How to Customize the Windows 11 Start Menu

The Start Menu is the first thing you see when you sit down at your Windows PC, and it should work the way you work. Learning how to customize the Windows 11 Start Menu means you can put your favorite apps where you can reach them, hide the things you never use, and make the whole desktop feel like yours. Windows 11 moved the Start button to the center of the taskbar and gave the Start Menu a cleaner design, with pinned apps at the top and recommended files below, but many people never change the defaults. That is a missed opportunity, because a few minutes of customizing can save you time every day. In this guide we show you how to customize the Windows 11 Start Menu, from pinning and unpinning apps to organizing folders, changing the layout, and using the settings that most people never find.

Pin and Unpin Apps in the Start Menu

The pinned section is the heart of the Start Menu, and it is where your most-used apps should live. To pin an app, click the Start button, then click All apps, find the app you want, right-click it, and choose Pin to Start. The app will appear in the pinned section, and you can drag it to the position you want, with your most important apps in the top-left corner where your eye lands first. To unpin an app you do not use, right-click its tile in the pinned section and choose Unpin from Start. This does not uninstall the app; it simply removes it from the Start Menu, and you can still find it in All apps. You can also pin a folder, a document, or a website: right-click the item and look for the Pin to Start option, or drag it into the pinned area. If you have many apps, you can pin up to 18 apps on the first page of the pinned section, and more will appear on a second page that you can reach by scrolling. A good rule is to keep the pinned section small and focused: if you have not opened an app in a month, unpin it, because a Start Menu with 40 apps is no faster than searching for them. Keep the apps you use every day pinned, and let the rest live in All apps, where you can find them with a quick search.

Organize Apps into Folders

If your pinned section is getting crowded, folders are the answer. Windows 11 lets you group pinned apps into folders by dragging one app tile on top of another, just like on a phone. Drag the first app onto the second, and Windows will create a folder containing both, which you can name by clicking the folder and typing a name, such as Work, Games, or Photos. You can add more apps to the folder by dragging them in, and you can remove an app by dragging it out. Folders keep your Start Menu tidy and make it faster to find what you need, because you can group related apps together instead of scrolling through a long list. For example, put your browser, email, and calendar in a Work folder, your games in a Games folder, and your photo and video apps in a Media folder. You can also create a folder for apps you use rarely but want to keep handy, such as system tools and utilities. To open an app from a folder, click the folder to expand it, then click the app. If a folder no longer makes sense, drag all its apps out and it will disappear on its own. Folders are one of the most useful Start Menu features, and they are also one of the least known, so take a few minutes to set up two or three folders and your Start Menu will feel much more organized.

How to Customize the Windows 11 Start Menu Layout

The layout of the Start Menu can be changed to show more pinned apps or more recommended files, depending on what you use. Open Settings, go to Personalization, then Start, and you will see three layout options: More pins, Default, and More recommendations. More pins shows more rows of pinned apps and fewer recommended files, which is the best choice if you use the Start Menu mainly to launch apps. More recommendations shows more recent files and fewer pinned apps, which is useful if you often reopen documents you were working on. Default is a balance between the two. The same Settings page lets you control what appears in the recommended section: you can turn off Show recently added apps, Show most used apps, and Show recently opened items, which is useful if you share your PC or if you simply do not want your recent files on display. You can also choose which folders appear next to the power button at the bottom of the Start Menu, such as Documents, Pictures, Downloads, and Settings, by clicking the Folders option on the same page. These small changes add up: a Start Menu with the right layout, the right folders, and no clutter is faster to use and feels more personal. Try More pins for a week if you launch apps from Start, and switch back if you miss the recommendations.

Move the Start Button and Change the Look

If you miss the classic left-aligned Start button, you can move it back. Right-click the taskbar, choose Taskbar settings, expand Taskbar behaviors, and change Taskbar alignment from Center to Left. The Start button, the search icon, and your pinned taskbar apps will move to the left, just like in Windows 10. You can also change the look of the Start Menu by changing your Windows theme: open Settings, go to Personalization, and choose a light or dark theme, or pick an accent color that changes the color of the Start Menu and the taskbar. A dark theme is easier on the eyes in the evening, and it makes the Start Menu look modern and clean. If you want a more dramatic change, you can install a third-party Start Menu replacement, such as Start11 or Open-Shell, which lets you change the shape, the size, and the style of the Start Menu, and even bring back the Windows 10 or Windows 7 layout. These programs are paid or free, and they are safe to use, but they are not necessary for most people, because the built-in settings already cover the most useful changes. Start with the built-in options, and only consider a replacement if you want a specific look that Windows does not offer.

Use Search and Keyboard Shortcuts

The fastest way to use the Start Menu is often not to click at all. Press the Windows key on your keyboard and start typing the name of an app, a file, or a setting, and Windows Search will show it instantly. You can also press the Windows key and then type to search the web, do a quick calculation, or convert a unit, without opening a browser. The Start Menu search is fast and it learns from your habits, so the apps you use most appear first. A few keyboard shortcuts make it even faster: Windows key plus a number opens the app pinned to the taskbar in that position, Windows key plus S opens search, and Windows key plus X opens the quick link menu with useful tools such as Device Manager and Disk Management. If you use the Start Menu mainly to search, you can make it even cleaner by unpinning most of your apps and relying on search instead. That may sound extreme, but many power users keep only a handful of pinned apps and launch everything else by typing, which is often faster than clicking through a menu. Whatever your style, the Start Menu should match it, so experiment with pinning, folders, and search until you find the combination that feels fastest for you. For more ways to make Windows work for you, our guide on how to use Windows 11 Widgets to stay updated shows how to personalize the Widgets board that sits next to the Start Menu. And if you want your favorite apps one click away on the taskbar as well, our guide on how to pin apps to the taskbar on Windows 11 walks through that too.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pin an app to the Start Menu in Windows 11? Click Start, then All apps, find the app, right-click it, and choose Pin to Start. The app will appear in the pinned section, and you can drag it to the position you want.

Can I move the Start button back to the left? Yes. Right-click the taskbar, choose Taskbar settings, expand Taskbar behaviors, and change Taskbar alignment from Center to Left. The Start button and your taskbar apps will move to the left side of the screen.

How do I remove recommended files from the Start Menu? Open Settings, go to Personalization, then Start, and turn off Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer. You can also choose the More pins layout, which shows fewer recommendations.

Can I make folders in the Windows 11 Start Menu? Yes. Drag one pinned app on top of another to create a folder, then click the folder to name it. You can drag more apps into the folder, and drag them out to remove them.

Conclusion

Customizing the Windows 11 Start Menu is one of the easiest ways to make your PC feel like yours. Pin the apps you use every day, unpin the ones you do not, organize the rest into folders, and choose a layout that shows more pins or more recommendations, whichever you use more. Move the Start button to the left if you prefer the classic look, pick a theme you like, and learn to search with the Windows key for the fastest launches of all. A few minutes of setup will save you time every day, and your Start Menu will finally work the way you do.