Microsoft has many beneficial tools, like the MS Office suite wherein Excel can help you create accessible documents, pivot tables, etc. Windows 10 is the latest operating system released by Microsoft. It is refined, has many features compared to its predecessors, and has more control over updating. Start Menu is the gateway to all the applications and files in the computer system. It must be designed as per the suitability of the users. There are default tiles and layouts, of course, but Windows provides the option to customize the Start Menu and change the look and feel of the menu.
You can finally make the Start Menu your own, declutter the space, make room for apps of your preference, organize and get rid of unwanted apps, change the size or color of the menu or enable the full-screen version.
Procedure to Customize your Start Menu
Step1 : Enable or Disable Apps on the Menu
In this step, you can organize the item list in your Start Menu. It lets you edit or add new items. You can check what apps are present from the Start Menu folder. You can uninstall any app by right-clicking an app and choosing "UnInstall." Remember, you cannot make any changes to built-in apps.
Step 2 : Resize the Start Menu
Open the Start Menu and use the Ctrl+arrow keys to adjust the height and width of the menu. Drag the mouse to make the menu look tall or wide. Go to Setting---Personalization---Start and turn on the "Show more tiles on Start" option to expand the tile column.
You can choose to enable the Fullscreen of your Start Menu by clicking right on the desktop. Go to Personalization---Start. On the right-hand side, enable the option "Use Start full screen."
Step 3 : Pin and Unpin Tiles
If you wish to pin an app to the Start Menu, search for it on the left side of the menu, right-click on the item and click on "Pin to Start."
Similarly, if you wish to unpin an app, right-click on the app tile and click on "Unpin from Start."
Step 4 : Move and Resize the Tiles
You can resize the apps/tiles to small, medium, wide, or large. Right-click on the tile and use the Resize option to adjust the size. You can also move the tiles from one place to another in the menu by click-drag-release
Step 5 : Give a Colorful Look to the Menu
Go to Settings---Personalization---Colors. Under the "Choose your color," use the drop-down menu, choose a color or customize your choice under the custom color option.
When you check the Start, taskbar, and action center option, the Start menu and the taskbar and action center reflect the new color theme.
Step 6 : Manage System Folders
Open---Settings---Personalization---Start---Choose which folders appear in Start. Click on that line and select the folders you want to see on the left pane of the Start Menu. Turn on the ones you want to see beaming and turn off the ones you don't want in your Start Menu. Examples of Folders you will see there:
- File Explorer
- Settings
- Videos
- Music
- Network
- Downloads
And so on
Step 7 : Takedown Live Tiles
Some apps show live information, such as Live news or weather apps. If you want to disable them, follow this step.
- Find the app you wish to disable and right-click on it
- Select the More option that opens sub-options. Select "Turn Live Tile off" from that.
If you wish to switch on a live feature of an app, follow the same process to turn it on.
Step 8 : Create a Tile Folder
If you wish to keep more tiles on your Start Menu and there is no space for it, you can drag and drop one tile onto the other. It will keep more than one tile onto these folders. Additionally, you can choose to name these folders for your convenience.
Step 9 : Remove Suggestions in Start Menu
Sometimes, Windows suggests you enable or download apps when you are in the app section. Also, when you search for Chrome or Explorer, you get these recommendations of apps along with our results. To disable such ad like suggestions,
Open Settings-Click on Personalization-Click on Start
To the right pane, turn off the "Show suggestions occasionally in Start" option. This feature will stop showing you suggestions when you are using the menu.
Step 10 : Manage the Look of your App List in the Start Menu
In your Start Menu, you will generally view the most used apps, recently added apps, apps suggested for installation and already installed apps. If you want to customize your view, you can open Settings---Personalization---Start. You can control and switch on/off the toggle button in any of the options like "Show app list in Start menu" or "Show recently added apps" or "Show most-used apps."
Conclusion
The impact of technology over human lives is immense. Hence, with the above approach, you can enjoy a custom-made Start Menu for your Windows 10. However, if you prefer the classic look, you can remove the app tiles and have a menu style like Windows 7. All you have to do is Open Start. Go to the Tile one by one. Right-click and select the "Unpin from Start" option. Have a fun exploration with Windows 10.
We at, OpenGrowth, are committed to keeping you updated with the best content on the latest trendy topics from any major field. Also, both your feedback and suggestions are valuable to us. So, do share them in the comment section below.
