Windows 11 Users Get Smaller Start Menu with August Update

Windows 11 users have finally gotten their wish for a smaller Start menu. The August optional update has made it possible to shrink the Start menu, hide sections that are not wanted, and prevent it from taking up too much space on the screen.

The new customizable Start menu was initially rolled out in stages through Microsoft's Controlled Feature Rollout, but users can now force-enable it using a well-tested and safe method involving ViVeTool.

To enable the resizable Start menu, users need to install the August 2026 optional update (KB5120998) and then restart their PC. Once restarted, they can use ViVeTool to turn on the switch for the new feature.

The updated Start menu now allows users to show or hide Pinned apps, Recent, and All apps independently, as well as toggle off their name and profile picture if desired. The menu also offers three size options: Automatic, Small, and Large.