How To Enable New Windows 10 Start Menu On PC And Laptop [2020]

You can get the new Start menu design on your Windows 10 2004 copy on a desktop or laptop with no Insider account needed to access the feature. Microsoft is planning to release the redesigned start menu with new icons, theme-aware background colors, and a pleasing overall appearance in the upcoming Windows 10 update version 2009 later this year. You do not have to wait until the official update release to enable a new Start menu on Windows 10 without a developer account in 2020.

The complete method to get the new Start menu on a PC running the Windows 10 version 2004 with the next cumulative update preview is explained in a step by step guide below.

enable new start menu win 10

Windows 10 New Start Menu:

Earlier Microsoft announced that the company is working on releasing a revamped Start menu in 2021. However, it seems that the much anticipated new look of the Start menu is going to be a part of Windows 10 November 2020 Update Version 2009.

For now, the new look of the Start menu is available only to the members of Microsoft’s Windows Insider developer community who can access it via their registered accounts.

But if you are not a member of the Insider community or don’t want to join the Insider program, you can still enable the new Start menu on a computer using the latest Windows 10 operating system.

In order to transform the Windows 10 Start menu make sure that your device is updated to the latest version of the operating system which is Windows 10 May 2020 Update.

windows-10-2021

Once all the prerequisite conditions are fulfilled, you can proceed to test the new theme-aware Start menu. This is made possible because both the current version 2004 and the soon-to-be-released version 2009 share the same core Windows 10 OS language.

The theme-aware Start menu has a transparent background layer that subsumes under the applied desktop theme color.

Following on the 2019 update release pattern, Microsoft will push the Windows 10 November 2020 Update as a cumulative update to PC and laptop devices running version 2004.

According to the official statement by the company, the new Windows 10 Start menu aesthetics work in both light and dark themes:

If you’re looking for a splash of color, first make sure to turn on Windows dark theme and then toggle “Show accent color on the following surfaces” for “Start, taskbar, and action center” under Settings > Personalization > Color to elegantly apply your accent color to the Start frame and tiles.

Discover More:

How To Apply Windows 10 Version 2009 New Start Menu Design Without Insider Account:

Here are the steps to get the new Windows 10 Start menu style but follow at your own discretion as we will not be responsible for issues that may surface later due to the incorrect implementation of instructions.

Step 1 – First, make sure that your Windows 10 desktop or laptop computer is running the cumulative Build 19041.423 (KB4568831) via Windows Update or manually install it.

Step 2 – Now open Notepad and paste the following path as it is:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FeatureManagement\Overrides\0\2093230218] “EnabledState”=dword:00000002
“EnabledStateOptions”=dword:00000000

Step 3 – Now save the file and name it StartMenu.reg.

Step 4 – Once done, run the file.

Step 5 – Restart the device for changes to take effect.

Step 6 – That’s it.

The above Registry edit function will allow you to enable the new Start menu (according to DM). There have been no reports about any issues so far. That being said, it is recommended that the average user should wait for the official update to arrive and avoid traversing into a pro user territory unless you’re fully confident about applying the instructions without errors.

If the new Start menu on Windows 10 PC isn’t showing, search winver to check the operating system currently running on your device and restart again. This method works only on Windows 10 version 2004 build 19041.423 KB45668831 or later.

To revert the new Start menu style, simply open the registry, head over to the same path, and then delete the entry to go back to the previous state.

How do you like the new Start menu on Windows 10? Let us know about your views in the comments section below.