Solved Windows 11 Start Menu pinned items . . .


john1955

. . . Jack of all trades . . . master of one
Member
Local time
8:25 PM
Posts
110
Location
Southern California
OS
Windows XP, 7, 10 & 11
I can move them but I cannot get them to stick in place like I can in Win-10, they spring into place. I can change the order but they are all one big group not allowing empty spots. Is there a cure for this? I dont even know how to say it so I cant find anything with a Google search. I dont want them all to move if I move just one.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP, 7, 10 & 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i5 12400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UA ATX DDR4
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    On Board (for now)
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    43" Samsung tu7000
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    500W
    Case
    LIAN LANCOOL_205M
    Cooling
    Bunch of fans . . . :o)
    Keyboard
    Unicomp: Ultra Classic White Buckling Spring USB
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Fire Fox
    Antivirus
    Windows
I'm not sure, but it sounds as though you're talking about desktop icons, not the icons inside the Windows 11 Start Menu.
If it's desktop icons you're having trouble with, right-click on an empty space on the desktop, and when you see the menu, choose View, and make sure that Auto arrange and Align are both UN-checked.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
I'm not sure, but it sounds as though you're talking about desktop icons, not the icons inside the Windows 11 Start Menu.
If it's desktop icons you're having trouble with, right-click on an empty space on the desktop, and when you see this menu, choose View, and make sure that Auto arrange and Align are both UN-checked.
No, It's the icons in the start menu I'm talking about. There was a lot more control over placement in Windows 10.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP, 7, 10 & 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i5 12400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UA ATX DDR4
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    On Board (for now)
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    43" Samsung tu7000
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    500W
    Case
    LIAN LANCOOL_205M
    Cooling
    Bunch of fans . . . :o)
    Keyboard
    Unicomp: Ultra Classic White Buckling Spring USB
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Fire Fox
    Antivirus
    Windows
Okay, I stand corrected. But I don't have any trouble putting my Win11 Pinned Start Menu icons where I want them, or moving them into a different layout. Could you give us a screenshot or two to illustrate the problem you're having?
Clipboard03.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Okay, I stand corrected. But I don't have any trouble putting my Win11 Pinned Start Menu icons where I want them, or moving them into a different layout. Could you give us a screenshot or two to illustrate the problem you're having?
Can you put some in a 4th row or have one row separated from the other with an empty row?
I like some of your icons. What's the pion't of the All Apps Files one? I have an idea but not sure.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP, 7, 10 & 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i5 12400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UA ATX DDR4
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    On Board (for now)
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    43" Samsung tu7000
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    500W
    Case
    LIAN LANCOOL_205M
    Cooling
    Bunch of fans . . . :o)
    Keyboard
    Unicomp: Ultra Classic White Buckling Spring USB
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Fire Fox
    Antivirus
    Windows
Screenshot 2023-05-03 190808.jpg
Fourth row: Yes
Blank row: No (maybe with 3rd party software)
Remember, folders can be created by dropping an icon on top of another one.

Screenshot 2023-05-03 191102.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF Gaming FX705GM
    CPU
    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & 400MB Orange-fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly-Chrome Dev
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    VMs of Windows 11 stable/Beta/Dev/Canary
    VM of XeroLinux- Arch based & Debian 12
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Insider Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM
A short video on moving the pinned icons. You can't have separate or empty rows.

Click here.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home & Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U
    Motherboard
    M1605YA
    Memory
    15.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1596MHz (22-22-22-52)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512MB ATI AMD Radeon Graphics (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1200@60Hz) - P1 PLUS (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1200
    Hard Drives
    953GB Western Digital WD
    PSU
    45 Watts
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth.
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
Yes, a fourth row is easy. An empty row? Hmmm. I don't think MS had that possibility in mind. I suppose you could make six shortcuts you don't actually need to use, then use Properties > Change icon to replace the icons with blank icons. Then you'd have an empty row, if you succeeded at the first steps, and you could add in more real icons in the next row below that empty one.

For the fourth row, go to Settings > Personalization >Start > tick the leftmost choice (More Pins) for layout.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Hmmm. That row of blank icons would still have the shortcut NAMES, though. I don't know whether you can rename a shortcut with nothing but spaces!?!?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Fourth row: Yes
Blank row: No (maybe with 3rd party software)
Remember, folders can be created by dropping an icon on top of another one.
That's cool . . . I guess I can live with it.
Seeing these, I need to change my default colors but I've only had Win-11 a few hours.
Win-10 you could have empty spaces and I only just got use to that and they changed it LOL

Start Menu.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP, 7, 10 & 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i5 12400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UA ATX DDR4
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    On Board (for now)
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    43" Samsung tu7000
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    500W
    Case
    LIAN LANCOOL_205M
    Cooling
    Bunch of fans . . . :o)
    Keyboard
    Unicomp: Ultra Classic White Buckling Spring USB
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Fire Fox
    Antivirus
    Windows
Win-10? I thought we were talking about the Windows 11 Start menu.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Win-10? I thought we were talking about the Windows 11 Start menu.
We are. But the OP is new to Win11 and was just comparing.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF Gaming FX705GM
    CPU
    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & 400MB Orange-fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly-Chrome Dev
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    VMs of Windows 11 stable/Beta/Dev/Canary
    VM of XeroLinux- Arch based & Debian 12
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Insider Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM
I like some of your icons. What's the pion't of the All Apps Files one? I have an idea but not sure.
My All Apps Files is just a shortcut to File Explorer's Programs folder at "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs". The Start Menu Files one is a shortcut to "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs". They're really handy for me, because almost all of my programs (apps, utilities, whatever) are not "installed" -- they're portables or standalones -- so they don't show up in the All Apps list or on the Start Menu unless I put them there.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
My All Apps Files is just a shortcut to File Explorer's Programs folder at "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs". The Start Menu Files one is a shortcut to "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs". They're really handy for me, because almost all of my programs (apps, utilities, whatever) are not "installed" -- they're portables or standalones -- so they don't show up in the All Apps list or on the Start Menu unless I put them there.
or it could be:
explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder

then you really get it all.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF Gaming FX705GM
    CPU
    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & 400MB Orange-fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly-Chrome Dev
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    VMs of Windows 11 stable/Beta/Dev/Canary
    VM of XeroLinux- Arch based & Debian 12
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Insider Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
  • Like
Reactions: OAT

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP, 7, 10 & 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i5 12400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UA ATX DDR4
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    On Board (for now)
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    43" Samsung tu7000
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    500W
    Case
    LIAN LANCOOL_205M
    Cooling
    Bunch of fans . . . :o)
    Keyboard
    Unicomp: Ultra Classic White Buckling Spring USB
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Fire Fox
    Antivirus
    Windows
not allowing empty spots.
That's correct. When you rearrange the order, there will be no empty spots and no way to have any empty space between them as was allowed in Windows 10. 10 and 11 start menus are designed entirely different and built on an different GUI. 11 is more aligned with Apple's start screen. A 3rd party app might do what you want but I don't use one so can not say for sure. They cause too many problems when certain updates apply for my liking. Maybe one of the Explorerpatcher fanatics will answer that.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2314
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme+256gb SKHynix m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+1tb Kingston m2.nvme+ 4gb Solidigm nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
I dont want them all to move if I move just one.
Fourth row: Yes
Blank row: No (maybe with 3rd party software)
Remember, folders can be created by dropping an icon on top of another one.
John1955 - Oat is correct.

When you move or pin an icon, all the other icons to the right or left of it will move, and then you may or may not need to rearrange the whole bunch afterwards, much like a hand-held slide puzzle if you are familiar with those.

To add any portable/not installed app to Start, go to file location, right-click and "Pin to Start", then go to Start and drag icon where you like.

Bottom line: I and many others advise new W11 users like yourself to give yourself time to adjust to the new UI. I was a diehard "W10 until '25" user, and a couple months later I switched and gave it some time. I have no reason to go back now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad L340
    CPU
    Intel Core i3-8145U
    Memory
    16GB
    Hard Drives
    500 GB M2 1 TB HDD
    Internet Speed
    400 MB
    Browser
    Chrome | Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender | Block unknown executables | Various ASR rules enabled
I hate the Start Menu so use Open Shell
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build
    CPU
    Core i7-13700K
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Plus WiFi Z790
    Memory
    64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
    Sound Card
    Realtek S1200A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VP2770
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 2TB NVME SSD & SATA HDDs & SSD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNova G2 850W
    Case
    Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Digital Media Pro
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    50 Mb / s
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender
I'm thinking the answer is no, but ...

In Win10, I had pinned tiles in my Start Menu in 7 columns of four Rows. Somewhat arbitrary, but I got used to the position of the icons.

In Win11, there seem to be only 6 columns and no way to increase or remove them (I did find the setting for "More Pins").

Is there any way to have 7 columns of apps in the Win11 Start Menu?

Found somewhat of a workaround. What I technically had in Win 10 was a Productivity folder with 3 columns and 4 rows (technically 4 columns and 4 rows and the right column blank) and a Help and Tools folder with 4 rows and 4 columns.

I can live with the Productivity column items at the top in 6 columns. Not what I'm used to, but ...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom