Microsoft is quietly testing a new companion feature for the Windows 11 Start menu. It will let developers add widgets to a floating panel.
Microsoft has quietly started testing an intriguing change to the Windows 11 Start menu that could introduce a floating panel full of “companion” widgets. Windows watcher Albacore discovered the new Start menu feature in the latest test versions of Windows 11 that Microsoft has released publicly.
These companions will be configurable in the main Windows 11 Settings section, with the ability to install multiple companions and toggles to enable or disable them. Albacore mentions that these companions seem to be very web-centric, much like the widgets inside Windows 11. If Microsoft decides to proceed with this Start menu feature, it could be the answer to the loss of the Live Tiles that were removed in Windows 10X and Windows 11.
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