#Microsoft Removed the Windows 10 Start Menu Hack from Windows 11 – Review Geek

Last week, PC enthusiasts found a way to enable the Windows 10 taskbar in Windows 11 through a small registry tweak. This hack no longer works in the latest Windows 11 Insider Build (22000.65), as it was patched by Microsoft.

If you enabled the “Classic” Start menu hack in a previous version of Windows 11, it will revert back to the standard Windows 11 Start menu when you upgrade to version 22000.65 (or any future versions of the OS, we assume). Those who are in Microsoft’s “Dev” channel are the first to receive this build before it reaches others in the Insider program.

@JenMsft I’ve noticed that with 22000.65 the option to bring back the old start menu (Start_ShowClassicMode) doesn’t work anymore. Is there any minor chance at all that you guys revert that change so people who REALLY want it back, can use it?

— Tourniquet 💻 (@wenti_man) July 8, 2021

Microsoft clearly wants the new Windows 11 layout to be a success, but in doing so, it risks repeating the disasterous Windows 8 launch. If we’ve learned anything from Microsoft’s past, it’s that you can’t force Windows users to deal with dramatic changes, even if the changes are beneficial. Offering a clear alternative to these changes, like the option to turn on a Classic Start menu, could help soften some outrage when Windows 11 launches later this year.

To Microsoft’s credit, we love the new Start menu. It gets rid of all the unnecessary crap that carried over from the Windows 8 era and greatly streamlines the process of finding apps. But because the Start menu hasn’t changed much in the past few decades, people will be upset by the redesign. Hopefully a company like StarDock will design software to help people get what they want.

Source: Bleeping Computer