Microsoft has started rolling out the new Start menu for Windows 11. The new Start menu is not only larger, but also more customizable.
Unlike the old Windows 11 Start menu, the new Start menu lets you completely remove the Recommended section, which shows recently installed apps and recently accessed files. Besides, all installed apps appear right on the home page of the Start menu, which means you no longer need to perform multiple clicks to see all installed apps.
While most users are happy with the new Start menu, some users are not so satisfied with the new Start menu. In fact, they love the old Start menu.
If you also like the old Windows 11 Start menu and would like to get it back, you will have to use a third-party tool to disable the new Start menu and restore the hidden old Windows 11 Start menu.
Note that the tool disables the new Start menu and enables the old Start menu. If Microsoft removes the old Start menu completely from a Windows 11 build, the tool cannot restore the old Start menu.
Disable the new and enable the old Start menu in Windows 11
Step 1: Create a new folder on your Windows 11 desktop and then name it ViveTool.
Step 2: Download ViveTool from this official GitHub link.
Step 3: Extract the downloaded Zip file. To do this, right-click it, click Extract all, select the ViveTool folder you created on your desktop as the destination, and click Extract.
Step 4: Open the Command Prompt as administrator. To do this, type ‘CMD’ in the Start/taskbar search, right-click the Command Prompt entry, and then click the Run as administrator option.
Click the Yes button when you see the User Account Control prompt.
Step 5: At the Command Prompt window, type the following command and then press the Enter key.
cd PathToTheExtractedViveToolFolder
To quickly know the path to the ViveTool folder, right-click it and then click the Copy as path option. In the Command Prompt, you may now paste the copied path to the ViveTool folder.
Step 6: Finally, copy and paste the following command and then hit the Enter key to restore the old Start menu by disabling the new one.
vivetool /disable /id:47205210
Step 7: You get a “Successfully set feature configuration(s)” message. Close the Command Prompt window, save your work, and then reboot your PC once to restore the old Start menu and disable the new one.
Enable the new Start menu again in Windows 11
If you want to restore the new Start menu again or if the Start menu fails to open, you may enable the new Start menu.
Step 1: Follow the directions mentioned above to download and extract the ViveTool.
Step 2: Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 3: At the Command Prompt window, run the following command:
cd pathtoViveToolfolder
Step 4: Lastly, copy and paste the following command and then press the Enter key.
vivetool /enable /id:47205210
Step 5: Reboot your Windows 11 PC once to enable the new Start menu.
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