15 Best Ways to Customize the Start Menu on Windows 10
Microsoft has made efforts to improve the Start Menu on Windows 10, but there's always room for customization. Whether you want to make it full screen, remove unwanted tile groups, or add your own apps and folders, there are plenty of options to personalize your Start Menu experience. In this article, we will explore 15 ways to customize the Start Menu on Windows 10.
Remove Tile Groups
After a fresh Windows 10 install, the first thing you should do is remove the default Tile Groups. These dynamic groups recommend apps based on your usage, but they can be unwanted and annoying. To remove them, simply right-click on the Tile Group name in the Start Menu, select “Unpin group from Start,” and repeat the process for both the “Productivity” and “Explore” Tile Groups.
Pin Apps
Now that you have removed the default Tile Groups, you can add your own by pinning apps to the Start Menu. Right-click on any app in the Start Menu and select “Pin to Start.” This will create a Tile for quick access to your most-used apps and games. You can also use the TileCreator app to manage apps, icon size, and folders in Tile Groups.
Resize Tiles
Windows allows you to resize app icons in the Tile groups. This can be useful for apps that support “Live Tiles,” as you can have wide or large icons displaying relevant information or updates. To resize a Tile, right-click on it, hover over “Resize,” and select the desired size. You can also resize the Start Menu itself by hovering on the edges and scaling it up or down.
Full Screen
If you prefer a cleaner and more focused Start Menu, you can make it full screen. This will display only your pinned Tile Groups instead of the entire app list. To enable full-screen mode, go to Start Settings and toggle on “Use Start full screen.”
Pin Folders to Start
In addition to apps, you can also pin folders to the Start Menu for quick access. Open the Start Menu, search for “Start Settings,” and select “Choose which folders appear on Start.” From there, you can pin pre-defined folders like Downloads or Music. These pinned folders will appear on the left side of the Start Menu for easy access.
Pin Folders to Tiles
If you want to pin custom folder locations to the Start Menu, you can do so by using File Explorer. Open the folder you want to pin, right-click on it, and select “Pin to Start.” The folder will then appear as a Live Tile on the Start Menu.
Pin Webpages
Apart from apps and folders, you can also pin webpages to the Start Menu. Open the webpage in Microsoft Edge, click on the three-dot menu, select “More Tools,” and click on “Pin to Taskbar.” This will install the website as an app and pin it to both the taskbar and Start Menu.
Increase Tile Space
If you run out of space for your Tiles, you can increase the Tile space by going to Start settings and toggling on “Show more tiles on Start.” This will allow you to fit more Tiles on the Start Menu.
Profile Icon
You can set a picture for your local profile on Windows 10. To do this, go to the Start Menu, search for “Your account info,” and click on it. Scroll down and select “Create your Picture.” You can take a photo with your webcam or upload an existing photo from your local folders. The profile picture will appear on the left side of the Start Menu and on the Login screen.
Change Start Menu Color
Windows allows you to change the color of the Start Menu. Go to the Start Menu, search for “Choose your accent color,” and select it. Under the Colors menu, check “Start, taskbar, and action center.” You can choose a different color or enter the RGB value for a custom color. This will change the color of the bottom taskbar, action center, and Start Menu.
Make Start Menu Transparent
You can make the Start Menu transparent by enabling transparency effects in the Colors menu. This works best with a dark Start Menu color and a vibrant wallpaper. To enable transparency effects, go to the Colors menu and toggle on “Transparency effects.”
Replace Bing
If you find Bing suggestions annoying, you can replace them with Google search results. Download the Chrometana Pro web extension for Microsoft Edge, which will redirect your Bing searches to Google. Note that this will only redirect searches and not the search results or images that appear on the Start Menu.
Disable Bing Search
If you use Bing in the Edge browser and don't want the Chrometana Pro extension to redirect all your Bing searches to Google, you can disable Bing search in the Start Menu. To do this, open the Registry Editor and navigate to ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows. Create a new Key called “Explorer” and within that Key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value called “DisableSearchBoxSuggestions” with a value of 1.
Start Menu Alternatives
If you're looking for a completely different Start Menu experience, you can replace the default Start Menu with third-party alternatives like Start10 or Classic Shell. These alternatives bring back the classic Windows 7 start menu without web results. Start10 uses the Microsoft Design Language (MDL2) and complements other apps.
PowerToys Run
PowerToys is an experimental tool developed by Microsoft that offers a more advanced search experience than the Start Menu. It allows you to search for applications, files, perform quick calculations, and more. If you find it more useful than the Start Menu, you can replace it with PowerToys Run.
Reset Start Menu
If you make changes to your Start Menu that you want to undo, you can easily reset it. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionCloudStoreStoreCache. Delete the “Default Key” folder and then restart the Windows Explorer task in the Task Manager. This will reset your Start Menu and also remove any pinned folders in File Explorer.
These are just a few of the many ways you can customize the Start Menu on Windows 10. Whether you want to remove unwanted tile groups, pin apps and folders, or completely replace the Start Menu, there is a customization option for everyone. Experiment with these customizations to create a Start Menu that suits your needs and preferences.
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