What the Windows 10 start menu looks like. Using the full screen menu

This is what it looks like now modern menu Start in Windows 10. It has noticeably changed compared to the classic Start menu. The first thing that catches your eye is, of course, the live tiles, which you can drag around the menu, change the size of the tiles, group, and rename groups of tiles. You can also resize the Start menu by dragging it with your mouse. The section of frequently used programs has been preserved. Navigation across all has become more convenient installed programs. Access to it was also left. By right-clicking on the Start menu, you can open many additional parameters, including the control panel, network connections, task manager, device manager and others.

Classic Start menu using Windows 10

But how can you return the Start menu to its classic look? In short, in the Windows 10 operating system itself there is no way to return the classic menu view. You can only bring it closer to the classic look. To do this:

disable all live tiles; to do this, click right click mouse on each tile and select "Unpin from home screen";

change the size of the Start menu by dragging the edges with the mouse to the desired size;

Well, we got something similar to classic menu"Start". If you need to completely recreate “that same” classic menu, then you cannot do without special utilities.

Classic Start Menu in Windows 10 using third-party programs

There are many programs that give the Start menu a classic look. The most popular of them are IObit Start Menu, Classic Shell And Stardock Start10. These same programs, by the way, will return the missing Start menu in Windows 8, and also return the classic look Windows Explorer. The first of them has language support, which is important.

The illustration shows an example standard menu"Start" Windows 10 and the menu configured by the Start10 program.

Those who use the Windows 10 operating system are aware of what the Start menu is - a combination of designs from Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. In other words, on the left we see the familiar seven menu, and on the right there are tiles, as in Windows 8.

The developers from Microsoft realized their mistake in giving the number eight. Now after Windows installations 10 we can fully use the Start menu, which can also be customized as desired. What needs to be done for this?

Customizing the Start Menu in Windows 10

On the desktop you need to right-click and select.

A window will open in which we go to settings on the left "Start".

The section on the right shows us a preview of the Start menu, and just below the settings. For example, we can use the display more tiles, (very annoying feature). If we activate the function to open the Start screen in full screen mode, then it is clear what will happen - the opening of the Launch on full screen, like in Windows 8.

Now let's choose which folders will be shown in Start. We click the advice button at the very bottom, and what do we see?

We don't see that much choice. Basically it's system folders, like, My documents, Music. See for yourself.

Change the color and other options in the Start menu

We return back to personalization and go to the tab "Colors". You can leave this to the discretion of the system, or choose the desired color yourself.

There is also the option to make Start and the taskbar transparent. By default this function is already active.

Pin items to the Start menu

Everything is very simple here, open Start and see tiled objects, right-click on any of them and options appear where we can unpin from the start screen, change the size of the tile, or even remove it from the taskbar.

Groups

It turns out that tiled elements have groups that you can create and drag the necessary objects there. For example, I have a group "Event and Communication". If you wish, you can create your own.

That seems to be all. If you want to change not only the settings in the Start menu, but, for example, work with the screen, customize themes and the lock screen, then all these options are available in personalization.

Classic Shell - free program to return the previous appearance of the classic Start menu in the operating systems Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista. The program changes visual display elements operating system Windows for more convenient use.

Many users experience inconvenience when using the Start menu due to the fact that Windows developer, Microsoft company constantly changes settings, parameters and appearance Start menu.

Therefore, many users want to return the classic Start menu for the operating systems Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8. In the Windows 7 operating system, users change the appearance of the Start menu in the style of the operating system Windows systems XP.

Free Classic program Shell returns the classic look of the Start menu, allows you to extensive settings options for displaying styles, options and design of the start menu.

The Classic Shell program consists of three components:

Classic Start Menu - bringing back the classic Start menu
Classic Explorer - Adding a Toolbar to Windows Explorer
Classic IE - customizing panels in the browser Internet Explorer

In this article we will look at the operation of the Classic Start Menu component, which allows you to create the old Start menu in the Windows operating system. Not all users need other program components.

The Classic Shell program works in Russian. You can download the Classic Shell program from the official website of the developer. On the downloads page, select the “Classic Shell x.x.x (Russian)” file to download to your computer.

Installing Classic Shell

Installation of the Classic Shell program occurs in Russian and does not cause any difficulties. Go through the Classic Shell installation wizard one by one.

In the window " Custom installation» You must select application components to install on your computer. By default, all components are selected for installation.

We want to bring back the classic Start menu, so we only need to keep the “Classic Start Menu” and “Classic Shell Update” components (for automatic updates).

The “Classic Explorer” and “Classic IE” components change the appearance of Explorer and Internet browser Explorer, and not all users need such changes. Therefore, disable the installation of these components.

Classic Shell for Windows 10

After left-clicking on the Start menu, you will see the classic Start menu in Windows style 7 installed on the Windows 10 operating system. This is what the Start menu looks like with default settings.

The classic Start menu for Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 will look similar.

Setting up Classic Shell

After installing the application, the “Classic Start Menu Options” window will open. In this window, all program parameters are configured.

You can change Classic Shell settings at any time. To do this, right-click on the “Start” menu and select “Settings” in the context menu.

In the “Start Menu Style” tab, you can select a classic style for the Start menu in the style of the Windows XP or Windows 7 operating systems.

With default settings, the Desktop displays standard button"Start". Instead of a button image from the operating system, you can set an image from Classic Shell (two options) or add your own own image, if you have a similar picture.

By default, the main settings in the program are made in the tabs: “Start Menu Style”, “Basic Settings”, Cover”, “Start Menu Customization”.

Check the box next to “Show all parameters” to configure other parameters in the Classic Shell program.

After this, they will become available additional settings in the tabs: “Menu View”, “Start Button”, “Taskbar”, “ Windows Settings 10", "Context menu", "Sounds", "Language", "Control", "Main menu", "General behavior", "Search field".

Although the program is configured optimally by default, the user can independently change the application settings to suit his needs by experimenting with the settings. To do this, select the settings, see what happened after changing them. If it turns out that you went a little overboard with the settings changes, you can return the program settings to their defaults.

In the application settings you can hide unnecessary functions, change the display of items and icons, change the order of items, remove items from the Start menu.

To do this, select the element, select a command and display. After right-clicking on the required element, select additional features.

In the “Skin” tab, you can select a cover for the standard “Start” menu. By default, Windows 10 uses the Metro skin. You can choose other covers: " Windows Aero", "Metallic", "Midnight" or "Windows 8", the minimalist "Classic Skin" option or the "No Cover" option.

Classic Shell parameter settings can be saved to an XML file in order to load settings from this file when new installation Classic Shell programs. To do this, use the “Archive parameters” button, select the desired option: “Save to XML file” or “Load from XML file" To reset the program's settings to default, select "Reset all settings."

Removing Classic Shell

Classic Shell program is uninstalled in a standard way. If the program was not uninstalled correctly, or some problems arose during the uninstallation process, use special utility which can be downloaded from here.

Conclusion

The free Classic Shell program installs an alternative (formerly classic) Start menu in the Windows operating system. After installing the program on the computer, the user can return the classic appearance of the Start menu in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, and make other changes to the appearance and settings of the start menu.

After the release of the new edition of the Windows 10 operating system, many users began to encounter various errors in its operation. This is due to the fact that new version was not fully debugged and is undergoing revision during operation. One of the shortcomings of the system was the frequent failure to activate the Start key menu: it does not respond to commands. At the same time, the icons in the “Taskbar” stop responding. Microsoft gradually resolves software issues through periodic updates. Until the errors in the system files, it is recommended to use methods developed and widely used to correct this deficiency.

What is the difference between the Start menu in Windows 10 and previous versions?

Due to the fact that the Windows 8.1 edition was criticized around the world due to the lack of a Start key, the developers decided to return to as before“Desktop” with a familiar interface to everyone.

The Windows 10 Start button menu has a tiled interface

The Start button and its menu, shown in Windows edition 10 have a modified appearance.

The updated Start key menu is a hybrid edition that includes menus like classic look for old ones Windows versions, and the tiled architecture introduced for the first time in Windows 8, which is most suitable for touch control.

The icons on the left half of the menu and the live tiles on the right side duplicate each other, so you can use the part that suits you best. specific user. They can be disabled, deleted or edited.

Unlike previous editions of Windows, in Windows 10 you can resize the Start menu like a regular window. To do this:

All the previous items remain in the menu, such as programs, power management icons and others.

If you click on the “Start” button with the right mouse button, a menu with system management tabs will open. With its help, you can manage disks, change system settings, configure the network, search and perform other operations.

Right-clicking the Start button brings up a menu with system management tabs

It is possible to remove tiles and add new ones using the icons on the left side of the menu. To do this you need to do the following:

If you remove all the tiles, the menu will take on an almost classic look. This can be done if the user does not use the right half when working. In addition, it increases resources RAM, since the tiles take up a significant amount of it due to the drawing of graphic images.

How to return the classic Start menu design

Due to the fact that the appearance of the key and the Start menu is very different from the usual classic look, then, naturally, many users will want to return to the interface they have become familiar with over the years, like Windows 7. To do this, you can use two well-known methods:

use standard Windows capabilities 10;
install software third party developer.

How to apply standard features, described in the previous chapter of this article.

Installation of third-party programs requires the use of one of the publicly available and proven utilities listed below:

StartIsBack++;
Classic Shell;
Start10.

You can use other utilities that allow you to return to the classic design of the Start menu, but the above ones are the undisputed leaders in this direction. They occupy Not large volume on the hard drive and allow you to change the menu view by running minimum quantity actions.

To take advantage of the editing utilities external interface keys and the Start menu, you need to perform a series of sequential actions:

StartIsBack++ allows you to return familiar image menu and start keys. To do this, you need to do the following:
Classic Shell gained popularity after the release of the eighth edition of Windows. This utility made it possible to return the “Start” key to the “Taskbar”, since in the usual design the key was not there. In the Windows 10 edition, this problem no longer exists, but now, using the program, you can return to the classic design. To do this, you need to do the following:
Start10 changes the standard Windows menu 10 to yours immediately after installation. This menu is more similar to the Start menu in Windows 7 and is not much different from it. In the utility settings, you can remove the Start key, select the size of menu icons, and configure other settings. To run the utility, you need to perform the following operations:

Changing the key and the Start menu makes it possible to return the familiar working interface for most users. In addition, such manipulations can improve computer performance.

Worker Windows interface 10 certainly looks more attractive than its predecessors, but at the same time uses a very large amount of RAM and video memory. For standalone devices, such as a laptop or tablet, the Desktop takes up even more resources. After returning to the classic view, you can increase the volume by reducing the requirements for drawing graphics free memory and battery capacity.

Video: How to return the Start menu to the classic look using Classic Shell

Customizing the Start Menu in Windows 10

The new Start menu in Windows 10 consists of two parts:

left half - classic view using pictograms;
the right half is "live" tiles using the Metro interface.

The menu has its own settings, which can always be changed if necessary.

Video: How to customize the Start menu in Windows 10

Switch the desktop from classic view to full screen and vice versa

Initially, Windows 10 is installed on hard drive computer, already having a “Start” button in the “Taskbar”. To switch the “Desktop” display to Start screen mode, you need to perform the following sequence of actions:

In addition, you can launch full-screen mode by activating “Tablet Mode”. This will require the following:

Video: how to switch the “Desktop” to full-screen display mode

Set the Start menu color

Changing the color and shape of the Start menu in Windows 10 is carried out by to the following algorithm actions:

Video: How to change the color of the Start menu in Windows 10

Rules for working with live tiles in the Start menu

Users can change the size of live tiles if desired. You can also move them, edit groups, pin and unpin.

How to resize and move live tiles

To transform the size of a “live” tile, you must perform the following steps:

How to edit groups of "live" tiles in the menu

Windows 10 has a feature to distribute tiles into different groups. To create a new group:

More Start menu settings

To customize the apps that appear by default in the Start menu, follow these steps:

You can also set a specific set of directories to display in the Start menu. To do this, a sequence of certain actions is performed:

Video: How to change basic Start menu settings

Reasons why the Start menu may not open in Windows 10

The exact reason causing problems when working with the Start menu, on present moment not exactly established. According to Microsoft experts, this can happen for several main reasons:

incorrectly installed system updates;
failures when drawing the graphical interface;
damage to system files and directories;
inheritance of system errors when Windows installations 10 on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1;
failure in the system registry;
penetration of malware into the system.

In addition to these reasons, there may be many other, minor reasons that affect the operation of the Start menu when the key does not respond to user commands.

What to do if the Start menu won't open

There are several proven methods used to fix errors that affect the key and the Start menu.

Solving problems in the Start menu using a special utility

To fix errors when working with the Start menu, Microsoft specialists have developed a small utility. It can be downloaded from the company's official website. The utility works without installation immediately after launch. To use it, you must follow the following instructions:

Go to the official Microsoft website.
Select the "Support" tab on the Microsoft website
Click on the "Support" tab.
Select the problem Windows product.
Click on the Windows icon
In the window that opens, click on the “Troubleshoot problems when opening the Start menu or Cortana” tab.

Click the "Troubleshoot problems when opening the Start menu or Cortana" tab
Select the "Try the troubleshooter" tab from the suggested list of troubleshooters.

Click on the "Try the troubleshooter" tab
In the drop-down tab, click on the line “Start Menu Troubleshooter”.

Click on "Start Menu Troubleshooter"
Open batch file startmenu.diagcab.

Click on the "Open" button in the pop-up window
Launch the startmenu CAB file.

Launch the startmenu file through Explorer
In the “Main Menu” panel that opens, click on the “Next” button.

Click on the “Next” button in the “Main Menu”
The utility will begin the process of searching for Start menu problems.

Wait until the end of the search for problems with the Start menu
At the end of the procedure, click on the “Close” button. All bug fixes that are found are carried out automatically.

Click the “Close” button if the utility does not detect any problems

View tab additional information» is intended for viewing criteria for searching for problems. The utility checks the Start menu for the following parameters:

system registry errors;
incorrect installation of received updates;
state of the live tiles database.

Based on the results of the check, a report is generated, which, if necessary, can be sent to print.

Using the Start Menu Troubleshooter is the most effective method at the moment, which corrects errors in the Start menu with an almost one hundred percent guarantee.

Restarting Explorer to fix errors in the Start menu in Windows 10

Sometimes, to restore the Start menu, it is enough to restart the explorer.exe application. To execute it:

Video: how to restart Explorer in Windows 10

Restoring the Start Menu Using Registry Editor

Restore correct operation the start menu can be changed by changing system registry. To do this, you need to make some corrections and perform a number of operations:

Right-click on the Start button.
Click on the “Run” line. In the menu, click on the “Run” line
Enter the regedit command and click OK.
Enter the regedit command and click OK
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
Right click on free space in the right half of the panel.
Hover your mouse over “New” and click on “DOWRD (32-bit) Parameter” in the drop-down menu.
Create new parameter DOWRD (32 bits)
Name it EnableXAMLStartMenu.
Click on the new parameter with the left mouse button and enter the number 0 in the “Value” field.
In the “Value” field, set the value to 0
Restart your computer.

It is recommended that only experienced users make changes to the registry. If you are not sure that you can handle it, then it is better to entrust the solution to the problem to professionals, so as not to accidentally make an irreparable mistake that can only be corrected by reinstalling the system.

Video: How to restore the Start menu using Registry Editor

Recovering the Start menu using the built-in Maintenance utility

You can try to fix the Start menu error using the built-in Maintenance utility. To run the utility, do the following:

Launch the “Control Panel” by double-clicking on the icon on the “Desktop”.
Double-click the Control Panel icon to open it
Click on the “Security and Service Center” icon.

The Start button has returned to Windows 10, which was so missing for users who were unable to get used to the tiled Metro interface. However, this return is rather a rebirth, because the developers have added many interesting tools that allow you to customize Start in Windows 10.

Available settings

In Windows 10, you can customize the Start menu in two ways:

changing parameters directly in the menu;
using the Start section in Personalization.

We will use everyone available tools to see how to customize the Start menu in Windows 10 to suit the individual requirements of each user.

Changing size and color

If you think that the Start menu is too small or, on the contrary, takes up a lot of space on the screen, then you can easily change its size. Move the cursor to the edge of the menu and use the mouse to expand or reduce its size, as is done with Windows Explorer.

If you don't like the color scheme, then change it too:

Right-click on the desktop and open the Personalization section.
Go to the "Colors" tab.
Select the color you like and turn on Show Color in Start Menu.

We've sorted out the external design, now we can move on to the functional component.

Working with tiles

Inside the Start menu there are tiles that migrated to the “ten” from the “eight” Metro interface. They can also be controlled:

If you are tired of constantly changing (live) tiles, disable their updating. This is also done through context menu called by right-clicking on any element of the Metro interface.

Other options

In the Personalization section, there are several more Start menu options available for you to customize. For example, you can turn off the display of frequently used and recently added applications.

Advice! By clicking on the link at the very bottom of the settings, you can independently choose which folders will be pinned to Start. By default, Explorer and Settings are installed, but you can add Documents, Pictures, Downloads, etc. to them.

Enable full screen mode

If you like the tiled interface of the G8, and you want to make the Start menu in Windows 10 similar to it, then to do this you need to enable full-screen mode:

Right-click on the desktop and go to the “Personalization” section.
Open the Start tab.
Find the "Open in full screen" option and switch it to the "On" position.

After activating this option, when you press the Win key, a tiled interface will appear, familiar Windows users 8.

Video

The video instructions will help you understand the menu settings in detail.

Conclusion

Customizing the Start button in Windows 10 is a fun and useful activity. Changes like external design, so functional content menu that allows you to quickly access the necessary files and programs, so do not ignore the opportunities provided by developers.