Windows 11 has received a lot of criticism from users for its redesigned Start menu, which many consider a big step backwards from what they had with Windows 10. Years after the initial release of Windows 11, Microsoft has finally released a much-improved variant, which is available for everyone to download and try out.
The redesigned Start menu fixes many of the shortcomings of the original version. For example, it is no longer divided into two pages. You can have the list of all your apps immediately when you open the menu. Then, you can finally disable the “Suggested” section and have more space to pin the apps you are interested in. Also, the list of all your apps now has three different views: grid, list, and categories.
The new Start menu is available as part of the October 2025 security update and is gradually rolling out to all Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2 users, along with other improvements, such as the redesigned battery indicator.
If you don't want to wait, below we'll see how you can enable the upgraded Start menu right now.
Start by downloading KB5067036 from Microsoft Update CatalogYou must be on build 26100.7019 or 26200.7019 to enable the new Start menu. As of late October 2025, the update is available as an optional non-security update and is expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Once the update is installed, download it ViVeTool from GitHub and unzip it at your convenience.
Start the Command Prompt as Administrator and go to the folder with the ViVeTool files using the CD command.
For example, if the vive folder is on C, type CD C:\vive.
When you go to the folder containing vivetool, type
vivetool /enable /id:57048231,47205210,56328729,48433719 and press Enter.
Then restart your computer.
That's it. Now you have the new Start menu, redesigned battery indicator, and other upgrades.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
