This is what the redesigned Windows 10 Start menu and Alt + Tab will look like

Microsoft has announced that it will be giving Windows 10 a fresh coat of paint particularly in elements such as the Start menu, Alt+Tab action, notifications and taskbar.

According to a blog post by Microsoft, the refreshed design will be available for Windows 10 testers. Eventually, the redesign is expected to arrive in all versions of Windows 10.

A streamlined Start menu

Firstly, the new Windows 10 Start menu removes the solid colour back plates behind the logos in the app list. It now will apply a partially transparent background to the tiles to give it a more streamlined design. The refined start design also works in both dark and light themes. 

The Windows 10 start menu, admittedly, has always been a chaotic mess and the reduction in colours will definitely make it easier to quickly launch commonly used apps.

The new design clearly is moving away from the old Live Tiles interface. Though Microsoft isn’t getting rid of Live Tiles just yet, we wouldn’t be surprised if they did. The next version of the operating system, Windows 10X will feature a more simplified Start menu without Live Tiles.

New Alt + Tab behaviour

Microsoft is also going to bring some big changes to Alt + Tab. Now all tabs that are opened in Microsoft Edge web browser will start appearing in Alt + Tab, not just the active on in each browser window. With this change, multitasking users are able to quickly get back to a web page they were browsing.

But if the changes are too confusing for you or you just prefer fewer tabs, Microsoft is allowing users to switch back to the classic Alt + Tab experience. The company had previously experimented changing how Alt + Tab worked in Windows 10 when it planned to add tabs to every app. 

Better Notifications

Besides that, notifications in Windows 10 will be less annoying in the new build. You no longer have to swipe them away as they will include a X on the top right corner to quickly dismiss them. 

A more Personalised Taskbar

The tech giant is also looking to make other smaller changes within the new Windows 10 build. This includes a more personalised taskbar that appears whenever a new account is created or when someone logins to a PC for the first time. 

So if you are an Android phone user there will be a Your Phone app pinned on the taskbar. Likewise, Xbox Live users will have the Xbox app pinned on their taskbar.

[SOURCE]

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