The Start menu is one of the most useful features in Windows 10. You can use it to open apps, access folders, and more. Since it is used often, you may want to customize it to fit your needs.

A Short History of the Start Menu

In Windows 7, the Start menu was a small column on the screen. In Windows 8, Microsoft replaced it with the Start screen. This was a large, full-screen menu.

Many users found the Start screen confusing and hard to use. Because of this, Windows 10 brought back the Start menu. It looks like the older version but includes tiles from Windows 8.


Rearranging Tiles

If you don’t like the way tiles are arranged, you can move them. To do this:

  • Click and drag a tile to a new location.

  • To resize a tile, right-click it, select Resize, and choose a new size.

Pinning and Unpinning Tiles

You can add or remove tiles from the Start menu.

To pin an app:

  1. Click the Start button and find the app.

  2. Right-click the app and select Pin to Start.

To unpin an app:

  1. Right-click the tile in the Start menu.

  2. Select Unpin from Start.

Turning Off Live Tiles

Some tiles, like News or Weather, update automatically. These are called live tiles. If they are distracting, you can turn them off.


To do this:

  1. Right-click the tile.
  2. Select Turn live tile off.

More Start Menu Options

You can make more changes to the Start menu:

  1. Right-click the desktop and select Personalize.
  2. Click Start in the settings window.
  3. Turn different options on or off as needed.

By customizing the Start menu, you can make Windows 10 easier to use!