The Windows 10 Start Menu is a tool for quickly accessing applications and for restarting or shutting down your computer or tablet. While this feature is mostly known for its functionality, the Start Menu is also highly customizable and can be changed to reflect your personal design aesthetic and workflow.
And this article discusses how to change the appearance of the Windows 10 Start menu, from customizing colors, sizes to pinning apps and websites to the Start Menu, turning Live Tiles on or off, and getting the Windows 8 Start Screen back.
You can easily access the Start menu folder structure on the hard drive to edit, rearrange or even add new items. It also gives you the benefit of being able to search for new shortcuts that you create.
How to Change the Appearance of the Windows 10 Start Menu
There are many different ways to change the appearance of the Windows 10 Start Menu, including:
- Switch to the Start Screen.
- Delete the Apps list and save the tile.
- Remove all tiles, and save the application list.
- Change the color and layout of the Start menu.
- Change the whole Start menu theme
1. Switch to Start Screen
The Start Screen is meant to be used on tablets and is left over from the Start menu that was introduced in Windows 8/8.1. Desktop PC users can enable it if they wish.
1. Open Settings app.
2. Go to settings Personalization group.
3. Select tab Start.
4. Turn on the switch Use Start full screen.
5. Tap the button Start on the keyboard or click on the taskbar to open the Start Screen.
6. Tap the button again to close the Start Screen.
2. Delete the application list and save the tile
The list of applications can be removed from the Start Menu. It will still be accessible via tabs but it won’t make the Start menu any wider than it needs to be. And tiles you can save.
1. Open Settings app.
2. Go to settings Personalization group.
3. Select tab Start.
4. Turn off the switch Show app list in the Start menu.
5. Open the Start Menu, click and drag to the right edge to reduce its width.
3. Remove all tiles and save app list
If you don’t like tile style and prefer to use app list and its speed dial to find and open apps, you can set Start menu without tiles.
1. Open Settings app.
2. Open Personalization> Start.
3. Turn on the switch Show app list in the Start menu.
4. Open Start menuand Kright click some tiles.
5. Select Unpin group from Start.
6. Repeat for all tiles/tile groups
4. Change Start menu color and layout
The Start menu color can be set to almost anything but the color you set for it will also be set for the taskbar and action center. As for the layout, you can choose different tile sizes, and arrange them as you like.
1. Open Settings app.
2. Open Personalization>Colors.
3. Activate the option Start, taskbar, and action center under Show accent color on the following surfaces.
4. Scroll back to the top, and choose a color from swatches or click Custom color and select the one you want to use.
5. To change the tile size, right click pinned tiles and go to Resize. Select one of the listed tasks.
6. You can drag and drop tiles anywhere and move and change their layout.
5. Change the whole Start menu theme
The customizations I discussed above are general customizations and use the built-in features that Windows 10 has. If you want to completely change the appearance of the Start menu, say make it resemble the Start menu of Windows 7 or Windows XP, there is an application that you need to install.
1. Download OpenShell from here. This is a ported version of ClassicShell which is under development. Install the application.
2. Open settings apps and select tab Start Menu Style.
3. Select style or style which you want to use.
4. Open tab Skins. Choose a skin or look online to modify the Start Menu.
Red Thread | The Windows 10 Start Menu can be customized in many different ways. If you like the style of the tiles, you can create groups and organize them so that they are easy to use. If you are looking for a more drastic UI change, you can look for a skin that matches the OpenShell application.
