Windows 11 was released in an unfinished state back in October, and one of the key complaints was the new Start menu, which many correctly view as a major step back from that in Windows 10 and with its own functional deficiencies. But today, Microsoft finally started testing an updated Start menu in the Windows Insider Program. And while it’s not as sophisticated as I had hoped, it is at least a baby step forward.

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22509 includes the following changes:

Updated Start. With this build, testers can choose between two more Start layouts: “More pins” and “More recommendations.” Each adds an extra row of icons to the respective Start area (and, I assume, removes one from the other). Again, not super sophisticated, but a positive change.

Improved Narrator-based navigation in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft says that typing in edit fields should now be faster, more useful information is provided when navigating around the web, and that you will have a more consistent navigation experience with Narrator.

More Settings, less Control Panel. More Control Panel settings have moved to the Settings app, including advanced sharing settings (Network discovery, File and printer sharing, and public folder sharing), more Printers & Scanners settings, and some entry points for network and devices settings.

Clock and date on secondary displays. When a secondary monitor is connected, the clock and date will now also be displayed on the taskbars of the secondary display(s) “for glanceability.” Also for non-regressionism.

Notifications improvements. More high-priority notifications will now be shown as stacked, and at the same time, in the Notifications panel. Now, you can see up to 4 notifications at the same time—3 high-priority notifications and one normal priority notification.

And a few other things. Check out the original post for the details.