Microsoft is changing Windows 10's Start menu in big way
Microsoft works round the clock to develop useful Windows 10 features and test them with the insiders. The move helps the company take feedback on new capabilities, but just recently, it committed a big blunder. The Redmond giant accidentally launched an internal-only build of Windows 10, revealing a completely new avatar of the Start menu. Here's everything you need to know about it.
Windows 10 build 18947 released to testers
In what can be described as a rare albeit embarrassing mistake, Microsoft published Windows 10 build 18947, designed for internal Xbox development, to testers running 32-bit machines. The release was soon made unavailable but it was too late by then; several insiders had already taken a look at what the company had been working on internally - a redesigned Start menu.
So, what's changing in Start menu
Though the Start menu seen in the build looks like an early version, it sure features some notable changes. First of all, it looks cleaner than ever; the tile format for apps has been ditched for simple app icons that take less space. Then, the animated Live Tiles, which displayed information from apps in real-time, also appear to have been removed.
Search bar, suggested apps tab also added
Among other things, the redesigned Start menu sports a dedicated search bar to look for files on the computer as well as a 'Suggested' section of apps utility-focused programs. The redesigned interface, to note, looks pretty similar to what has previously been seen in Windows Lite, the light version of the OS. It has been creating universal composable shell for dual-screen devices.
No word on official rollout yet
While many may not like the redesigned Start menu, particularly the departure of Live Tiles, the plan definitely makes sense. Live Tiles debuted six years ago, but only a few apps support the feature, which makes it pretty redundant. But, don't start panicking right now; this is just the test version and we don't know when or if these changes will be executed.
