How to Remove These Annoying Category Folders in the Windows 11 Start Menu?

In recent versions of Windows 11, Microsoft introduced automatic app grouping in the Start menu under categories like Productivity, Creativity and Games. These are part of the new Category View in the All Apps section.

You can usually switch back to the traditional app list view like this:

Open the Start Menu

Click All (top-right of pinned apps)

Look for a small toggle/icon near the top of the app list

Switch from Category View to Grid View or List View

If you do not see the option, try this:

Open Settings

Go to Personalization

Select Start

Disable options related to:

Show recommendations

Organize apps by category (if available in your build)

If the feature was enabled through a recent update, Microsoft may still be gradually rolling it out, and some systems do not yet expose a direct toggle.

You can also try restarting the Start Menu process:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Open Task Manager

Find Start or Windows Explorer

Right-click  Restart

If the categorized folders still remain, the feature is likely tied to your current Windows build/version. In that case you can check your version by running:

Press Win + R

Type winver

The behavior may differ depending on the installed update version of Microsoft Windows 11.