Published Jun 17, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT

Hamlin has been in the tech field for over seven years. Since 2017, his work has appeared on MakeUseOf , OSXDaily, Beebom, MashTips, and more. He served as the Senior Editor for MUO for two years before joining XDA. He uses a Windows PC for desktop use and a MacBook for traveling, but dislikes some of the quirks of macOS. You're more likely to catch him at the gym or on a flight than anywhere else.

I've never been a fan of the Start menu in Windows 11 because it always felt like a mix of what I want and what Microsoft thinks I want. The Recommendations section, for example, was supposed to help me get back to recently opened files and apps, but I never really found it helpful. Most of the time, I know exactly what to open before I bring up the Start menu, so I just need to type a few letters, hit Enter, and move on.…