Startdock launches Start11 to customize the Windows 11 Start menu

You can customize the look of the Windows 11 Start menu with Start11 from Stardock.

What you need to know

• Start11 launched in beta this week, allowing people to customize the Start menu on Windows 11.
• The program includes options for either Windows 7-style or modern Start menus.
• The makers of Start11 are working on adding pages, tabs, and other features to the Start menu.

Stardock announced Start11 this week, a program designed to customize the Start menu of Windows 11 and Windows 10. The program is still in beta and focuses on restoring functionality to the Start menu. You can pick up the beta version of Start11 from Stardock's website for $5.

"This first beta is designed to regain some of the lost functionality in the current Windows 11 Start menu," said Brad Wardell, Stardock CEO. "We have a lot of exciting new features planned to make the Start menu not just more accessible, but also more useful to companies and power users."

The new Start menu in Windows 11 has drawn a mixed reaction from enthusiasts. In our poll regarding the Windows 10 Start menu on Windows 11, over 53% of participants said that people should have an option as to which Start menu to use. When Windows 11 briefly allowed people to switch to the Windows 10 Start menu, many were eager to return to the previous version.

Start11 doesn't exactly replicate the Windows 10 Start menu on Windows 11, at least at the moment. It does have options for different styles, including Windows 7 and Modern. The Modern style looks more like the Start menu of Windows 10, though it doesn't have Live Tiles. Stardock also plans to add new functionality, like pages, tabs, and features built for enterprise in the future.

"The new UI has been designed to support future Start menu designs," said Wardell. "Start8 and Start10 focused on restoring previous versions of the Start menu. Start11 will be extending this to support a host of new Start menu ideas such as the concept of pages, tabs, minimalism, and features for our enterprise customers."

Start11

$5 at Stardock (beta)

This program lets you customize the Start menu on Windows 11 or Windows 10 with different styles. It just launched in beta, so expect some bugs now and more features in the future.