Here we can see, “14 Ways to Customize the Windows 10 Start Menu”
With a few tweaks, the Windows 10 Start Menu can be quite powerful. Here are some suggestions for personalizing the Start Menu.
The Start menu is the most important feature of Windows.
The Start menu tiles can add a lot of value to your Windows experience if you use them correctly. In addition, visually-oriented users will appreciate the creative freedom that tiles provide. Here, we’ll demonstrate the power of tiles while also teaching you about their various features and other ways to customize the Start menu.
You are not obligated to stick with the default settings. For example, you can easily change the size of the Windows 10 Start menu with a few simple tricks.
1. Customize the Size of Start Menu on Windows 10
There are two ways to customize the Start menu. To begin, manually adjust the size of the Start menu tiles using the keyboard or mouse. Another option is to increase the number of tiles per row and the size of the row.
First, let’s look at the manual method.
Change the Start Menu Size Manually
Follow the steps below to customize the start menu icons in Windows 10 manually:
- First, select the Start menu icon from the Start menu.
- Then move your cursor to the far right edge of the Start menu panel. Finally, stretch the window up and down to customize the Start menu to your preferences.
You can also stretch it sideways to change its width.
Add More Tiles
Adding extra tiles to the Start menu is another way to change its size. To do so, go to Windows Settings and select Personalization > Start by pressing Windows Key + I. Then, toggle on the Show more tiles on the Start option from there.
2. Pin or Unpin Windows 10 Start Menu Tiles
It’s a good idea to pin a specific app to the Start menu if you use it frequently. On the other hand, you can unpin anything you only use once in a while.
Open the Start menu and right-click on a specific app to pin it to the Start menu. Then choose Pin to add the app to your Start menu.
If you want to get rid of a tile, however, right-click on it and select Unpin.
3. Turn Off Live Tiles From Start Menu
As they are set to live, some tiles on the Start menu will continue to change. However, if you are not a fan of this type of animation, you can easily turn it off. To do so, right-click on an animated tile, select More, and then Turn Live Tile Off from the drop-down menu.
4. Set the Windows 10 Start Menu to Full-Screen Mode
From the default settings, you can change the Windows 10 Start menu to full screen. First, go to Settings > Personalization > Start to do so. Then, toggle Use Start Full Screen on now.
Apart from that, you can make various other changes from here, such as displaying your most-used apps, enabling suggestions on the Start menu, making the app list visible in the Start menu, and so on.
5. Manage the Folders on Start Menu
The folders that appear in the left corner of your Start menu can be changed. For example, this is how your folder’s default view might look.
Windows Settings (Windows Key + I) can be used to change it. First, select Personalization> Start and then Choose which folders appear on Start from the drop-down menu. For example, we’ve added the Music, Videos, and Personal folders to the Start menu.
6. Create Start Menu Folders
You can customize your Windows 10 Start menu by adding new folders. To begin, go to the Windows Start menu. Then, drag and drop an app icon on top of another once you’re there.
After that, you’ll be prompted to give the newly created folder a name. You’ll have a new folder with you that you can name whatever you want.
But don’t worry if you don’t like a newly created folder. Simply dragging the app icons out of the folder will restore your settings to their original state.
7. Change the Windows 10 Start Menu to Classic Mode
If you want to go back to the old Windows 7 look, you can easily do so. To change the start menu, follow the steps below.
- Right-click on a tile in the Start menu.
- To remove it from the menu, select unpin.
Do this for each tile one by one, and you’ll have the classic Start menu in no time.
8. Resize the Start Menu Tiles
One of my favourite customizations is this one. You can change the size of the tiles in the Start menu to add some variety. Right-click on a specific tile to resize it. Then, hover over Resize and choose the desired size.
Make a cool effect by doing this to a bunch of tiles.
9. Create Groups in Start Menu
Another option for customizing the Start menu in Windows 10 is to organize the tiles into groups. To do it correctly, follow the steps below:
- Start by going to the Start menu.
- Then, drag and drop a tile into a vacant area.
- You’ll have a new group as soon as you do this. By hovering over it, you can give it a name.
- You can then add as many tiles to the new group as you want.
10. Manage Your Start Menu Tiles
Tiles may appear to be a waste of space on a traditional desktop PC. However, tiles quickly become indispensable when using Windows 10 on a hybrid or mobile device, where scrolling through menus can be tedious.
Edit Name & Icon of Start Menu Tiles
If you don’t like the name of a tile in your Start menu, you can change it.
Right-click the tile, then select Open file location. Then, in Windows Explorer, rename the appropriate file. You can also change the icon for the tile while you’re at it.
Right-click the file in Windows Explorer, select Properties, click Change Icon in the Shortcut tab, and select a given icon or Browse for an alternative icon on your computer.
Create Shortcuts to Universal Windows Apps
Shortcuts allow you to access a file or application from multiple locations.
Although there isn’t an obvious way to create a shortcut in Universal Windows apps, there are two options. The first is almost too straightforward: drag an app from the Start menu to the desktop. You’ll get a desktop shortcut, and the app will still appear in your Start menu.
Alternatively, you can open the Applications shell folder, which contains all installed applications, including Universal Windows apps, on your computer. To open the Run dialogue, press Windows Key + R (or long-press the Start Button and select Run from the Power Menu), type shell: AppsFolder, and click OK.
You can create shortcuts for any of your applications from here.
You can rename, change the icon, and pin a shortcut to your Start menu once it’s been created. That’s how custom icons for Universal Windows Apps are made.
11. How to Add Fun Tiles to the Start Menu
Let’s see how you can expand on what you can do with tiles now that you know what you can do with them. These pointers will assist you in channelling your creative energy and transforming your Start menu tiles into a work of art.
Add Tiles for Steam Games
Tiles are the ideal canvas for creating game covers. As demonstrated by Reddit user xpopy, the Universal Windows app Steam Tile creates beautiful Live Tiles for your Steam games.
He created manual shortcuts to individual Steam games because he didn’t like how Steam Tile launched games.
The process is a little more complicated than Steam Tile, and it isn’t as appealing to the eye. Sadly, shortcuts only work with small and medium-sized tiles.
Add Chrome Web Apps
You can customize the Taskbar in Windows 10 by adding any website to it. Although, in Windows 10, they are added as a tile to the Start menu. In Google Chrome, go to More Tools > Create a shortcut and check Open as a window by clicking the three dots icon in the top-left corner.
The website will now open in an app-like window, free of distracting toolbars and tabs. This is especially useful for websites such as Gmail, Facebook, and YouTube.
12. Manage the All Apps List
The All Apps list appears stale and difficult to navigate when compared to previous Windows versions. Furthermore, you cannot easily remove items unless you are willing to do so. However, by using the file location trick described above, you regain some flexibility.
A folder is added to the All Apps list for classic desktop software, but you only need the Dropbox application shortcut in that list.
When you right-click an item and choose Open file location, you’ll be taken to the Programs directory, the foundation for the All Apps menu. You can use this area to move shortcuts and create new folders.
I could, for instance, move the Dropbox shortcut from the Dropbox folder to the Programs directory before deleting the Dropbox folder.
For the latter to take effect, you must reboot.
Also, by clicking or long-pressing a letter in the All Apps list, you can quickly jump to a different location by selecting your target from the menu that appears.
13. Change Color & Transparency
Compared to the Windows 10 Preview, your options are limited, and none of them are accessible from the Start menu. To access Personalization> Colors, press Windows Key + I or open the Settings app from the Start menu.
The Start menu and Taskbar are dark greys by default, but you can change them to match the Windows accent colour. This, in turn, can be chosen automatically or manually based on your background. Finally, you can make the Start menu transparent, but this setting is not customizable.
14. Use an Alternative Start Menu
You’re likely to be dissatisfied with the new Windows 10 Start menu even after future updates are released. Fortunately, a third-party Start menu, such as Open Classic Shell, can be installed. These tools can either replace the default Windows 10 Start menu or allow both menus depending on the settings.
Play around with the Open-Shell Menu (shown above) and customize your Start menu to your liking. There are several tabs to explore for implementing a specific style, including Start Menu Style, Basic Settings, Skin, and Customize Start Menu.
Some alternative Start menu apps, such as Start Menu Reviver, are also compatible with Windows 7.
Conclusion
I hope you found this information helpful. Please fill out the form below if you have any questions or comments.
User Questions:
- In what ways can you customize the Start menu in Windows 10?
Go to Settings > Personalization> Start to get started. Scroll to the bottom of the right column and click the “Choose which folders appear on Start” link. Next, select the folders that should appear in the Start menu. Here’s a comparison of how those new folders appear as icons and in the expanded view.
- What are Start menu shortcuts?
To open the Start menu, press the Windows key on the keyboard or the Ctrl + Esc keyboard shortcut.
- Why is my Start menu so small?
Is your Start menu too big or too small for you? … Position your cursor on the top edge of the Start menu, then hold down the left mouse button and drag your mouse up or down to change the height. As you drag the mouse over the Start menu, it will enlarge.
- How does your start menu look?
- Windows 10 Clean and Organized Start Menu! Anyone doing it?
Windows 10 Clean and Organized Start Menu! Anyone doing it? from Windows10
