Internal Windows 10 Build Shows Off New Start Menu Design Without Live Tiles

This has been a really weird morning for Microsoft. The company mistakenly pushed out an internal build of Windows 10 to Insiders, and that build includes some new features we have not seen before.

The main new thing is a brand-new Start Menu design for Windows 10. The new start menu design gets rid of Microsoft’s popular live tiles, replacing them with regular app icons. The new design is obviously still under development, which is probably why it looks so rough and incomplete. Keep in mind that this is an internal build, and was never supposed to make it to the public just yet.

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Either way, the new start menu design is an interesting change. Microsoft has been rumored to be moving away from live tiles in the past, and this new design could mark the end of live tiles. It is possible the new start menu design is only meant for Windows Lite, and may not actually ship on the desktop. That could make sense as Windows Lite is essentially meant to be a lighter version of the Windows 10 desktop experience as we know it.

Apart from the new start menu design, Microsoft also seems to be working on adding a GIF Search feature to the OS, and that could possibly be integrated into the existing emoji picker in Windows 10.

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Conversation 61 comments

  • dontbe evil

    24 July, 2019 - 10:17 am

    <p>nothing to see here, just an internal build of windows lite</p>

    • Greg Green

      25 July, 2019 - 8:52 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444693">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>Judging by the number of comments there’s quite a bit to see here.</p>

  • bbold

    24 July, 2019 - 10:21 am

    <p>I hope MS gives users an option to 'toggle on/off' the live tiles, since I have grown used to them, but feel they aren't necessary in EVERY case use I have encountered. It would be nice to have a choice between flat plain and/or live tiles. What do you think?</p><p><br></p><p>BB</p>

    • SYNERDATA

      24 July, 2019 - 11:36 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444694">In reply to bbold:</a></em></blockquote><p>As long as they don't get rid of them in the Pro versions. I use the Newsflow app to populate my menu screen with one live tile per RSS feed, and live tiles are one of my favorite features of Windows 10, so that those who have no need of a "Start Menu" can use it as a datafeed and control panel. A single button press and I see all the latest data in a single glance without even having to launch anything. Gorgeous.</p><p><br></p>

  • martinusv2

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 10:24 am

    <p>Lol, look like the modern style of Start10 from Stardock.</p>

  • T182

    24 July, 2019 - 10:30 am

    <p>Just as i get my tiled start menu set up just the way i like it…. </p>

  • Ron Diaz

    24 July, 2019 - 10:40 am

    <p>“Popular live tiles”?!?</p>

    • Rob_Wade

      24 July, 2019 - 11:38 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444699">In reply to Hypnotoad:</a></em></blockquote><p>Popular with me. Forever. I despise what Microsoft is doing to Windows. It's sickening.</p>

      • Ron Diaz

        24 July, 2019 - 12:12 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#444741">In reply to Rob_Wade:</a></em></blockquote><p>There’s always one in a crowd…</p>

        • bleeman

          Premium Member
          24 July, 2019 - 2:36 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#444748">In reply to Hypnotoad:</a></em></blockquote><p>Make that at least two. I've hated that they have caved in to the "whiny" desktop users and rather than giving us an either/or option seem to keep backpedaling so we'll eventually end up with the old desktop. I have no problem with them offering the desktop version for those that want it, but don't get rid of the live tiles and new start menu for those of us that want it.</p>

          • roykirk

            24 July, 2019 - 2:54 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#444804">In reply to bleeman:</a></em></blockquote><p>If they make either version option, that's certainly a good course. Personally I am one who loathes live tiles and run Start10 on everything, but I don't use a Surface, only desktop/laptop. Give us a choice and hopefully everyone can be happy.</p>

          • Greg Green

            25 July, 2019 - 8:50 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#444804">In reply to bleeman:</a></em></blockquote><p>MS threw desktop users under the bus with Win 8, then threw tablet users under the bus with Win 10. Amazing that anyone’s still a customer.</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      24 July, 2019 - 3:57 pm

      <p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/211004/internal-windows-10-build-shows-off-new-start-menu-design-without-live-tiles#444699&quot; target="_blank"><em>In reply to Hypnotoad:</em></a></p><blockquote>Popular</blockquote><p>Maybe he's angling for a job from Windows Central.</p>

  • Biswajit Deb

    24 July, 2019 - 10:43 am

    <p>If you closely on the left-hand side, there's a dog icon that's highlighted blue as if that's the current tab being displayed with this grid-style apps list, like some kind of Profile tab. Above that is the same old Start Screen icon but no App List icon.</p><p><br></p><p>Compare this setup to the current and the new Tablet-mode Start experience as seen in the Twitter image: the Start Screen icon is there on the old and new design as is the App List icon, but this new dog icon is not.</p><p><br></p><p>Based on what you're saying Brad, this looks like a new combination of the old Start Screen and App's List into one grid that's being worked on alongside the other two tabs until they can remove the dedicated Start Screen and App's List entirely to leave just this new thing.</p><p><br></p><p>Or they actually intend to keep a dedicated App's List and user-customisable Live Tile screen alongside this new grid tab, though that seems a little redundant.</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      24 July, 2019 - 3:16 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444700">In reply to Bishbash93:</a></em></blockquote><p>That's the Ninjacat, mascot of the Insider program, which is why this prerelease option is selected using that.</p>

  • will

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 10:51 am

    <p>Soon all of the icons will just be B&amp;W versions ;)</p>

  • iantrem

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 10:52 am

    <p>Wonder if they've made other changes and they've just not incorporated live tiles back into this build yet?</p>

  • Jordan Meyer

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 10:55 am

    <p>That's the Ninja cat mascot, not a dog! ;)</p>

    • Rob_Wade

      24 July, 2019 - 11:38 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444716">In reply to Jordan_Meyer:</a></em></blockquote><p>Nope. It's a dog. In every sense that matters. It's a dog.</p>

  • dcdevito

    24 July, 2019 - 11:11 am

    <p>Who cares? I turn that off completely anyway. </p>

    • evox81

      Premium Member
      24 July, 2019 - 12:55 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444720">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote><p>Ahhh the old "I don't care so no one does" mentality… productive.</p>

  • glenn8878

    24 July, 2019 - 11:17 am

    <p>How are they icons? They are tile representations as if they could easily replace with live tiles as an option.</p><p><br></p><p>I wish they will return actual icons. They just look better than the silhouette style tiles.</p>

    • boots

      24 July, 2019 - 11:43 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444723">In reply to glenn8878:</a></em></blockquote><p>How are they <em>NOT</em> Icons? They have a picture with text underneath. That's what an Icon is!</p><p>What do <em>YOU </em>think Icons are?</p>

      • glenn8878

        24 July, 2019 - 11:47 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#444849">In reply to Boots:</a></em></blockquote><p>What do you think they were? They were live tiles and now they are unlive, dead, tiles. They don’t magically become icons. An icon represents the product and brand. These Tiles look generic. </p>

        • boots

          25 July, 2019 - 2:13 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#444850">In reply to glenn8878:</a></em></blockquote><p>Most Tiles weren't live, they were just Icons with coloured squares around them. The coloured squares are what made them Tiles. Remove the coloured squares and they stop being Tiles, they magically become Icons again.</p>

        • Greg Green

          25 July, 2019 - 8:48 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#444850">In reply to glenn8878:</a></em></blockquote><p>LOL!. Dead tiles. Funny.</p>

  • bob_shutts

    24 July, 2019 - 11:35 am

    <p>It seems MS and Apple are totally embracing the "flat" UI look. Personally I hate it. (But they didn't ask me. LOL)</p>

  • Rob_Wade

    24 July, 2019 - 11:37 am

    <p>This got automagically installed on my 2017 Surface Pro (but not on my SP6). Thank GOD I'm not seeing that putrid excuse for a Start menu on version of 18947 that ended up on my 2017 SP. I run EVERYTHING in Tablet Mode, and if I had to see that screen on my devices I'd puke.</p>

  • PeterC

    24 July, 2019 - 11:38 am

    <p>well when I look at it i'm reminded of Microsoft's android launcher dock too, you know the select the number of columns in your dock option..…. possible dock synchronisation from Launcher to Modern/Lite OS. Maybe…</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • Rob_Wade

    24 July, 2019 - 11:41 am

    <p> Honestly, I suspect this is also an A/B situation, too. 18947 ended up on one of my SPs, but it's 18947.rs_prerelease.190723-1401.</p>

  • AlexKven

    24 July, 2019 - 11:47 am

    <p>Let us put the live tiles on the desktop, like the desktop widgets. </p>

  • codymesh

    24 July, 2019 - 11:56 am

    <p>They're keeping it simple. I like it!</p>

  • Patrick3D

    24 July, 2019 - 12:47 pm

    <p>Could make for a better experience on low-end devices stuck with eMMC storage.</p>

  • crp0908

    24 July, 2019 - 1:03 pm

    <p>This reminds me of Program Manager in Windows 3.1. The start menu has gone full circle!</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      24 July, 2019 - 3:50 pm

      <p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/211004/internal-windows-10-build-shows-off-new-start-menu-design-without-live-tiles#444754&quot; target="_blank"><em>In reply to crp0908:</em></a></p><p>MSFT's new Start functionality from Windows 8.0 has been a reversion to Program Manager's single level of grouping with no subgroups. FWLIW, I disliked that enough back in Windows 3.1 days that I used Norton Desktop to get some hierarchy. I realize that isn't for everyone, but it's been more than an annoyance from Windows 8.0 on that MSFT no longer provides that functionality out of the box. Thus I may be using Classic Shell until you pry my keyboard from my cold, dead fingers.</p>

      • Greg Green

        25 July, 2019 - 8:47 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#444814">In reply to hrlngrv:</a></em></blockquote><p>I had subgroups in my PM. I remember a large window for PM, then an open sub window for my daily programs, and minimized windows in PM for my weekly and monthly programs that would expand to the size of the main PM window when clicked.</p><p><br></p><p>But maybe I had some shareware that did that, I’m not sure. I’ll have to find that hard drive and plug it into something that can work with it.</p>

    • Daekar

      24 July, 2019 - 4:47 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444754">In reply to crp0908:</a></em></blockquote><p>That is exactly what I thought myself!</p>

  • Allen Markham

    24 July, 2019 - 1:49 pm

    <p>Isn't that the 'Tiles' icon right under the three lines on the left? The one that displays the new screen is a new icon is below 'All Apps' icon. Could be a good as part of Lite.</p>

  • delicieuxz

    24 July, 2019 - 2:48 pm

    <p>It still looks awful and inefficient. I've been happy with Startisback, which it looks like will remain my start menu replacement. And I hope the Windows default start menu returns to something similar to the Windows 7 start menu eventually, as it's much cleaner, more efficient, and more functional than any of the Windows 10 start menu iterations, which have been pointless exercises in everything other than what's useful or attractive.</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 3:14 pm

    <p>It could be nice once they get some polish on it. It actually looks pretty good in tablet mode.</p><p><br></p><p>Pity the same can't be said for the rest of tablet mode.</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 3:19 pm

    <p>To anybody worried about losing the tiles, observe the lefthand margin of the menu. </p><p><br></p><p>This new view is offered with a sidebar icon that was not present before. In this prerelease, that icon takes the form of the Insider program's mascot, Ninjacat who is fond of riding dinosaurs and unicorns. As of now there's every indication that this will be an optional view, so there's no need for terror just yet. :)</p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 3:41 pm

    <blockquote>. . . Microsoft’s <strong><em>popular</em></strong> live tiles . . .</blockquote><p>You have access to the telemetry to back that up? If they're so <em>popular</em>, why would MSFT be effectively deprecating them?</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • zorb56

      Premium Member
      25 July, 2019 - 12:10 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#444812"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a><em> </em>Yeah… "popular" is a stretch. Though I personally love them, everyone I talk to does not. And on my work PCs, I remove all of them so the start menu looks like Windows 98 or something because they're fairly distracting.</blockquote><p><br></p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    24 July, 2019 - 3:45 pm

    <p>Does the new launcher provide no grouping at all? Only so many suggested apps then a list of nothing by app icons in some order? I can accept that many, maybe most, people don't like deep folder hierarchies in their Start menus, but no grouping at all?</p>

  • Jorge Garcia

    24 July, 2019 - 7:29 pm

    <p>So now there will be at least three types of prominent icons. Vista/Modern/This. It's like they aren't even trying to make windows look appealing. It's time for a ground-up rebuild based off of Android. But don't call it "Windows" anything.</p>

  • Byron Adams

    24 July, 2019 - 8:12 pm

    <p>I've started to use the live tiles instead of desktop icons. That way I can arrange them and not have the arrangement lost.</p>

    • delicieuxz

      25 July, 2019 - 6:18 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444844">In reply to Byron_Adams:</a></em></blockquote><p>In my experience, Windows 10 (at least the newer versions) already automatically preserves the desktop icon layout when programs change the resolution to something lower than the desktop's.</p><p><br></p><p>There are some 3rd-party programs that will do that on versions of Windows that don't automatically do that.</p><p><br></p>

  • Adlton

    24 July, 2019 - 8:27 pm

    <p>It looks hideous.</p><p><br></p><p>Please stop changing start menu it is part of OS that needs consistency more than almost any other.</p><p><br></p><p>I really do not want to have to explain people how to use start menu again,</p>

  • BlackForestHam

    24 July, 2019 - 10:55 pm

    <p>&gt; <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Microsoft’s popular live tiles</span></p><p><br></p><p>About as popular as AIDS in the Congo. This new menu looks nice. Hope it makes it into the final build. </p>

    • Philip Worthington

      26 July, 2019 - 2:35 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444847">In reply to BlackForestHam:</a></em></blockquote><p>I know! I actually laughed out loud when I read 'popular live tiles.' I have literally never met anyone who likes or even uses them; personally I remove them all from the start menu on my machines, which allows me to resize the start menu for a much cleaner look.</p>

  • Dryloch

    24 July, 2019 - 11:33 pm

    <p>Let us choose because to me that looks terrible. I like my customizable tiles.</p>

  • sharpsone

    25 July, 2019 - 12:38 am

    <p>Leave it to the user as an option..freedom and expression sells. Mainstream windows is a robust OS sometimes usage is basic and then there are those that want more than static menus or icons. If that shit up there is slated for mainstream it has to grab the user – on hover the icon should pop, scroll or explode with colorful useful data, eye candy but useful. Like a live tile on call, not sleek square modern…Seattle Grunge Style</p>

  • michel_lali

    25 July, 2019 - 8:24 am

    <p>For desktop, a la "Classic Shell" is the way to go.</p><p>For tablet, titles is fine wirh me.</p>

    • gandalforce

      Premium Member
      25 July, 2019 - 9:46 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#444901">In reply to Michel_Lali:</a></em></blockquote><p>Start10 ftw</p>

  • illuminated

    26 July, 2019 - 2:15 pm

    <p>I like tiles. All icons have shrunk to a tiny size so that fruit flies could read them I assume. Tiles are still sized for humans. Also monochrome icons just suck. </p>

  • blackcomb

    27 July, 2019 - 9:23 am

    <p>It looks ugly. Ms still trying to make Windows a mobile OS.</p>

  • unickgirlbd

    15 August, 2019 - 7:08 am

    <p>thanks for your</p>

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