Microsoft is giving Windows 11 users the option to install apps directly from the Start menu

Having already started to redesign the Windows 11 Start menu, Microsoft has revealed that there are even more changes afoot. As part of an upgrade to Windows Search, it will soon be possible to find and install apps from the Start menu.

What is happening is that the Microsoft Store is being integrated into the Start menu -- thanks to the fact that it is going to be integrated into Windows Search. The idea is that it reduces friction and makes it quicker and easier to get hold of apps that have not yet been installed.

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The idea that Microsoft is putting forward is so simple and so obvious that it seems odd that the company did not implement it earlier. If a user searches for an app using the Start menu or Taskbar and it is not already installed, the option to install that app will appear in the form of a Get button, just like the one that appears in the Microsoft Store.

News of the upcoming change was shared on X by Microsoft’s Giorgio Sardo:

While on the face of things this is a potentially useful feature, some backlash is also likely. Microsoft’s use of the Start menu to promote apps and services has left a sour taste in many people’s mouths, and there are undeniable concerns about the company interpreting searches that may be for something completely unrelated to apps.