Windows 12 Minimal Start Menu Using Windhawk (Complete Guide)

If you want a clean and modern desktop experience, creating a Windows 12 minimal Start Menu using Windhawk is one of the best customization options available. In this guide, you will learn step-by-step how to transform your default Start Menu into a sleek, minimal interface.

What is Windhawk?

Windhawk is a powerful customization tool that allows you to modify Windows UI elements without heavy system modifications. It works through lightweight mods that can tweak features like the Start Menu, taskbar, and more.

Why Use a Minimal Start Menu in Windows 12?

Cleaner and distraction-free interface
Faster access to apps
Modern aesthetic similar to macOS or Linux desktops
Improved productivity

Requirements

Windows 11 or Windows 12 (latest version)
Windhawk installed
Basic knowledge of installing mods

How to Create Windows 12 Minimal Start Menu Using Windhawk

Step 1: Download and Install Windhawk

Visit the official Windhawk website and install the application on your PC. Once installed, launch the program.

Step 2: Browse Available Mods

Inside Windhawk, go to the Explore section and search for Start Menu customization mods.

Step 3: Install Minimal Start Menu Mod

Look for mods like:

Start Menu Styler
Taskbar and Start Menu Tweaks

Click install and enable the mod.

Step 4: Apply Minimal UI Settings

Customize the mod settings to achieve a minimal look:

Hide recommended section
Reduce padding and margins
Use transparent or blurred background
Center align icons

Step 5: Restart Explorer

Apply changes and restart Windows Explorer to see the new minimal Start Menu.

Best Settings for Minimal Look

Disable unnecessary widgets
Use dark mode
Apply a clean icon pack
Keep only essential apps pinned

Benefits of Using Windhawk for Start Menu Customization

Using Windows 12 minimal Start Menu using Windhawk gives you complete control over your UI without affecting system performance. It is lightweight, safe, and highly customizable.

{
  "theme": "Windows 13 Start Menu by Link Vegas",
  "resourceVariables[0].variableKey": "",
  "resourceVariables[0].value": "",
  "controlStyles[0].target": "StartMenu.StartInnerFrame",
  "controlStyles[0].styles[0]": "Margin=0,35,0,24",
  "controlStyles[1].target": "Grid#AllAppsPaneHeader",
  "controlStyles[1].styles[0]": "Visibility=Visible",
  "controlStyles[1].styles[1]": "Margin=100,0,0,10",
  "controlStyles[1].styles[2]": "Padding=0,10,0,0",
  "controlStyles[2].target": "Button#ZoomOutButton",
  "controlStyles[2].styles[0]": "Visibility=Visible",
  "controlStyles[2].styles[1]": "UseSystemFocusVisuals =1",
  "controlStyles[3].target": "SemanticZoom#ZoomControl",
  "controlStyles[3].styles[0]": "IsZoomOutButtonEnabled=true",
  "controlStyles[4].target": "Grid#UndockedRoot",
  "controlStyles[4].styles[0]": "MaxWidth=420",
  "controlStyles[4].styles[1]": "Margin=0",
  "controlStyles[5].target": "StartDocked.StartSizingFrame",
  "controlStyles[5].styles[0]": "MaxWidth=460",
  "controlStyles[5].styles[1]": "MinWidth=460",
  "controlStyles[6].target": "Grid#RootContent",
  "controlStyles[6].styles[0]": "MinWidth=460",
  "controlStyles[7].target": "Grid#InnerContent",
  "controlStyles[7].styles[0]": "Margin=0,0,0,0",
  "controlStyles[8].target": "Grid#AllAppsRoot",
  "controlStyles[8].styles[0]": "Width=460",
  "controlStyles[8].styles[1]": "Margin=0",
  "controlStyles[9].target": "Border#AcrylicBorder",
  "controlStyles[9].styles[0]": "Background:=<AcrylicBrush TintColor=\"{ThemeResource CardStrokeColorDefaultSolid}\" FallbackColor=\"{ThemeResource CardStrokeColorDefaultSolid}\" TintOpacity=\"0\" TintLuminosityOpacity=\".60\" Opacity=\"1\"/>",
  "controlStyles[9].styles[1]": "BorderBrush:=<AcrylicBrush TintColor=\"{ThemeResource SurfaceStrokeColorDefault}\" FallbackColor=\"{ThemeResource SurfaceStrokeColorDefault}\" TintOpacity=\"0\" TintLuminosityOpacity=\".25\" Opacity=\"1\"/>",
  "controlStyles[9].styles[2]": "BorderThickness=1",
  "controlStyles[10].target": "Border#AppBorder",
  "controlStyles[10].styles[0]": "Background:=<AcrylicBrush TintColor=\"{ThemeResource CardStrokeColorDefaultSolid}\" FallbackColor=\"{ThemeResource CardStrokeColorDefaultSolid}\" TintOpacity=\"0\" TintLuminosityOpacity=\".85\" Opacity=\"1\"/>",
  "controlStyles[10].styles[1]": "BorderBrush:=<AcrylicBrush TintColor=\"{ThemeResource SurfaceStrokeColorDefault}\" FallbackColor=\"{ThemeResource SurfaceStrokeColorDefault}\" TintOpacity=\"0\" TintLuminosityOpacity=\".25\" Opacity=\"1\"/>",
  "controlStyles[11].target": "Border#LayerBorder",
  "controlStyles[11].styles[0]": "Visibility=1",
  "controlStyles[12].target": "TextBlock#UserTileNameText",
  "controlStyles[12].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[13].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Button#ZoomOutButton > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.ContentPresenter#ContentPresenter > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock",
  "controlStyles[13].styles[0]": "Text=",
  "controlStyles[14].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Button#ZoomOutButton",
  "controlStyles[14].styles[0]": "Width=40",
  "controlStyles[14].styles[1]": "Height=40",
  "controlStyles[14].styles[2]": "Margin=0,0,10,10",
  "controlStyles[14].styles[3]": "FontSize=18",
  "controlStyles[14].styles[4]": "CornerRadius=20",
  "controlStyles[15].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock#AllAppsHeading",
  "controlStyles[15].styles[0]": "Text=Windows Apps",
  "controlStyles[15].styles[1]": "Margin=-50,0,0,0",
  "controlStyles[16].target": "Border#Visible",
  "controlStyles[16].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[17].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.ContentPresenter > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.StackPanel > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock",
  "controlStyles[17].styles[0]": "Text=",
  "controlStyles[17].styles[1]": "Margin=0",
  "controlStyles[18].target": "StartDocked.NavigationPaneView",
  "controlStyles[19].target": "StartDocked.UserTileView#UserTile",
  "controlStyles[20].target": "StartDocked.AppListViewItem > Grid > ContentPresenter",
  "controlStyles[21].target": "StartDocked.PowerOptionsView",
  "controlStyles[21].styles[1]": "Margin=-10,0,0,0",
  "controlStyles[22].target": "StartDocked.SearchBoxToggleButton",
  "controlStyles[22].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[23].target": "StartDocked.LauncherFrame > Grid#RootGrid > Grid#RootContent > Grid#MainContent > Grid#InnerContent > Rectangle",
  "controlStyles[23].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[24].target": "StartMenu.PinnedList",
  "controlStyles[24].styles[0]": "Width=504",
  "controlStyles[24].styles[1]": "Height=370",
  "controlStyles[25].target": "Button#ShowAllAppsButton",
  "controlStyles[25].styles[0]": "Background:=<SolidColorBrush Color=\"{ThemeResource SystemAccentColorLight1}\" Opacity=\".0\"/>",
  "controlStyles[25].styles[1]": "Margin=30,0,0,0",
  "controlStyles[25].styles[2]": "Padding=5,3",
  "controlStyles[25].styles[3]": "CornerRadius=4",
  "controlStyles[26].target": "Button#ShowMoreSuggestionsButton",
  "controlStyles[26].styles[0]": "Background:=<SolidColorBrush Color=\"{ThemeResource SystemAccentColorLight1}\" Opacity=\".8\"/>",
  "controlStyles[26].styles[1]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[27].target": "Button#HideMoreSuggestionsButton",
  "controlStyles[27].styles[0]": "Background:=<SolidColorBrush Color=\"{ThemeResource SystemAccentColorLight1}\" Opacity=\".8\"/>",
  "controlStyles[27].styles[1]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[28].target": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[28].styles[0]": "Background:=<SolidColorBrush Color=\"{ThemeResource SystemAccentColorLight1}\" Opacity=\".8\"/>",
  "controlStyles[28].styles[1]": "Margin=0,0,20,0",
  "controlStyles[28].styles[2]": "Padding=5,3",
  "controlStyles[28].styles[3]": "CornerRadius=4",
  "controlStyles[29].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock#TopLevelSuggestionsListHeaderText",
  "controlStyles[29].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[30].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock#PinnedListHeaderText",
  "controlStyles[30].styles[0]": "Margin=-30,0,0,0",
  "controlStyles[31].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Grid#FrameRoot",
  "controlStyles[31].styles[0]": "Margin=0,-30,0,0",
  "controlStyles[32].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock#MoreSuggestionsListHeaderText",
  "controlStyles[32].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[33].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Grid#MoreSuggestionsContainer",
  "controlStyles[33].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[34].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.StackPanel > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.FontIcon > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Grid > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock",
  "controlStyles[34].styles[0]": "FontSize=15",
  "controlStyles[34].styles[1]": "FontWeight=700",
  "controlStyles[34].styles[2]": "RequestedTheme=2",
  "controlStyles[35].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.GridView#RecommendedList > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Border > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.ScrollViewer#ScrollViewer > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Border#Root > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Grid > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.ScrollContentPresenter#ScrollContentPresenter > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.ItemsPresenter > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.ItemsWrapGrid > Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.GridViewItem",
  "controlStyles[35].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[36].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.GridView#RecommendedList",
  "controlStyles[36].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed",
  "controlStyles[37].target": "StartMenu.StartInnerFrame",
  "controlStyles[37].styles[0]": "Margin=0,35,0,0",
  "controlStyles[38].target": "StartDocked.UserTileView > StartDocked.NavigationPaneButton > Grid > Border",
  "controlStyles[38].styles[0]": "Margin=8,0,8,0",
  "controlStyles[39].target": "StartDocked.PowerOptionsView > StartDocked.NavigationPaneButton > Grid > Border",
  "controlStyles[39].styles[0]": "CornerRadius=10",
  "controlStyles[39].styles[1]": "Background:=<SolidColorBrush Color=\"{ThemeResource SystemAccentColorLight1}\" Opacity=\".0\"/>",
  "controlStyles[40].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.TextBlock[Text=]",
  "controlStyles[40].styles[0]": "RequestedTheme=2",
  "controlStyles[41].target": "Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Grid#InnerContent > Windows.UI.Xaml.Shapes.Rectangle",
  "controlStyles[41].styles[0]": "Margin=-200,50,0,0"
}

Conclusion

Creating a Windows 12 minimal Start Menu using Windhawk is an easy and effective way to modernize your desktop. With just a few tweaks, you can achieve a clean, stylish, and highly functional interface.

Try it today and upgrade your Windows experience!