Users still want a more Windows 7-like Start menu

May 20, 2015 09:38 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is bringing back the Start menu in Windows 10, and after the Windows 8 saga, when the majority of adopters looked for third-party alternatives to make the desktop look more familiar, some developers might be worried that nobody would ever use their apps again.

And such a concern does make sense. Microsoft is paying a lot of attention to the new Start menu and is working together with users across the globe to implement features, options, and visual effects that would make it just perfect, so third-party apps might easily become obsolete.

But that won't be the case for two different reasons. We've talked to several Start menu developers in the last few weeks, and most of them said pretty much the same things: users need more choices and the familiarity offered by the Windows 7 menu.

More choices

In Windows 10, the Start menu will indeed be developed based on users' feedback, but there's no doubt that not everyone can be pleased with this new approach.

While Microsoft indeed implements many of the suggestions it receives, it's no secret that some users want a different approach, and at least until now, some requests are yet to be implemented. Customization options aren't yet offered for the Windows 10 Start menu, so you won't be able to change too many things about the default configuration.

Third-party apps, on the other hand, allow users to change the look of the Start menu, pick a different color, change colors, replace the default Start button with a new one, and tweak pretty much every single key feature to make it better fit your desktop.

The Windows 7 feel

The second reason is the Windows 7 feel that all users coming from this particular OS version expect to find. Windows 10's Start menu is based on its sibling in Windows 7, but it also borrows modern elements from Windows 8, such as the live tiles, so it's easy to see why some never liked it.

Removing the live tiles gets you to a simple app list that has little in common with the Windows 7 Start menu, and this is where third parties come into play.

As compared to the default Start menu, a third-party app allows you to go back to the Windows 7 look and feel, so you won't feel any difference when switching from Windows 7 to Windows 10. And with the aforementioned customization options, your workflow shouldn't be affected at all.

Right now, the majority of these apps already work on the technical preview, so just go ahead and download a third-party Start menu for Windows 10 to see how it feels and works despite not being ready for RTM.

Third-party Start menu app in Windows 10
Third-party Start menu app in Windows 10

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Third-party Start menu app in Windows 10
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