W11 Start Menu updated?

Mark K · Apr 11, 2026

I have no idea what happened, but the Windows 11 Start Menu just changed to the old style, but all my previous apps are no longer pinned. I'm not sure what updated, but after the restart of Windows the old style Start menu is back.

Spunk · Apr 12, 2026

Is "User" your usual login profile name?
Your user profile may have had an issue and Windows loaded a Default User profile.
Browse to C:\Users\UserName your User files (ie) Desktop, Downloads, Documents ets should still be there.

If your pinned items are not showing on the Taskbar, try restarting Windows Explorer or clearing the icon cache. You can do this by opening Task Manager, ending the Windows Explorer task, and then restarting it.

Mark K · Apr 12, 2026

Spunk said:
Is "User" your usual login profile name?

Yes, I have always used "user" for the profile name.

Spunk said:
Your user profile may have had an issue and Windows loaded a Default User profile.
Browse to C:\Users\UserName your User files (ie) Desktop, Downloads, Documents ets should still be there.

All data is in the Desktop, Download, Document, etc. folder in the user profile.

Spunk said:
If your pinned items are not showing on the Taskbar, try restarting Windows Explorer or clearing the icon cache. You can do this by opening Task Manager, ending the Windows Explorer task, and then restarting it.

Windows 11 has been restarted several times today and the old style Start menu is still there.

Even when I restart explorer.exe, the old style Start menu still shows. This also occurred on my other two Windows 11 systems today. One one of the systems the Start menu switched between the times I clicked on the Start menu button (within 15 minutes). All previous pinned apps/programs are gone. No big deal, I like the old style Start menu, but strange it happened all of sudden. The new Start menu is hideous.

Mark K · Apr 18, 2026

Mark K said:
Windows 11 has been restarted several times today and the old style Start menu is still there.

And just like that (Forrest Gump).. the new Start menu returned.

I restarted Windows 11 this morning and got a black window showing "System Update..." where the system restarted again, and now the new Start menu is back.

Now the keyboard and mouse are experiencing problems. I had them on Bluetooth and moved them back to the USB receiver and now the mouse is acting up again. The mouse will move around highlighting text, or not do anything at all, and then sudden starts highlighting everything when the mouse is moved. The keyboard skips characters and if I wait a few seconds, those missing characters appear in the word again.

Microsoft Edge updated and wants me to log in with a Microsoft account. Usually I can close the window, but it will not close. I restarted Windows 11 again, and just the mouse is acting weird again. Re-connecting the USB receiver helps at times, but I'm waiting to see what happens next.

Mark K · Apr 18, 2026

Mark K said:
Microsoft Edge updated and wants me to log in with a Microsoft account. Usually I can close the window, but it will not close. I restarted Windows 11 again, and just the mouse is acting weird again. Re-connecting the USB receiver helps at times, but I'm waiting to see what happens next.

I was away from the laptop for a little while and come back to find:
* Microsoft Edge connected to my Microsoft account; defaulting to the new look.

* Microsoft Copilot installed (which I caught) in Windows 11.
* Microsoft OneDrive installed and linked to my Microsoft, no data sync'd.
* Microsoft Store logged in to the Microsoft account.
* The wlidsvc and WSAIFabricSvc services re-enabled and running in Windows 11; both of these were disabled:

* Smart App Control is now turned on when it had been set to Off:

* SmartScreen enabled again for Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Store apps when these were OFF:

I am not sure what else changed. All these settings were disabled or turned off.

If Microsoft wants to control my computer, they need to pay me. LOL.

BruceR · Apr 18, 2026

Mark K said:
I was away from the laptop for a little while and come back to find:
* Microsoft Edge connected to my Microsoft account; defaulting to the new look.
View attachment 169212

Which version of Microsoft Edge (at Settings, About Microsoft Edge)?

Mark K · Apr 18, 2026

BruceR said:
Which version of Microsoft Edge (at Settings, About Microsoft Edge)?

MS Edge 147.0.3912.72

BruceR · Apr 18, 2026

Mark K said:
MS Edge 147.0.3912.72

View attachment 169246

Thanks. I thought "Switch to a new look" was from an old version.

Mark K · Apr 18, 2026

BruceR said:
Thanks. I thought "Switch to a new look" was from an old version.

I thought that too, but Microsoft must have another new look update again.

Since I do majority of everything for myself in Linux, I just decided to keep Windows 11 Pro as it is now. Tired of undoing my changes all the time.

echo2446 · Apr 19, 2026

My Start menu reverted to the old style too, without the automatic groupings at the bottom, although my pinned apps are all intact. I think this switching back and forth has happened to me more than a few times. At this point, I imagine whenever I hit the Start button, some monkey hiding behind the Start menu pops up with it, doing unknown, sometimes unspeakable things to it.

wiganken · Apr 19, 2026

What build of Win 11 are you on? An insider or beta? These aren't as stable as the final release.

Also do you still see the 'Recommended' option to click on to see where that takes you?

echo2446 · Apr 19, 2026

Here's my build info:

Edition	Windows 11 Pro
Version	25H2
Installed on	‎2024-‎12-‎27
OS build	26200.8039
Experience	Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.300.0

Here's what I see (with the proper icons, redacted):

Here are my settings:

Mark K · Apr 19, 2026

echo2446 said:
My Start menu reverted to the old style too, without the automatic groupings at the bottom, although my pinned apps are all intact. I think this switching back and forth has happened to me more than a few times. At this point, I imagine whenever I hit the Start button, some monkey hiding behind the Start menu pops up with it, doing unknown, sometimes unspeakable things to it.

The Start menu keep switching the new and old style. Not sure why, but it seems Windows 11 Pro 26200.8246 may be the cause of the switching.

W11 Start Menu updated?

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