All new start menu on Windows 10

Need help navigating the re-imagined start menu on Windows 10? Read more here

Jump to different sections of this article here:

 

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See what’s on the menu


The Start menu is back and better than ever! Just select the Start button tiny little icon on the taskbar. Next, make it yours by pinning apps and programs, or moving and regrouping tiles. If you need more space, resize the Start menu to make it bigger.

 

Your apps and programs – at your fingertips

Get to File Explorer, Settings and other apps you often use from the left-hand side of the Start menu. To see all your apps and programs, select All apps.
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Tip

Can you see an arrow to the right of an app? Select it to see app-specific tasks or items.
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You have the power

Lock or sign out of your PC, switch to another another account or change your account picture by selecting your name at the top of the Start menu.
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And when you’re ready to step away for a while, the power button is at the bottom of the Start menu, so you can put your PC to sleep, restart it or turn it off completely.
 
If you want to make other changes to how the Start menu looks, you can do so in Settings. Open the Start menu tiny little icon, then go to Settings > Personalisation > Start to change which apps and folders appear in the Start menu.
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Love it? Pin it

Pin apps to the Start menu to see live updates on what’s happening in your world, such as new emails, your next appointment or the weekend’s weather. When you pin an app, it’s added to the Start menu as a new tile.

Pinning apps to Start
  1. Go to Start tiny little icon > All apps.
  2. Right click (or hold left click) the app you want to pin.
  3. Select Pin to Start.
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    Once you pin a new app, resize it. Right click (or press and hold) the app tile, select resize, then choose the tile size you want.

 

Tip

Drag and drop apps from the Most used list or from All apps to pin them to the Start menu as tiles.

 

Group your apps

After you’ve pinned an app, move it into a group.
 
To create a new group of tiles, move an app’s tile up or down until a group divider appears, then release the tile. Move apps in or out of the group as you like.
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To give your new group a name, select the open space above your new group and enter a name.

 

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Make Start full screen

To make start full-screen and see everything in one view, go to Start tiny little icon, then Settings tiny little icon 2 > Personalisation > Start, then turn on Use Start full-screen.
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When Start is full-screen, select Menu in the top left-hand corner of the screen to get to your account picture, the All apps, and Most used list, and the power button.
 
If you just want to resize the Start menu a bit to make it taller or wider, select the top or side border and drag. Windows will remember your preference even if you shut down your computer.
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Find all your apps and programs

Looking for the long-lost app or program? Fear not! The Start menu is the place to find a full list of all of them. Go to the All apps list, in the bottom left-hand corner of your Start menu.
 
To keep scrolling to a minimum, jump to a specific part of the list. Select one of the section dividers, then choose the letter that the name of the app begins with.
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And remember – if you still can’t find what you’re looking for, search for it! Use the search box on the taskbar, or press the Windows logo key tiny little icon on your keyboard and start typing.

 

Get other guides to learn the basics

Windows 10 revolutionises the way you use your apps. Click Here to view our free Quick Start Guides for the new versions of your favourite apps such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more.

 

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Gregory Olczyk

Gregory Olczyk