: Microsoft
It looks like Microsoft is working on a category view for the Start menu, which sorts all your apps under specific categories. It was spotted in the latest Windows 11 beta, but you won’t find this feature in the release notes. That’s because Microsoft is still working on this feature, so it’s not officially released. Regardless, you can still force the feature to appear by tweaking your system using ViveTool.
The new feature was spotted by PhantomOfEarth, who did a great job of tracking down these hidden gems. This time, they spotted the category view in the Start menu and provided instructions on how to enable it, albeit in a half-finished form.
Lately, it feels like Microsoft has been inundating users with both good and bad things. On one hand, you have cool features like the category view that make the Start menu a lot more useful. On the other, the company has also filled the Windows 11 Start menu with ads, which has upset many users. And with apps like Start11 and StartAllBack giving users a great alternative, the Redmond giant really needs to offer more hits than misses if it wants people to use its stock option.