General Group Pinned Apps into Folders on Start Menu in Windows 11


  • Staff
Start_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to organize and group your pinned apps on the Start menu into folders for your account in Windows 11.

The Start menu is comprised of three sections: Pinned, All apps, and Recommended.

The Start menu contains shortcuts of all your apps, settings, and files.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22557, you can now customize your pinned apps on the Start menu by organizing them into folders. You can add more apps to a folder, rearrange apps within a folder, and remove apps from a folder.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22567, when you hover one pinned app icon over another, there will now be a small animation to hint that this will create a folder.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22579, you can now name your folders of apps in Start.


Contents

  • Option One: Create Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu
  • Option Two: Add Apps to Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu
  • Option Three: Rearrange Apps within Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu
  • Option Four: Remove Apps from Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu
  • Option Five: Remove Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu


EXAMPLE: Folders in the pinned apps area on Start

Start-Folders.jpg





Option One

Create Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu


1 Open the Start menu :win:.

2 Drag and drop a pinned app you want in the folder on top of another pinned app you want to group in the same folder. (see screenshot below)

When you drag a pinned app on top of another pinned app, you should see the other pinned app shrink for you to then drop the dragged pinned app to create the folder.


3 You can now change the name of this folder of grouped apps.

Create_folder_on_Start.jpg





Option Two

Add Apps to Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu


1 Open the Start menu :win:.

2 Drag and drop a pinned app you want to add to a folder on top of the folder. (see screenshot below)

Add_app_to_folder_on_Start.jpg





Option Three

Rearrange Apps within Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu


1 Open the Start menu :win:.

2 Click/tap on a folder you want to rearrange apps in. (see screenshots below)

3 Drag and drop apps in the folder to where you want inside the folder to rearrange them.

Remove_app_from_folder_on_Start-1.jpg
Rearrange_apps_in_folder.jpg
]




Option Four

Remove Apps from Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu


1 Open the Start menu :win:.

2 Click/tap on a folder you want to remove an app from to open the folder. (see screenshots below)

3 Drag and drop an app from the folder to where you want in the Pinned apps area on the Start menu.

Remove_app_from_folder_on_Start-1.jpg
Remove_app_from_folder_on_Start-2.jpg





Option Five

Remove Folder in Pinned apps area on Start menu


1 Open the Start menu :win:.

2 Click/tap on a folder you want to remove to open the folder.

3 Drag and drop all apps in the folder to where you want in the Pinned apps area on the Start menu.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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can't seem to get this to work----when I drag a pinned app over another they simply change places....
What am I missing here
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN11 HOME Version 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL XPS 8940
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11700 @ 2.50GHz 2.50 GH
    Motherboard
    Dell OE
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio (on board)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    (2) DELL 2007FP
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 1200
    Hard Drives
    C: (OS and APPS) 512GB SSD
    D: (data) 1TB SATA
    PSU
    360W
    Case
    DELL OE
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-A9 PWM 92mm case fan and NH-D9L CPU Cooler with 92mm fan
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    500Mbps DWN 120Mbps UP
    Browser
    FIREFOX once in a while will use EDGE
    Antivirus
    MS
    Other Info
    The case fan and CPU cooler were after purchase upgrades...the i7 cpu runs hot and the OE solution can best be described as marginal when CPU intensive apps are used.
    ALSO added a VRM and SSD passive heatsinks.

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Shame you can't name the groups
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta, 11 Dev, W11 Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R6
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 8GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    1 x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
Shame you can't name the groups

It's a coming soon feature. :-)

"Keep an eye out for further improvements like the ability to name and rename folders in one of our upcoming builds."
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta, 11 Dev, W11 Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R6
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 8GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    1 x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
Hello Lou, :)

This feature is not available until build 22557.
OK that's just embarrassing---now I can't read!!!
Thank you for setting me straight
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN11 HOME Version 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL XPS 8940
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11700 @ 2.50GHz 2.50 GH
    Motherboard
    Dell OE
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio (on board)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    (2) DELL 2007FP
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 1200
    Hard Drives
    C: (OS and APPS) 512GB SSD
    D: (data) 1TB SATA
    PSU
    360W
    Case
    DELL OE
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-A9 PWM 92mm case fan and NH-D9L CPU Cooler with 92mm fan
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    500Mbps DWN 120Mbps UP
    Browser
    FIREFOX once in a while will use EDGE
    Antivirus
    MS
    Other Info
    The case fan and CPU cooler were after purchase upgrades...the i7 cpu runs hot and the OE solution can best be described as marginal when CPU intensive apps are used.
    ALSO added a VRM and SSD passive heatsinks.

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Drag and drop to create a folder isn't working for me and I'm on the current Insider BETA build...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 - Release Preview channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Kol's custom ROG
    CPU
    Intel 13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Hero Z790
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32GB DDR5 6000MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte 4090 Gaming OC
    Sound Card
    SoundBlaster X-AE5
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell Alienware AW3821DW
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1600 144hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 500GB
    860 EVO's
    Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
    External RAID enclosure - 2x Seagate 3TB HDD
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Ultra 1300W Platinum
    Case
    Phanteks Eclipse P600S
    Cooling
    Custom water cooling. EK Velocity (CPU), EK Quantum Vector2 (GPU), EK Quantum D5 Pump, 360mm radiator in case + 560mm external radiator
    Keyboard
    Corsair K100
    Mouse
    Logitech G502X
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, VBS
Drag and drop to create a folder isn't working for me and I'm on the current Insider BETA build...
Only currently in Dev
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta, 11 Dev, W11 Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R6
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 8GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    1 x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
So hate to resurrect a dead thread/build, but any chance this is going to be released generally? Been a year now. New Win11 user here and really not digging the lack of customizability around start menu and taskbar. On Win10, I ran 5 different toolbars on my taskbar, small icons, double stacked. Probably 50-60 shortcuts 1-click away.

I do like how the taskbar is centered and vibes in general, but tons of available space. No customizability of icon size, stacking, grouping, aesthetics... basic UX for the central hub of the OS. I'm using a janky github project currently that hasn't been updated since '21 and has tons of bugs, just to get a grouping of sorts down on the taskbar. For $200, I expected Win Pro to be a lot more robust.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel I9 13900ks
    Motherboard
    MSI z790 Carbon Wifi
    Memory
    GSkill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3080
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic Elite XG, ViewSonic VP3268-4K
    Screen Resolution
    1440p, 4k
    Hard Drives
    WD Red 22GB, 14GB, and 10GB, 2xSamsung 990 Pro, 2x Samsung 950 Pro
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2
    Case
    Thermaltake X9
    Cooling
    Corsair H170i ELITE LCD
    Keyboard
    HyperX Alloy Origins PBT
    Mouse
    Logitech G300S
So scratch that. Just got notified of 22H2, which looks like it has this feature in it. Not sure why this update didn't get picked up sooner. I did the whole restart a number of times and check for updates song and dance yesterday and earlier today. Just popped in on a restart to install Docker though... go figure 🤷‍♂️. Time to customize.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel I9 13900ks
    Motherboard
    MSI z790 Carbon Wifi
    Memory
    GSkill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3080
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic Elite XG, ViewSonic VP3268-4K
    Screen Resolution
    1440p, 4k
    Hard Drives
    WD Red 22GB, 14GB, and 10GB, 2xSamsung 990 Pro, 2x Samsung 950 Pro
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2
    Case
    Thermaltake X9
    Cooling
    Corsair H170i ELITE LCD
    Keyboard
    HyperX Alloy Origins PBT
    Mouse
    Logitech G300S

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