Hate the new Windows 11 Start Menu layout? Replace it with these 5 freeware apps and skins instead

Hate the new Windows 11 Start Menu layout? Replace it with these 5 freeware apps and skins instead

The new Windows 11 Start Menu layout is at the center of a heated debate among PC users. Instead of taking steps forward in form and function, Microsoft seems to be listening to everyone else but their own users.

If you are frustrated with the limit of customization available within Windows 11, take a look at these free (freeware) apps available to replace your Windows 11 Start Menu:

Microsoft provides plenty of documentation about how the Windows 11 Start Menu layout can be customized to look the way you want it. For various reasons, many users are dissatisfied with the new Start Menu on Windows 11. Freeware is just free software

This guide won’t show you how to customize your Windows Start Menu, but instead show you the free ( freeware) apps that are available in the Microsoft Store, GitHub, and elsewhere to use to replace the Start Menu on Windows 11.

Replace the Windows 11 Start menu layout

The new Windows 11 Start Menu layout has limited options for customization. Using applications such as Stardock’s Start11 allow you to make Windows 11 look and act more like Windows 10. The problem is Start11 is not free, and I am not sure I want to pay for another app that doesn’t have all the features I want.

There are similar paid apps out there, but they are often outdated. StartAllBack (formerly StartIsBack) is a tool to edit the Windows 10 Start Menu only, but it can’t be used on Windows 11.

Another, Start Menu X is free to download, but charges $10 for the “pro version” of software that looks like it was created in the very early days of Windows 10,

Windows 11 users (and those remaining on Windows 10) want the power to edit and customize their Start Menu how they want it. In this guide, we will look at the best free Github projects to customize Start menu layout on Windows 11.