Microsoft has revealed a new Start Menu design coming to a future version of the Windows 10 operating system.
The rarely-tinkered-with underpinning of the operating system, available in Build 20161 for Windows Insiders, brings a more streamlined design with Theme-aware tiles, while removing the solid colour backgrounds for app icons.
In a blog post Microsoft says: “We are freshening up the Start menu with a more streamlined design that removes the solid color backplates behind the logos in the apps list and applies a uniform, partially transparent background to the tiles.”
You can see the before and after in the animation below:
Microsoft says the update sets a “beautiful stage for your apps” which perhaps comes into its own when dark mode is enabled and settings are tweaked to:
Show accent colour on the following surfaces” for “Start, taskbar, and action center” under Settings > Personalization > Color.
Here’s a look at the new Start menu with the Windows dark mode enabled and the colour accents set as above. Isn’t it stunning?
Elsewhere, Microsoft is also revamping the Alt+Tab option to make it easier to move between apps and open web tabs in Microsoft Edge.
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The firm added: “Are you a multitasker? We have exciting news for you! Beginning with today’s build, all tabs open in Microsoft Edge will start appearing in Alt + TAB, not just the active one in each browser window. We’re making this change so you can quickly get back to whatever you were doing—wherever you were doing it.”
A more personalised taskbar for new users, the ability to easily dismiss notifications and the addition of control panel tools to the Settings app are also among the forthcoming changes. These features are only available to Insiders right now and will likely make it to consumers in future Windows 10 updates, the next of which is due this autumn.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
