Personalization Restore Classic Start Menu in Windows 11

batlhilz · Jun 24, 2021

I want more "outerspaceish" look for my windows so no thanks

jimbo45 · Jun 24, 2021

Hi there
another solution for those who use a lot of applications (too many for task bar) is simply to open file location --->send to desktop (create short cut). You can change the icons too if you must.

I can't imagine though using 30 - 40 different applications regularly though. Some task bar icons might also be "copyable" to desktop as well then you can delete those you don't need on the taskbar.

Cheers
jimbo

catspyjamas · Jun 26, 2021

z3r010 said:
I don't understand this obsession with the start menu, the only time I go near it is once a week or so to reboot my pc, everything useful is pinned to my taskbar or I use the search.

Well I can't speak for others, but for me the Windows 10 start menu is a combination of a filing system and a hidden desktop. I have small sized tiles organised into several groups, and also use folders. I don't use live tiles except for four, which are actually quite useful apps to have a 'live' function. The beauty of this is being able to access my 'desktop' (on my start menu) quickly, without having to minimise or close anything, and once there I can find what I want very quickly. It also means I can hide all my desktop icons. I'm a photography nut, so enjoy not having my lovely 4k backgrounds RUINED with desktop icons.

As for the taskbar - I also prefer that uncluttered, so have very few apps pinned to it (as opposed to my start menu). I keep it hidden for extra screen real estate on my smaller displays, and also to prevent burn in on my two with OLED screens. I use the desk top toolbar on the taskbar. I find this useful too, mainly for extra functions right-clicking gives you that are missing from the right-click options on tiles.

johnlgalt · Jun 26, 2021

I'm like nether you nor z3r010.

I use 0 tiles. I have disabled all tiles that come preset, and removed the tile section completely (after you remove the last pinned tile, you can shrink the start menu in win 10).

As you can see, Snip and Paste thinks the start menu is still wide (I used the delayed + Window snip), as it is by default, with tiles, even though I've slimmed it down. It's visual only, apparently, but I only see it as you see in the ss.

But, for apps not pinned, I hit the windows key and start typing the name - probably 5-10x per day. My most used apps are pinned to my taskbar - but everything else I either run from a folder as a portable app or hit winkey ==:> start typing to find.

Wisewiz · Jun 26, 2021

That'll do 'er just fine. Tiles, shmiles. We don' need no stinkin' tiles.

jerrypc1 · Jun 26, 2021

Thanks Brink it Worked great I like it very much

Try3 · Jun 26, 2021

catspyjamas said:
I use the desk top toolbar on the taskbar.

I thought somebody else said that Taskbar Toolbars did not exist in Windows 11?

Or perhaps your comment about only what you currently do in Windows 10?

Denis

ringel05 · Jun 26, 2021

I just always used Startisback and set the look for Windows 7.

catspyjamas · Jun 26, 2021

Try3 said:
I thought somebody else said that Taskbar Toolbars did not exist in Windows 11?

Or perhaps your comment about only what you currently do in Windows 10?

Denis

Yes I'm referring to what I do on Windows 10. I'm not thrilled to be losing the desktop toolbar on the taskbar either, but that matters less to me than losing the Windows 10 Start Menu allowing for grouping and folders. At least there is a hack for reverting to the Win 10 Start Menu for those like me who actually do like and use it.

SIW2 · Jun 27, 2021

I dont mind the dock. The less we see of those loathsome "apps" the better

johnlgalt · Jun 27, 2021

Agreed. All my pinned apps are still on the taskbar, as I don't use pinned apps in start. I only use start for either full app list or search for a app - so I need to figure out how to get the app list plus search for app and get rid of the rest of it

Compumind · Jun 29, 2021

Great resource, thanks.

Try3 · Jun 29, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Agreed. All my pinned apps are still on the taskbar, as I don't use pinned apps in start. I only use start for either full app list or search for a app - so I need to figure out how to get the app list plus search for app and get rid of the rest of it

John,

Since you are experimenting with the Taskbar at the moment, please could you confirm that Taskbar Toolbars are indeed no longer possible?

Apart from monitoring Windows 11 CPU issues, this is my only real concern about Windows 11.

All the best,
Denis

johnlgalt · Jun 29, 2021

I've since upgraded to the Insiders release.

When you say taskbar toolbars, which are you referring to, so I don't start answering with what I think is the right answer and it turns out to be not even close to what you were referring to.....

Try3 · Jun 29, 2021

johnlgalt said:
I've since upgraded to the Insiders release.

When you say taskbar toolbars, which are you referring to, so I don't start answering with what I think is the right answer and it turns out to be not even close to what you were referring to.....

John,

I mean

204133d1537048481t-why-cant-i-add-desktop-shortcuts-taskbar-w10-pro-menus.png

my ditty in the Taskbar Toolbar tutorial thread - TenForumsTutorials

Others have said that they will not be available in Windows 11 but there is no explicit statement about them one way or another in the current MS documents.
- Since you posted about running some Taskbar tests I hoped it would not be too much of an imposition to ask if you could look at this issue while you're at it.
- To find the answer you could right-click on the Taskbar, hover over Toolbars {if it appears} and select any pre-existing one that is listed or just select any folder that contains shortcuts such as
C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
or its Windows 11 equivalent.

All the best,
Denis

Edwin · Jun 29, 2021

I need my custom Toolbars..., now there's no way to invoke them!!! Puke

johnlgalt · Jun 29, 2021

Right click in taskbar only gives you one option - Taskbar settings.

Absolutely nothing else.

Edwin · Jun 29, 2021

'Show Desktop' on secondary monitors..., doesn't work half the time!!!
This Build is sooo bad!!!

Try3 · Jun 29, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Right click in taskbar only gives you one option - Taskbar settings.

Absolutely nothing else.

John,

Thanks for giving me a clear answer. I'll have to concentrate on finding an alternative that supports cascading menus-folders [probably third-party utilities].

All the best,
Denis

johnlgalt · Jun 30, 2021

Surely some enterprising soul out there will develop a utility that will allow for that.

I was a big fan of the BINS utility, which allowed you to combine taskbar icons into a popup mini-floating-taskbar of icons to load an app. As Windows 10 advanced, though, and with no recent updates to it, it kind of fell behind the wayside.

I recently ran into this one on GitHub - tjackenpacken/taskbar-groups - it does a good job of providing that with a lot less resource usage, to boot.

Another developer forked it to allow one of the features of BINS, adjusting the default icon to actually be a mini set of up to 4 icons of the actual icons in the popup taskbar:

GitHub - PikeNote/taskbar-groups-pike-beta: Lightweight application that lets users create and pin groups to the Windows taskbar och desktop

Lightweight application that lets users create and pin groups to the Windows taskbar och desktop - PikeNote/taskbar-groups-pike-beta

github.com

I think, in reading through different issues and the readme for Pike's update, it might partially handle what you're looking for? But not fully, I don't think.

Yet.

Personalization Restore Classic Start Menu in Windows 11

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