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The central display looks modern and should find its friends, as does the new start menu. You can do this by clicking on the start button that has been redesigned to look blue. The start menu can be customized to a limited extent and you should be aware of that. We deliver instructions. You will also find alternative tools for the start menu that bring the Windows 7 counterpart to Windows 11. Because not everyone or everyone sympathizes with the new. If you struggle with it, it makes sense, permanently or in a transitional period Open Shell Menu or Classic Shell to use.
Download Open Shell Menu
Windows 11: Bring back the old start menu
That Open Shell Menu is the successor to Classic Shell, in which the further development has come to a standstill. After installation, when you press the Windows key, an Open Shell Menu start menu appears. It is modeled on that of Windows 7 and can be individually adapted.
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The tips in the following overview of the Open Shell Menu have been researched with Windows 10, but also work with Windows 11:
Using the Windows 11 start menu: Basics
Click on “All Apps” at the top of the start menu to get an alphabetical list of the installed applications. If you wish, you can drag and drop entries onto the desktop. This is how LNK call links are created there.
If you would like to log off your Windows user account, click on your user name at the bottom left. It continues with “Logout”. The “Lock” option corresponds to the Windows-L key combination. Windows 11 can be closed using the button at the bottom right in the start menu: After selecting this power button, go to “Shut down”.
Windows 11: Customize the start menu – Modding with manual tweaks
At the top, the Windows 11 start menu lists some programs under “Pinned”, below that under “Recommended” app impressions and files are added. Use drag & drop to move the thumbnails in the upper area to make them easy to find. By scrolling down, you bring out program icons in a previously invisible layer. Alternatively, you can scroll using the point symbol on the right: If you move your mouse pointer there, an arrow appears, which is also suitable for scrolling downwards.
Whether it is a start menu search find or a desktop EXE / shortcut: Programs that you would like to have in the start menu can be added to the “Pinned” area. All you have to do is right-click on a software call element and select “Pin to start”. The new object is at the bottom of “Pinned”.
If an application is to appear in the top of the three visible “pinned” rows, you can move it by right-clicking on it and clicking “all the way up”. The option “Detach from start” removes an entry. This comes in handy with factory advertising apps – but also if you were too overzealous with “Pin to Start”. With the context command “Uninstall” you not only remove the pinned, but also delete the software itself. This works with apps, with x86 software this only causes appwiz.cpl (see paragraph above).
You can give the start menu a boost in productivity by activating symbols in the lower right corner. Open the Settings app with Windows-i and mark “Personalization” in the category tree on the left, go to “Start> Folder” on the right. Now move the toggle switch as you like so that the associated quick access icons move to the start menu: “Settings”, “File Explorer”, “Documents”, “Downloads”, “Music”, “Pictures”, “Videos”) , “Network”, “Personal Folder”.
If you cannot find out which new icon is good for what in the start menu, just mouse-over. Then a tooltip informs you about the meaning and purpose.
If no “Recommended” area should appear in the start menu, deactivate it: with Win-i and click on “Personalization> Start” and flipping the toggle switch behind “Show recently added apps”. If you want to revise this, change the slider position again. In the start menu you can access the required settings app dialog by clicking on “Start settings” (only visible if the recommended elements are hidden). Or you can work your way there by hand as described.
