Start11 v3 hits preview with widgets, Taskbar Islands, and a $8 price — down from $10, for Windows 11 users seeking more control than Microsoft’s native Start menu offers. The update arrives globally today, as confirmed by Stardock’s blog and reported by XDA Developers at 20:05 UTC on 4 November 2026.
It is not a full release yet, only a release preview, meaning users must opt in via Stardock’s installer or beta channel to test it. No official general availability date has been announced. The core addition is widget support inside the Start menu itself: over 20 interactive widgets, including calendar, system monitor, notes, and clocks.
They’re meant to surface info and actions without launching separate apps, a feature Microsoft has not yet brought to its own Start menu, despite rolling out limited customization options in recent Windows 11 updates. Also new: Taskbar Islands, a visual redesign that segments taskbar icons into distinct, rounded clusters, a stylistic departure from both Windows 11’s default layout and earlier versions of Start11.
And taskbar grouping now lets users manually assign apps to named niches (e.g., “Design”, “Dev”, “Comms”), improving navigation on crowded bars. Stardock positions this as a direct response to Microsoft’s incremental improvements: the company acknowledges Windows 11’s native Start menu has matured, but argues Start11 v3 still pulls ahead in flexibility and utility.
The $8 preview price applies globally, no regional variants cited, and is temporary, tied to the preview phase. The standard price remains $10. This is not a Windows 10 tool. Start11 v3 supports Windows 11 only.
No mention of Windows 10 compatibility appears in the reporting. No technical specs, system requirements beyond Windows 11, or installation instructions are provided in the source material. No security advisories, known regressions, or hardware-specific limitations are noted. The preview is live now.
Users can download it directly from Stardock’s site.
SDFiled by The Software Desk
Apps, platforms, operating system releases, security fixes and the features arriving in them.
More from this desk →
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.