Windows 11's Start Menu Forces Users to Sacrifice Recent Files for Recommendations: A UX Disaster?

A Confusing Conundrum in Windows 11's Start Menu

For some time now, users of Windows 11 have been scratching their heads, wondering where the handy 'Recent files' feature in File Explorer has vanished to, especially after recent updates and with the new Start menu enabled. It turns out this isn't a glitch, but rather an intentional, albeit baffling, design choice. Mayank Parmar from Windows Latest was the first to highlight this peculiar toggle, which he aptly described as an "ideal example of bad UX ." And frankly, it's hard to argue with that assessment.

The 'All-or-Nothing' Approach to User Preferences

This situation brings to mind the somewhat forced book bundles of the Soviet era, where you might get a Brezhnev tome as an unwelcome addition to a collection of Dumas. Similarly, the new Windows 11 toggle presents users with an ultimatum: either enable or disable three distinct interface elements simultaneously. The problem? A user might appreciate one of these features but find another utterly unnecessary, yet there's no granular control. The culprit is a single toggle buried within Windows 11 Settings under 'Personalization' > 'Start'. Its rather verbose label reads: "Show recommendations in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and jump list items on the taskbar." Yes, you read that right. This single switch dictates the fate of three fundamentally different UI components.

The Underlying Mechanism of Shared Activity

Beyond the awkward labeling, the real issue lies in the deeply intertwined nature of these features. As Windows Latest uncovered, the 'Recommended' section in the Start menu, the 'Recent files' in File Explorer, and the jump lists on the taskbar are all powered by a singular 'activity' mechanism. Windows maintains a unified list of recently accessed files, applications, and even visited websites. The Start menu, File Explorer, and jump lists all draw data from this central repository. Consequently, when this shared list is disabled or inaccessible, all the features dependent on it go offline. In essence, Microsoft has created a situation where isolating and controlling individual preferences is practically impossible.

Getting the New Start Menu (and its Quirks)

This updated Start menu is gradually rolling out to all users with the latest Windows 11 updates. However, Microsoft's phased deployment means many users haven't encountered the new interface by default. To activate the revamped Start menu sooner, users can follow specific instructions or simply wait for the November 'Patch Tuesday' update, scheduled for November 11th, which is expected to deliver it universally.