New menu «Start» Windows 11 sorts programs into a small file — without any AI

Microsoft is updating the «Start» menu in Windows 11. And this time it’s not about changing the design of icons or a hint of nostalgia, but a very specific function: automatic sorting of programs into categories. Does it sound like something complicated and technologically advanced? In fact, everything is much simpler than it seems. This systematization does not require any AI (such as for the settings menu), no Microsoft servers, and no Internet connection required, which sounds like something incredible these days.

At the center of this innovation is a simple 15 MB JSON file. It is in this file that Microsoft describes which category each of the programs from the Microsoft Store belongs to. Everything is labeled with numbers: 0 — productivity, 1 — social media, 2 — creativity, and so on. This file is embedded in the system, and Windows 11 simply reads it every time the user installs a new program.

After you install a new program Windows 11 OS automatically checks whether a program belongs to a particular category. If it turns out that the system contains at least 3 programs that belong to the same category, they will appear in the «Start» menu as a grouped section.

For example, if a user installs Windows Media Player and already has two other «music» applications, the system will show them all together. At the same time, those programs that are used more often are automatically moved to the top of the list. So the order is not alphabetical, but dynamic, depending on the habits and preferences of a particular user.

And while this looks like another step toward organization, Microsoft doesn’t yet allow you to create your own categories or rename existing ones. So if someone wants to combine a calculator, a notebook, and an old childhood game into «favorite» —, they’ll have to wait. In the meantime, you have to come to terms with Microsoft’s program cataloging system.

The new system for grouping programs in the «Start» menu is already available to Windows Insider program members.

Source: pcworld, windowslatest