Windows 11’s Start menu is finally learning a useful lesson: different people want different amounts of Start menu. Microsoft is testing controls for hiding individual sections, choosing a smaller or larger layout, and removing the account name and profile picture.
What is changing
Microsoft’s May 29 Insider announcement described five related changes: “Recommended” becomes “Recent,” independent switches can show or hide Pinned, Recent and All, users can choose a small or large Start menu in addition to Automatic, the account name and profile photo can be hidden, and the Start settings page is redesigned.
The rollout covers Experimental first, and preview availability can be gradual. If the options are absent on your retail PC, that does not mean the installation is broken.
The useful part: section-level control
Today’s Start menu often feels like a compromise. People who launch a small set of pinned apps may not want a history section. Others use All apps constantly. Independent toggles turn that argument into a preference rather than a fixed design decision.
A compact work setup
Choose the small layout, keep Pinned visible, hide Recent, and leave All available. This reduces distraction and avoids showing recently opened items during screen sharing.
A discovery-friendly family PC
Use the large or Automatic layout, keep Pinned and All visible, and decide whether Recent helps family members return to documents. Hiding the account photo can make the menu visually calmer, but it does not sign out the user or remove the Microsoft account.
How to check for the controls
- Open Settings.
- Select Personalization → Start.
- Look for layout or section controls described above.
- If you are an Insider, install the latest offered build and restart once. Do not use unofficial registry scripts for a feature that has not reached your device.
Privacy: what hiding Recent actually changes
Removing Recent from Start is mainly a visibility choice. It should not be treated as secure deletion of activity, files or cloud history. If privacy is the goal, review recent-item settings, individual app history, browser history and the files themselves. A cleaner menu is useful during presentations, but it is not a forensic eraser.
What remains unfinished
Preview UI can change, and Microsoft may adjust names, positions or defaults after feedback. Third-party Start replacements also operate differently and may conflict with a new shell build. Before installing a customization utility, create a restore point and confirm it supports the exact Windows version.
Verdict
This is the kind of Windows customization that should have existed from the start: clear, reversible and located in Settings. The option to hide sections matters more than a cosmetic redesign because it lets the menu fit the way a person actually works.
Sources
Verified against Microsoft’s May 29, 2026 Windows Insider announcement and Microsoft Support’s Start menu customization guidance.
