Start11 is a program from Stardock that allows Windows 11 users who aren’t impressed with Microsoft’s new Start menu to customize it into something that feels more like its predecessor.
As detailed in a post on the Stardock blog this week, Start11’s latest version 1.1 update includes a feature that returns folder functionality to the Start menu, granting users a better way of organizing their apps. Start11 users can achieve this simply be dragging icons on top of one another, which opens up a prompt to create a folder.
Coming soon ™ to Start11 pic.twitter.com/TnP7eOkMsB
— Brad Sams (@bdsams) December 6, 2021
“Since Microsoft released Windows 11, we have continued to optimize Start11 for the new operating system,” said Brad Sams, VP and General Manager of Stardock Software. “One of our priorities in v1.1 was bringing folder functionality to the Windows 11 style menu and enhancing integration with our most popular application, Fences”.
This feature can also be utilized by users who have decided to remain on Windows 10. As noted in Stardock’s changelog for Start11 v1.1:
- New: Win10 and Win11 styles now support folders. You drag an icon over another icon holding down the shift key to combine them. You can also right-click on the menu and pick the option to pretend shift is down in order to achieve this should you have no keyboard (say touch device). We are not doing this like Microsoft as their method of combining things all too often turns into chasing the target around the menu as there is natural confusion between putting an icon here and making a group/folder.
- New: Win10 and Win11 styles now offer a right-click Icon submenu when you right-click on an icon. This lets you pick a custom image that will replace the icon. Images should be square for Win11 styles and small, medium, and large tile sizes on Win10 and 2:1 on Wide tiles
- New: On the very first run of Start11 on a Win10 install, the existing Win10 menu will be imported for the Win10 style including folders. This will not happen for existing customers but if they wish they can import theirs by going into the registry and deleting the following keys and rebooting. Items that do not actually exist locally but are MS advertising for apps will not be imported.
Start11 costs $5.99 for a single-user license.
Source: Stardock