The Start menu is a central hub for accessing your apps, settings, and files in Windows. Here’s how you can open it:
Method 1: use the Start button
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Locate the Start button: The Start button is at the bottom of your screen on the taskbar. It looks like a Windows logo
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Select the Start button: With the mouse, click on the Start button to open the Start menu. On a touch device, you can open the Start menu with a tap on the Start button or with a swipe from the bottom of the screen
Method 2: use the keyboard shortcut
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Press the Windows Key: On your keyboard, press the Windows key , which is usually located between the Ctrl and Alt keys
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The Start menu will open immediately
Customize the Start Menu
Once you have the Start menu open, you can customize it to suit your needs. You can pin your favorite apps, websites and folders, or organize them in groups. To learn more, see Customize the Windows Start Menu.
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In Windows 10/11, the Start menu is represented by two folders. One folder is for all users, and the other is only for the currently logged-in user.
The Start Menu folder for all users is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.
The Start Menu folder location specific to your account is C:\Users\your-user-name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.
To access these locations quickly, we can use the following run commands (to open the Run dialog box, press Windows key + R).
Run the following command to open the location containing start menu programs available to all users:
shell:Common Programs
The following run command opens the start menu folder contains programs specific to your account:
Shell:Programs
And this is how we locate the Start menu folder in Windows 10/Windows 11 operating system.
Способ 1: Кнопка на панели задач
«Пуск», или стартовое меню – неотъемлемый компонент операционных систем от Microsoft, который всегда представлен в левом нижнем углу панели задач (если расположение последней на экране не менялось) и имеет вид логотипа версии Windows, установленной на компьютере. То есть в «десятке» для решения задачи из заголовка статьи достаточно просто кликнуть по значку, отмеченному на изображении ниже.
Читайте также: Настройка панели задач в Виндовс 10
Способ 2: Клавиши на клавиатуре
Альтернативным методом запуска стартового меню является нажатие клавиши «Win» на клавиатуре, на которой также обычно располагается логотип Windows.
Обратите внимание! На старых клавиатурах на этой кнопке может быть указан предыдущий логотип ОС («волнистый» значок «окон»), на новых (2021-22 годов и новее) – актуальный для 11 версии «квадрат», а на некоторых универсальных (например, беспроводные решения, предназначенные для использования не только с ПК и ноутбуками, но и со смартфонами, планшетами, умными телевизорами и т. д.) вместо лого нередко встречается надпись «Start».
Если указанная выше клавиша по каким-то причинам не работает или отключена (такое возможно на ряде игровых клавиатур), можно воспользоваться сочетанием «Ctrl+Esc», которое также позволяет вызвать стартовое меню.
Решение возможных проблем
Если же у вас не получается открыть меню «Пуск» указанными выше способами (при этом важно отметить, что других попросту не существует), потребуется выяснить причину проблемы и заняться ее устранением. Обычно все решается системными средствами и/или с помощью официальных утилит, разработанных компанией Microsoft, а более детально об этом рассказывается в отдельной статье на нашем сайте, с которой и рекомендуем ознакомиться.
Подробнее: Что делать, если не открывается меню «Пуск» в Windows 10
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In a normal working computer, you can find the Start Button on the left corner of your screen. Click the Start Button you can have the Start menu.
Another way to evoke the Start menu is very simple. You don’t need to know where is the Start Button, just click the Windows logo key on your keyboard, the Start menu would appear on the screen.
But if your Start menu is not working, or the Start button disappears, you need to read on to find how.
How to customize the Start Menu
Resize the Start menu
Put your mouse on the edge of the menu and dragging to resize the Start menu.
Change the Start menu options
- Press the Windows logo key + I together to evoke the Settings.
- Click Personalization.
- Click Start on the left pane. Then you can customize the Start menu in the right pane as you like.
Change Start menu colors
- Press the Windows logo key + I together to evoke the Settings.
- Click Personalization.
- Click Colors on the left pane. Then you can customize the color of your Start menu.
Switch to the Start screen
- Press the Windows logo key + I together to evoke the Settings.
- Click Personalization.
- Click Start on the left pane. Turn on Use Start full screen.
- Then click the Start Button, you’ll see the Start screen.
Related pages:
- Start Menu Not Working in Windows 10 [Solved]
- How to Fix Windows Key Not Working in Windows 10
- Windows 10 Search Not Working [Solved]
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Unlike its predecessor Windows 8.1, there is a proper Start menu in Windows 10. The Start menu in Windows 10, although it looks different from the one we have seen in Windows 7 and Vista, behaves more or less the same.
With default settings, recently added apps appear on the top left side of the Start menu. App tiles, including live tiles, appear on the right side of the Start menu. When you pin a file or program to the Start, it appears on the right side.
Microsoft has introduced several settings to customize and tweak the default look and feel of the Start. You can change the default color of the Start menu, adjust the height and width of the Start menu, add or remove tiles, add or remove folders, make the Start menu transparent, create a group of your favorite apps, resize tiles, add new links to the Start, and more.
In Windows 7 and previous versions, we could find Start menu settings under the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog, which appears when you right-click on the taskbar and click the Properties option. The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog has now been removed from Windows 10.
The Settings app offers the following settings to tweak and customize the Start menu or screen in Windows 10:
# Occasionally show app and content suggestions in the Start menu
# Store and display recently opened programs in Start
# Show the recently added apps group
# Customize which places to link to in the list (options to add downloads, documents, and other places)
# Use full-screen Start when on the desktop
# Show suggestions on the Start
# Store and display recently opened items in Start and the taskbar
# Show more tiles on the Start (displays four columns instead of the default three)
# Choose which folders appear on the Start menu
# Show the full-screen Start
If you’re looking to change the default settings of the Start menu in Windows 10, follow the below-mentioned directions to navigate to the Start menu settings.
Method 1 of 4
The easy way to open the Start menu settings
Step 1: Right-click on the desktop and then click the Personalize option to open the Personalization section of the Settings app.
Step 2: Click on Start to see the Start menu settings.
NOTE: To show color on the Start menu, please click the Color tab and then turn on the option titled Show accent color on Start, taskbar, and action center.
Method 2 of 4
Use search to open the Start menu settings in Windows 10
Did you know that you can even use the search box on the taskbar to access the Start menu settings quickly? Here is how.
Step 1: In the taskbar/Start search, type Start menu settings or Start settings, and then press the Enter key to open the Start page of the Settings app.
Method 3 of 4
Another way to open Start settings in Windows 10
Step 1: Right-click on the Start button on the taskbar and click Settings to open the Settings app.
Step 2: Once the Settings app is launched, navigate to Personalization > Start page to see all Start menu settings.
Method 4 of 4
Access Start menu settings from the Start menu in Windows 10
Step 1: Go to Settings > Personalization > Start page.
Step 2: On the left pane, right-click on the Start entry and then click the Pin to Start option.
Step 3: When asked for confirmation, click the Yes button to pin the Start menu settings shortcut to the Start menu.
The shortcut will appear on the bottom left of the Start menu, which you can move anywhere by dragging and dropping.
Step 4: Whenever you want to access the Start menu settings page, open the Start menu and then click the Start menu settings shortcut.
You might also want to check out how to open the taskbar settings in Windows 10 guide.