Start menu with floating widgets in Windows 11 reminds us of Windows 8

Microsoft has been working to revamp the Windows 11 Start menu, which could add a floating panel full of Start menu Companions widgets.

Albacore’s post on X (formerly known as Twitter) mentioned a new Start menu feature in the latest version of Windows 11.

Currently, the feature is included in the Canary build 26212 of Windows for beta testers. Microsoft has not spoken about the Start menu Companions feature, but it seems to be a way for developers to extend the Windows 11 Start menu with widget-like capabilities. These will be housed on a floating island, probably docked next to the Start menu.

It appears that developers can create apps that furnish widget-style information using adaptive cards, which provides a platform-neutral means of presenting UI elements.

In another post, Albacore explained:

You’ll be able to configure Companions through the Settings > Personalization > Start. It features a list of installed Companions with on/off toggles as well as a link to the provider’s site for customization (similar to Widgets, it’s very web centric). Dock side is up to the dev.

This means you can configure the Start Companions feature from your Windows 11 Settings section and install multiple companions according to your preferences.

This upcoming feature can remind us of live tiles introduced with Windows 8. If Microsoft decides to make this feature live, it will delight people who miss live tiles.

Since we are talking about a new feature introduced in Canary build 26212, let me tell you about another interesting change: Copilot will be accessible from the Settings app on Windows 11; read this article to learn more. Surprisingly, these features are also not highlighted in the release notes for this build, so we don’t see them coming. The build also removed the evidence of real ads coming to the Windows 11 Start menu.

What do you think about the Start Menu Companions feature? Share your views with our readers in the comments section below.