Microsoft has confirmed that a significant Windows 11 feature drop, headlined by a redesigned Start menu, will reach general users next month after weeks of testing through preview and Insider channels. The update introduces a reworked app layout, new navigation options, and tighter smartphone integration, all delivered without requiring a full operating system upgrade. For the hundreds of millions of PCs running Windows 11, the changes represent the most visible interface overhaul since the OS launched.
What the Redesigned Start Menu Actually Changes
The centerpiece of the coming feature drop is a rebuilt Start menu that replaces the current static grid with a more flexible design. According to the KB5067036 documentation, released on October 28, 2025, the new Start menu includes a scrollable “All” section that lets users browse their full app library without jumping to a separate list. Category and grid views give users two distinct ways to organize their pinned items and recently installed apps, while a responsive layout adjusts the menu’s proportions based on screen size and orientation.
Phone Link integration is the other headline addition. Instead of requiring users to open a separate desktop app to interact with their Android or iOS device, the Start menu now surfaces phone notifications, recent photos, and messaging shortcuts directly inside the menu panel. That change collapses a step that previously required switching contexts, which matters for anyone who regularly bounces between a PC and a phone during the workday. The update applies to Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, covering OS Builds 26200.7019 and 26100.7019, so both current consumer hardware and newer devices shipping with 24H2 preinstalled will see the same Start experience.
How Microsoft Stages Feature Drops Before Broad Release
Microsoft did not simply announce these features and push them to every PC at once. The company follows a deliberate pipeline: new capabilities first land in optional non-security preview updates, where users must manually choose to install them. That is exactly what happened with KB5067036 in late October. The preview label signals that the code is feature-complete but still collecting telemetry and bug reports before it becomes part of a mandatory cumulative update the following month. This same pattern played out earlier this year when the KB5060829 preview for OS Build 26100.4484 introduced its own batch of features through staged rollout language before those changes reached the wider user base weeks later.
The Insider program adds another validation layer. Builds released to the Release Preview ring, such as Build 26100.7309 and its sibling 26200.7296, let Microsoft test feature payloads with volunteer users who opt into early access. The company uses gradual and normal rollout buckets to control how quickly a given feature reaches the full Insider population, gathering crash data and performance metrics at each stage. Only after clearing both the optional preview and the Insider validation steps does a feature drop move into the monthly security update that every supported PC receives automatically. That dual-gate approach explains why the Start menu redesign has been visible in test builds for weeks but has not yet appeared on most consumer machines.
Why This Drop Matters More Than a Typical Patch
Most monthly Windows updates fix security holes and squash bugs. Feature drops are different: they change how the operating system looks and behaves. The Start menu sits at the center of daily PC interaction, so redesigning it affects muscle memory, accessibility workflows, and enterprise training materials all at once. By bundling the scrollable All section, category and grid views, a responsive layout, and Phone Link integration into a single release, Microsoft is treating the Start menu as a product within the product, iterating on it the way a mobile OS vendor would update a home screen launcher.
That approach reflects what Microsoft’s own documentation describes as a continuous innovation model. Rather than saving interface changes for annual feature updates tied to a new version number, the company now ships them through the same cumulative update channel that delivers security patches. The practical effect for users is that their PC can gain new capabilities every month without a lengthy upgrade process or a reboot-heavy migration. The tradeoff is less predictability: IT administrators who manage fleets of corporate PCs must now track feature rollouts on a tighter cadence, since a routine Patch Tuesday update can alter the interface their employees rely on.
What Users Should Watch For Next Month
When the Start menu redesign moves from optional preview to broad rollout, it will arrive as part of the standard cumulative update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. Users who installed KB5067036 manually already have the new layout. Everyone else will receive it automatically once Microsoft promotes the code from preview status. Based on the company’s established cadence, that promotion typically happens in the cumulative update released on the second Tuesday of the following month, which in this case falls in December.
There are a few practical things to keep in mind. The responsive layout means the Start menu will look different on a 13-inch laptop than on a 27-inch desktop monitor, so users should not be surprised if the proportions shift when they connect or disconnect an external display. Phone Link integration requires a paired device running the Phone Link companion app on Android or the Link to Windows feature on supported iPhones, so the new shortcuts will not appear for users who have not set up that connection. And because Microsoft uses gradual rollout buckets even within cumulative updates, not every PC will receive the redesigned menu on the same day. Some users may see it within hours of installing the December patch, while others could wait days or weeks as Microsoft monitors stability data.
A Shift in How Windows Evolves
The bigger story behind this feature drop is structural. Microsoft has spent the past two years moving Windows 11 away from the traditional model of one or two large annual releases toward a rhythm of smaller, more frequent capability updates delivered through the existing servicing pipeline. The Start menu redesign, delivered via an optional preview and then folded into a routine cumulative update, is a textbook example of that strategy in action. Features that once would have been held for a “Windows 12” or a major yearly refresh now appear as incremental refinements that ride along with security fixes and reliability improvements.
For users, that means Windows 11 will feel less like a static product and more like a service that evolves in the background. The upside is faster access to improvements such as a more capable Start menu and tighter phone integration, without the disruption of a full in-place upgrade. The downside is a moving target: interface elements can shift with little warning, documentation and training materials can go out of date more quickly, and organizations must pay closer attention to preview notes and Insider releases to anticipate what is coming. As this Start menu rollout shows, understanding how Microsoft sequences previews, Insider builds, and broad deployment has become just as important as knowing what any single feature does once it lands on the desktop.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
