How to restore the old Start Menu on Windows 11

You can just go to github and download the ExplorerPatcher.

It not only makes the Start Menu look correct, it allows you to locate the start bar where you want (ie on the right or left instead of in the middle of the bottom). It also makes it work like a real computer start bar instead acting like a widget drawer on a tablet or an android.

After installing it per the instructions on Github the File Explorer folder actually give you the local address of the files you are trying to find in your computer. Well, that is unless Microsoft changed it back, yet again, to only saving items on their cloud even thou you have told it to everyday since they came out with Windows 11 to save everything locally. We all know how they LOVE to do that instead of, God forbid, allowing you to use your computer as a real computer like you have for decades before the Microsoft Nanny took away your ability to adult with the items you paid a few grand for. Can't have you plebs thinking you actually own something. How else are they going to collect all those subscription fees for all those former programs now apps you use everyday if they actually let you use your COMPUTER as a COMPUTER. No No No, you need apps, constant internet connection, Microsoft scraping all your data every second of every day, monthly fees, and the ability for them to cut you off and delete everything you have ever done with no notice, no way to stop them, and of course no way to talk to a human when the AI Chat Bot won't give your documents and spreadsheets back. Here you thought you were grown. Silly peon. Now get back to work and stop trying to fix their latest "fix" to something that wasn't broken and we certainly did not want so you can earn enough to pay this months subscriptions. Oh and don't fret I'm sure we will be told that Windows 11 will no longer be supported in the next 6 months and your new device does not have the hardware to support Windows 12 so you will need to buy a new computer again shortly. Mush Pleb Mush. 

Yep.  The only good thing to come out of Win8 was the wide, customizable, tiled Start Menu system.
Never one to keep a nice feature when something kludged, bugged and irritating
is available MS replaced it by something inspired by a previous century cellphone.

Start11 fixes the wreck but I cannot get past having to annually pay to fix something that was not broken
in Win10 and I already shelled out $1200 because our perfectly OK laptops were not upgradable to 11.

I understand the new Windows 11 Start Menu can feel different and sometimes less convenient if you're used to previous versions. While Windows 11 doesn’t offer a direct "revert" button to go back to the Windows 10 Start Menu, you can customize or even replace it with a more familiar style.

Hi,

Windows 11 doesn’t include an option to fully restore the Windows 10 Start Menu.

The Start experience was redesigned, and the classic Windows 10 layout isn’t available as a built‑in feature.

If you want to customize the current Start Menu, you can adjust several elements in: Settings → Personalization → Start (pinned apps, folders, recommendations, layout alignment, etc.)

If you can clarify which specific part of the Windows 10 Start Menu you want back (left‑aligned layout, live tiles, full app list, etc.), we can suggest the closest available options in Windows 11.

In the Start Menu, simply click on View and select List.