Microsoft may be planning to replace the Start menu on Windows 10 with a new design that ditches the live tiles in favor of traditional icons according to sources.
When the software giant first introduced Windows 10, the desktop included a new Start menu that combined the familiarity of the Windows 7 menu with the Start screen live tiles available with Windows 8.
While the live tiles were a good idea at the time, as they were meant to give you a quick glance in real-time of things happening within the app, the approach never took off. Also, after the death of Windows Mobile, Microsoft even stopped updating the live tiles platform, and nowadays, the Start menu tiles don’t really display anything useful.
According to a report from Windows Latest, sources familiar to the plan say that a new Start menu is in the works that will replace the live tiles with traditional icons. The Start menu redesign is expected to have a style similar to the one for Windows 10X, but it’ll include tweaks to adjusts the menu for desktop devices.
While there’s not a release date for this change, the rumor suggests that users may see the new menu with traditional icons sometime after the second major release of Windows 10 (20H2) in 2020.
Of course, as with any rumors, things can always change and move to a different direction, but since Microsoft has already been updating the icons for Windows 10, and there’s a new Start menu for Windows 10X, there is a good chance for a new menu to appear on desktops.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].