How to activate the new Windows 10 Start menu now?

After modernizing the icons of its applications, Microsoft unveiled a few months ago what the new Windows 10 Start menu interface would look like.

More modern and above all lighter, the new Start menu of the Microsoft operating system displays transparent tiles regardless of the theme used, with the possibility of applying a different accent color to the dark theme.

If the official arrival of this new Start menu is scheduled for the month of November 2020, with the 20H2 update of Windows 10, the code relating to its new interface is already present in the OS within an update. Optional update available for users who have installed the May 2020 update (Windows 10 version 2004). From now on, it is possible to activate the new interface of the Windows 10 Start menu as of today. Here’s how.

1. Create a restore point

The manipulation to activate the new Windows 10 Start menu requires modifying certain elements of the OS registry. To avoid any problems, make sure you have backed up your important data. Then create a restore point. It will be useful to you to restore your system in a functional state in the event that the manipulation would have a negative impact on the good functioning of your machine.

To create a restore point, click on the Start menu and locate Create a restore point and click on the menu that appears.

In the window that opens, click on the Create button, enter a description allowing you to identify the restore point, and validate the creation of the restore point by clicking on Create.

2. Apply the optional update

The code for the new Start menu comes bundled with an optional Windows 10 update that you need to install manually.

To do this, click on the Start menu and go to Windows Settings. Then enter the Update and security section, then in the Windows Update tab, click on the View optional updates menu.

Deploy the Other updates menu, check the update KB4568831 and start its installation by clicking on Download and install. Wait while the update is downloaded and restart your machine to validate the installation.

You can verify that it has been installed correctly by clicking on Show update history from the Windows Update panel.

3. Open notepad

Then open Windows Notepad and paste the following code into it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlFeatureManagementOverrides2093230218]
“EnabledState” = dword: 00000002
“EnabledStateOptions” = dword: 00000000

Save the file to your hard drive and name it 20H2.reg. This file will automatically modify certain values ​​of the registry to activate the new Start menu.

Then run the 20H2.reg file you just created and click Yes in the window that appears to allow the file you just created to modify registry values.

Confirm the changes by clicking Yes again in the Registry Editor alert window.

4. Restart your PC

For the changes to take effect, restart your computer. If all went well, you should see the new, transparent interface of the new Start menu.

However, if you have any problems, you can go back by restoring your PC using the restore point you created in step 1.

You will then only have to click on System Restore and then select the restore point you created to restore your machine to the operating state in which it was before handling.