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Start Menu Styler

Start Menu Styler (windows-11-start-menu-styler)

The Windows 11 Start Menu Styler mod injects custom XAML and styles into the Start Menu and Search flyout surfaces.

[!NOTE] Ongoing Target Mapping: Target trees and values are being incrementally audited and verified against live Windows builds. Below are the known existing targets and configuration options sourced from the official mod repository (mods/windows-11-start-menu-styler.wh.cpp) and the official Start Menu styling guide.

1. Mod Specifications

  • Mod ID: windows-11-start-menu-styler
  • Target Process: StartMenuExperienceHost.exe (plus SearchHost.exe / SearchApp.exe for web search styling)
  • Framework: UWP / WinUI 2 (Windows.UI.Xaml)
  • Version Floor: 1.7+

2. Supported Top-Level Configuration Options

styleConstants:
  - ConstantName=Value

themeResourceVariables:
  - variableKey: ResourceKey
    value: "{ThemeResource ...}"

controlStyles:
  - target: Selector#TargetName
    styles:
      - Property=Value
      - Property:=<XAML>

webContentStyles:
  - target: css-selector
    styles:
      - css-property: value
  • styleConstants: User constants accessible with $ConstantName.
  • controlStyles: Core visual tree injection rules.
  • themeResourceVariables: Override built-in theme brush resources.
  • webContentStyles: Injects custom CSS into Edge WebView2 instances rendered inside Search panels.

3. Known Visual Tree Targets

Root & Flyout Containers

| Target Selector | Element Purpose | |—|—| | Border#DropShadowDismissTarget | Root drop-shadow frame surrounding the Start Menu flyout | | Border#AcrylicBorder | System acrylic plate (main-menu instance collapsed; glass panel is Grid#Root > Border) | | Border#AcrylicOverlay | Two-tone split overlay hosting the navigation pane | | Grid#NavPanePlaceholder | Power button, user profile avatar, and system quick links | | RightCompanion > Grid#CompanionRoot | Floating companion flyout (e.g. Phone Link companion card) |

Search & Navigation Elements

| Target Selector | Element Purpose | |—|—| | AutoSuggestBox#SearchBox | Start Menu search input pill | | Grid#SearchBoxGrid | Layout container for search icon and text prompt | | Button#MorePinsButton | Pinned items / “More” view pill | | Button#AllAppsButton | “All apps” navigation toggle button |

Pinned & Recommended Items

| Target Selector | Element Purpose | |—|—| | GridView#PinnedList | Grid hosting pinned application tiles | | ListView#RecommendedList | List hosting recent and recommended documents/apps | | Grid#AppItemRoot | Individual application item card layout | | Border#IconPlate | Icon background container for pinned applications | | TextBlock#AppDisplayName | Typography label for application names |

Search Web & Flyout Panes

| Target Selector | Element Purpose | |—|—| | SearchHost#SearchWindow | External Search host root window | | Grid#ZeroQuerySearchPane | Initial search suggestions and top apps grid |

4. Separated-Island Architecture

Modern custom themes frequently utilize a separated-island architecture on the Start Menu:

  1. The outer master frame (Border#DropShadowDismissTarget) is collapsed (Visibility=1).
  2. The rounded glass panel is rendered by Grid#Root > Border (Background:=$MySurfaceFill, CornerRadius=$MyRadius); the main-menu and overlay acrylics (Grid#MainMenu > Border#AcrylicBorder, Border#AcrylicOverlay) are collapsed, while the companion-pane acrylic is styled.
  3. Companion panels (such as Phone Link) float alongside with matching specular rims without clipping against the main flyout.