Ah, the Desktop. For a while, during the dark days of Windows 8, it looked like Microsoft was moving away from what is the defining feature of its operating platform.
That was a time of tiled Start Menus, and full screen tablet modes.
It did not take long for Microsoft to end this mobile inspired nightmare, and put the Desktop front and center in Windows again. And while previous iterations of Windows were back to basics, the software titan wants to try something new in Windows 11 as far as its marquee feature is concerned.
First, let’s take a look at how the desktop looks in the new OS:
As you can see, it is not a radical departure from how the desktop currently looks in Windows. It carries on the clean, minimalistic feel.
You can even say that only the button placement is changed — and what a change this is!
The Start button has been moved to the center of the screen. This is a big deal because for over two decades, the users have been dragging their mouse to the bottom left and clicking. Not to mention, it is not just the apps that have now been placed in the middle, but controls too.
Sure, there are a number third-party customization tools out there that allow you to center your Taskbar, so there is clearly a demand for this option. There is a case to be made that a centered Taskbar works better on an ultrawide screen, which is the way of the future.
In that respect, Windows 11 is paving the way forward.
But then again, when more icons are added to the Taskbar, the Start Menu will never be in the same position. You’ll have to seek the Start button every time you want to open the Start Menu with a mouse click. And believe me, that’s not my idea of a fun time!
Microsoft will likely provide options to have the Start Menu back to where it was. And even if such an option is not available, a quick registry edit or a nice little third-party tool will enable you to put the Start button in its rightful place.
