The recently released Windows 11 Canary build 26212 quietly introduced support for so-called "Start Menu Companions"—widget-like apps for the Start menu to show up next to your pins or the All apps list to display glanceable information, such as weather, stocks, etc.
Microsoft has not mentioned Start Menu Companions in the official release notes for build 26212. They were discovered by Albacore (@thebookisclosed on X), and here is a sneak peek of what may soon be available for testing in the Windows Insider Program:
It"s time for the Start menu to become extensible!✨
— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) May 9, 2024
Windows 11 β build 26212 quietly introduces support for "Start Menu Companions." They"re apps that provide Adaptive Cards which display on a floating island (docked ➡️ or ⬅️) alongside Start
Used Widgets data as a quick demo 😊 pic.twitter.com/FddrpC99h3
There is not much information about the new Start Menu Companions, considering the feature has not been announced by Microsoft yet. Still, Albacore shared more details about the thing:
You"ll be able to configure Companions through the Settings > Personalization > Start. It features a list of installed Companions with on/off toggles as well as a link to the provider"s site for customization (similar to Widgets, it"s very web centric). Dock side is up to the dev
— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) May 9, 2024
Start Menu Companions look and feel like the resurrection of live tiles, which Microsoft killed in late 2021 when announcing Windows 11 and its, let"s be honest, lackluster Start menu.
Think we won"t see anything Gadgets-esque for a while (stuff freely floating on desktop level) but yeah, you could definitely make something akin to Live Tiles with his, hence the silly description in Settings
— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) May 9, 2024
It will be interesting to see if developers will pick the idea up. Meanwhile, we have to wait for Microsoft to announce all the details and let users test Start Menu Companions first.
What do you think about Start Menu Companions in Windows 11?