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MC1234094 Stay informedAdmin impact

Coming soon to organizations: Customize the Start menu with updated policies

From Microsoft 365 Message Center Archive by Merill Fernando · Microsoft may not have sent this notice to your tenant.
Windows
Microsoft 365 admin center

What the notice says

Microsoft’s text, safely structured

The updated Start menu is gradually rolling out. It brings the “All \apps\” section to the top level of the Start menu with new views (category and grid). The size of the Start menu is dynamic to the user's device. Additionally, updated policies now make it easier for you to configure Start.

When will this happen

Start menu began gradual rollout in October 2025 to general audiences. The rollout of Start menu to organizations will begin in the second quarter of the calendar year 2026.

How this will affect your organization

Devices will begin updating to show the new Start menu. In addition to the existing policies, the following policies give you more control:

  • HideCategoryView: This is a net new policy that can be applied to the updated Start menu design. Turn off the new category view in the "All \apps\" section, so devices show the grid view by default. Note: If you already have HideAppList enabled, you don't need to enable HideCategoryView since devices won't have the "All \apps\" section.
  • ConfigureStartPins: This policy can be applied to all versions of Start and only includes an update. When the optional applyOnce flag is set, the pinned layout is applied only during initial provisioning. After that, users can customize their Start menu without those changes being reset during routine policy refreshes. This addresses a previous issue where users’ pinned sections could be unexpectedly refreshed.

What you need to do to prepare

Review the new policies above and make changes accordingly. See additional information.

Additional information

  • Review policies in Start Policy CSP.
  • Learn more at Start policy settings.
  • Learn more about HideCategoryView Start Policy CSP.
  • Learn more about ConfigureStartPins Start Policy CSP.

What changed

Between archive captures, newest first

The archive supplies one version of this notice.

Learn more

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What this page cannot tell you
  • Whether your tenant is affected: this is Microsoft's notice, not a check of your settings.
  • 2 linked pages have not been read yet.
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