Editing Start Menu

In all versions of Windows in the past, I have been able to edit and arrange program shortcuts and folders on the start menu.

In Windows 10, I can open the folders containing the start menu items and make the desired changes, deletes, etc... but the changes are never reflected in the start menu... even after multiple reboots.

Has anyone done this successfully? Am I missing a step or going about it all wrong?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Drybonz said:

In all versions of Windows in the past, I have been able to edit and arrange program shortcuts and folders on the start menu.

In Windows 10, I can open the folders containing the start menu items and make the desired changes, deletes, etc... but the changes are never reflected in the start menu... even after multiple reboots.

Has anyone done this successfully? Am I missing a step or going about it all wrong?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

I'm not understanding what you want, Drybonz. Could you give us a screen shot?

On every clean install, I go through and eliminate all tiles for things I won't be using. Then I resize them all to small and resize Start.

Sorry... not tiles. Items under "all apps". What would be the classic start menu-esque items.

Drybonz said:

Sorry... not tiles. Items under "all apps". What would be the classic start menu-esque items.

Clicking on All Apps shows me the alphabetical listing of (I think) all the apps on my computer. Those that came with Windows 10 and those I've installed, such as Office 365. When I right click on an app, such as Sports, I get Pin to Start, Pin to Taskbar and Uninstall. Although I don't follow Sports, I hesitate to uninstall it and I've already unpinned it from Start. If I click on Power Shell, I get five options rather than the three options mentioned with Sports.

I right clicked on Paint and File Explorer, then clicked on Pin to Start and there they are. I will now shut down and restart to see if the ones I added are still in Start. I do know the tiles I eliminated are no longer in Start.

Most of the Modern and System 'shortcuts' on the Start Menu are saved in an XAML file somewhere.
While other shortcuts in AppData, Program Data and shell:appsfolder point to the same programs, the actual Start Menu items can't be 'removed'.

Wynona said:

Clicking on All Apps shows me the alphabetical listing of (I think) all the apps on my computer.

Right click on any (desktop program) shortcut in that menu and select "open file location". It will take you to the place in your user profile where the actual start menu shortcuts are stored... the same way you used to be able to edit on the classic start menu pre-windows 8.

Drybonz said:

Right click on any (desktop program) shortcut in that menu and select "open file location". It will take you to the place in your user profile where the actual start menu shortcuts are stored... the same way you used to be able to edit on the classic start menu pre-windows 8.

Been doing that for as long as I've been using Windows 10; especially with Office 365. I use Quick Launch for my shortcuts, so Start isn't something that's really important to me. :)

So it's working properly for you? The changes I make never actually happen in the start menu.

*edit* I'm guessing you have to do the edits in another user profile, but I'm not exactly sure where the folder would be... or why the "open file location" would take you somewhere that you can't make edits.

Drybonz said:

So it's working properly for you? The changes I make never actually happen in the start menu.

If I delete a tile, it stays deleted. If I right click an app in "All Apps" and choose one of the options, yes, that option works, i.e. clicking Pin to Start pins a tile to Start.

Drybonz said:

*edit* I'm guessing you have to do the edits in another user profile, but I'm not exactly sure where the folder would be... or why the "open file location" would take you somewhere that you can't make edits.

I only have one user profile on this computer. When I right click on a desktop app in "All Apps" and then click on "Open File Location", I don't want to edit; I want to drag it to my Quick Launch Bar or the Task Bar.

"Open File Location"is not for editing.

Wynona said:

"Open File Location"is not for editing.

What other reason would you have to go to this location? Why would they add a link to this folder in the start menu? It only contains start menu shortcuts and nothing else.

To be clear, I'm not trying to delete tiles... I'm trying to tidy up that "all apps" portion of the start menu, which I do use, but it has too many folders and other items.