'So big, it's basically a Start screen again': Windows 11's new Start menu is getting some hate — and triggering Windows 8 flashbacks

Total eclipse of the desktop?

27 Feb 2026, 20:00 · TechRadar

News By Darren Allan published 27 February 2026

(Image credit: fizkes / Shutterstock)

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Windows 11's Start menu is receiving a mixed reaction
Some people aren't keen on the size – though others are fine with it
There are also complaints about a lack of customization in some respects

Windows 11's new Start menu is proving controversial as the revamped interface continues to roll out; that much is clear.

Some people are seriously unimpressed with Microsoft's overhaul here, while others are more appreciative of the redesign. And those opposing camps aside, there are other folks who are miffed about the new interface, not because they hate or like it, but because they still don't have it yet.

Windows Central pointed out a thread on Reddit, which is a great example of how polarized the debate around the new Start menu has become, where the original poster asked for "Thoughts on the new Start menu update?"

And boy, did they get some thoughts, some of which were spicy or even downright fiery.

The main complaints voiced are twofold. First, the Start menu is just too big in its new form, and second, there's a lack of customization, which hampers the panel in certain respects.

Size matters

The issue around the size of the redesigned Start menu is complicated. In the linked thread, there are multiple complaints that it's big, or huge, or indeed, as one Redditor put it, "So big, it's basically a Start screen again." This refers to the configuration of this part of the interface in Windows 8 – as the entire screen, not a menu off the taskbar – which was a move that caused a lot of hate in the Windows community at the time. (Microsoft was trying to make an OS suited to tablets and touchscreens as well as desktop PCs).

There's a similar sentiment in another Reddit thread, where someone observes: "The new Start menu is basically a second desktop."

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