Stardock Start11 empowers you to reclaim your desktop environment by replacing the rigid Windows 11 interface with a fully customizable, productivity-focused alternative. Rather than settling for Microsoft's simplified design, you can deploy a Start menu that respects your workflow, offering advanced filtering, deep search integration, and layout flexibility that the default operating system lacks. This software specifically targets the frustrations of moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11, bridging the gap between familiar classic functionality and modern aesthetics.
Key Features
- Vertical Taskbar Support: As of the major v2.5 update in 2025, you can finally dock your taskbar to the left or right distinct edges of the screen on Windows 11, a critical workflow requirement for many professional setups.
- Windows App & Pro Styles: Choose from over six unique menu layouts, including a dense "App Style" for immediate access to all installed software and a "Pro Style" that introduces tabs and groups for advanced organization.
- Taskbar Ungrouping: Restore the classic behavior of separating running application windows on your taskbar with clear labels, allowing for faster switching between multiple documents or browser instances.
- Enhanced Search with "Everything" Integration: The menu links directly with the voidtools "Everything" search engine, delivering instant, indexed file results that far outperform the native Windows search in speed and accuracy.
- Folder & File Pinning: bypass File Explorer navigation by pinning specific folders or even individual files directly to your taskbar for one-click access to your most active projects.
- Enterprise Layout Locking: Administrators and power users can design a specific Start menu layout and lock it, ensuring icons and groups remain exactly where they were placed without accidental modification.
Use Cases
Start11 is indispensable for enterprise environments where standardizing employee desktops across Windows 10 and 11 reduces support tickets and training time. Individual power users and content creators also rely on it to eliminate muscle-memory friction, utilizing the vertical taskbar and grouped tabs to manage complex workflows on ultrawide monitors.
By offering granular control over every pixel of your navigation experience, Start11 transforms the Start menu from a simple launcher into a command center that adapts to your specific needs.
Version 2.56 — October 2025
- Added support for the small taskbar icons mode in Windows 11 25H2, ensuring system buttons like Search and Widgets resize appropriately.
- Improved handling of multi-monitor configurations on Windows 11 25H2 to prevent screen misidentification bugs.
- Fixed an issue where pinned websites failed to save correctly when placed inside Start menu folders.
- Fixed a bug that prevented background images on tabs and groups from loading properly upon initialization.
- Fixed a potential crash that could occur when interacting with other windows while the custom background picker dialog was open.
- Resolved an issue where centered taskbar buttons would occasionally fail to appear on secondary monitors.
