Information taken from BT.com/tech-gadgets
Windows 10 Start menu secrets
Start menu makes a return in Windows 10, and there’s a dozen ways to make it work differently. Do you know them all?
A ‘new’ feature in Windows 10 is the Start menu, but it’s not quite the same as the old one.
The Windows 10 Start menu also includes some ideas from the Windows 8 Start screen, which makes it a peculiar hybrid.
Good news is that the new Start menu is far more versatile than the Windows 7 and before. Even better news is that you can hide the most distracting new features relatively easily.
1. The classic Start menu
To return to the simple Start menu of old, (sort of). Remove every Live Tile from the right side by right clicking each one and selecting Unpin from Start. Once you remove the last one, you can drag the right edge of the Start menu to reduce its width still further for a more streamlined look.
2. Remember to right-click
Don’t get locked into just left-clicking the button — try right-clicking it, too. A different menu will open with shortcuts to various Windows 10 settings, shut-down options and a one-click way to show the Desktop.
3. Resize it
The Windows 10 Start menu is bigger than previous ones because it packs in more features, but you can resize it if the default size doesn’t suit. Just open the Start menu and drag the top or right edge to make it taller, shorter, wider or narrower.
4. Make it Bigger
Make it bigger without affecting its overall proportions. Go to Start > Settings > System > Display and use the slider on the right to increase the size of the Start menu (and most other parts of Windows 10) in 25% steps. Click the Apply button, then log out of and back into Windows to see the effect.
5. Colour
Changing its colour via Start > Settings > Personalisation > Colours. Switching off Make Start, taskbar and action centre transparent can help, as can switching on Show colour on Start, taskbar and action centre. Choose a colour you like from the section that appears, or opt to pick one automatically from your Desktop background.
6. Start menu full-screen — but keep the Taskbar
Start menu’s Live Tiles on full-screen. Go to Start > Settings > Personalisation > Start and turn on the Use Start full screen option.
Tablet mode from the Action Centre, but it keeps the Taskbar and Search box visible (and you can use both modes at once). With full-screen Start active, you’ll find the shut down options and your other applications on the buttons just above the Start button.
7. Add shortcuts to your own folders
In an Explorer window, right-click it and select Pin to Start. You’ll then find the folder in Start > File Explorer — click the > jump list button at the right to see the pinned folders within (clicking File Explorer itself opens an Explorer window). You can unpin folders from this list by clicking the pin icon to the right of each.
8. Add apps to the Live Tiles list
You can pin app shortcuts to the Start menu in a similar way. Find the app in the All apps list at the bottom of the Start menu, right-click it and choose Pin to Start. The only catch is that this pins it to the list of Live Tiles on the right of the Start menu rather than the list of apps
9. Add more shortcuts to Windows folders
In the same Start > Settings > Personalisation > Start window opened in #5, click Choose which folders appear on Start and you can opt to show many more Windows folder shortcuts on the Start menu.
10. Modify the Most used apps list
Right-click the apps under the Most used list and click Don’t show in this list to hide them. Alternatively, you can hide the Most used apps list altogether by going to Start > Settings > Personalisation > Start and switching off Show most used apps.
