Start (24H2)

You still open Start in Windows 11 by clicking the Start button in the Taskbar. But Start is significantly different from the version in earlier Windows versions. As with the Taskbar, Start has been simplified, it's now centered onscreen by default, and for the first time, it is a floating window, and not a traditional menu or full-screen experience.

As with previous Windows versions, you can open Start by clicking the Start button on the Taskbar or by typing WINKEY or CTRL + ESC.
Get to know Start
Start now offers a simplified user experience with two main sections--Pinned and Recommended--plus a Search box at the top and User account and Power menus at the bottom. As a result, it looks and works differently than before. And some features you knew from the past are hidden in Windows 11. Others are no longer available.

Where did it go?
Start in Windows 10 was quite different, with a more complex layout that included a navigation pane, an All apps list, and a live tiles area. But only some of these elements are still available in Windows 11.

Navigation pane. Two of the items from Windows 10 Start's navigation pane--User account and Power--are available at the bottom of the new Start menu. The other links you previously used to access Settings, File Explorer, and various folders can be added to the Windows 11 Start menu by customizing it as described later in this chapter.

All apps. The All apps list is available by selecting the "All apps" button at the top right of the Pinned section.

Live tiles. Microsoft no longer supports live tiles in Windows 11. It's a new era.
Pinned
Microsoft--and, for most people, your PC maker--populate the Pinned area with a collection of shortcuts, some useful and some promotional.

This area can scroll in place if the number of shortcuts it contains is too large to display them all at once in the available space. You can scroll between its various pages by using the little "Next Page" and "Previous Page" buttons that appear on the right, or by using your touchpad, mouse, or keyboard.

All apps
To access the full list of apps that are installed on your PC, click the "All apps" button. All apps takes over the Start window but otherwise looks and works much like the All apps list in the Windows 10 Start menu.

Recommended
By default, the Recommended area displays three different types of items: Recently installed apps; recently accessed documents, images, and other files; and, occasionally, a single "suggested" app that will download and install from the Microsoft Store if clicked.

Yes, that's basically an ad, though Microsoft calls it a "suggestion." We explain how to remove this atrocity in the End the nagging section in the Windows 11 Personalization First Steps chapter.
More recommended
To access a longer list of recent apps and files, click the "More" button next to Recommended. As with All apps, More Recommended takes over the Start window and provides a much longer...