To make the Windows 11 Start menu work more like Windows 10, right-click the taskbar, select Taskbar settings, expand Taskbar behaviors and set Taskbar alignment to the left. Then open Settings > Personalization > Start, switch the All section to List view, hide the sections you do not use, and select Folders to put Documents, Downloads and other folders next to the Power button. Windows 11 has no built-in setting that brings back the actual Windows 10 Start menu or its Live Tiles, but these options get the layout and habits close.
Applies to: Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2. Checked against Microsoft Support on October 7, 2026.
What you can and cannot get back
The Windows 10 Start menu opened from the left corner, showed a list of your apps, had groups of tiles (including Live Tiles) beside it, and could be resized by dragging its edges. Windows 11 replaced it with a centered menu made of sections: search at the top, then Pinned apps, a Recommended section (renamed Recent in 2026 updates), an All section with every installed app, and an account area with the Power button at the bottom. Microsoft’s Windows 11 specifications list Live Tiles as no longer available, and the menu cannot be swapped for the old one in Settings.
What you can do is recreate the parts of Windows 10 that most people miss. This table shows the closest built-in option for each one.
| Windows 10 habit | Closest Windows 11 setting | How close it gets |
|---|---|---|
| Start button in the bottom-left corner | Taskbar behaviors > Taskbar alignment set to left | Same position as Windows 10 |
| Alphabetical list of all apps | All section in List view | Very close; the list scrolls inside Start |
| Tile groups for favorite apps | Pins grouped into named folders | Similar idea; no Live Tiles |
| Folder shortcuts such as Documents and Pictures | Folders next to the Power button | Same shortcuts, shown beside Power |
| Larger or smaller Start menu | Start menu size (on PCs with the 2026 update) | Small or large instead of free resizing |
| Search box next to Start | Taskbar items > Search > Search box | Same typing box on the taskbar |
Before you start
- Install the latest updates. Microsoft redesigned Start in late 2025 and added more options, such as Start menu size and section switches, in an August 2026 update. These arrive in stages, so two PCs on the same version can show slightly different Start settings. Install the latest Windows updates before you begin.
- No restart needed. Start and taskbar settings apply as soon as you change them, so you can try each one and switch it back.
- Work or school PCs. Organizations can lock the Start layout and some Start settings. If a switch is greyed out, see the troubleshooting section below.
These steps use only the Settings app. Each one is independent, so skip any that you do not want.
- Move Start to the left. Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings. Expand Taskbar behaviors, open the menu next to Taskbar alignment and choose left. The Start button and your pinned apps move to the bottom-left corner, and the Start menu now opens from there, as it did in Windows 10.
- Open Start settings. Go to Settings > Personalization > Start. A faster route is to open Start, right-click the bottom area of the menu and select Start settings. This page holds every Start option in the rest of this guide.
- Turn off the sections you do not use. On updated PCs, the Start settings page has a switch for each section: Pinned, Recent (shown as Recommended on PCs without the 2026 update) and All. Turn off Recent if you do not want recently added apps, frequently used apps and recently opened files in Start. On PCs without section switches, turn off the individual recommendation switches on the same page; when they are all off, the section collapses.
- Show your apps as a list. Open Start and scroll to the All section. Change its view from Category or Grid to List. You now get an alphabetical app list, the part of Windows 10 Start most people used. Start remembers the view you chose.
- Add folders next to Power. Back on the Start settings page, select Folders and turn on the folders you want, such as Documents, Downloads or Pictures. Their icons appear next to the Power button at the bottom of Start, much like the folder shortcuts in Windows 10.
- Rebuild your favorite tiles as pins. In Start, drag the apps you use most to the top of the Pinned section, and drag one pin onto another to make a folder you can name, such as Work or Games. This replaces the tile groups you had in Windows 10.
When you finish, select Start or press the Windows logo key. The menu should open from the left corner, show your pinned favorites, list your apps alphabetically under All, and show folder shortcuts beside the Power button.
Get an app list like Windows 10’s
The single list of apps was the heart of the Windows 10 Start menu. In Windows 11 that job belongs to the All section, which Microsoft describes as every installed app, shown in one of three views:
- Category groups apps by type and highlights the ones you use often.
- Grid sorts apps alphabetically as icons, using more of the menu’s width.
- List also sorts apps alphabetically, as a list. This is the view closest to the Windows 10 app list.
If you have hidden Pinned and Recent, the app list sits right under the search box, so Start opens almost straight to your apps. If you keep Pinned, select Show all on that section to keep it expanded the next time you open Start.
You can also skip the list, as many Windows 10 users did: open Start and type an app name in the search box at the top, or press Windows logo key + S to open search directly.
Turn your old tiles into pins and folders
Windows 11 does not have Live Tiles, the tiles that showed changing information such as news or weather. Microsoft points to Widgets for that kind of glanceable information. Pins and folders still let you build the same organized group of favorites.
- Pin an app. Type the app’s name in the search box, right-click it in the results and select Pin to Start.
- Pin a folder or website. In File Explorer, right-click a folder and select Pin to Start. For a website, open it in Microsoft Edge, select the more options menu, then More tools > Pin to Start.
- Reorder pins. Drag any pin to a new position. Put the apps you open daily in the first row so they are visible without scrolling.
- Create a folder. Drag one pin onto another. Windows creates a folder automatically, and you can rename it. Drag more pins in to add them, or drag them out to remove them. When only one pin is left, the folder disappears on its own.
- Remove a pin. Right-click it and select Unpin from Start.
Windows 10 let you choose which folders appeared on Start, beside the Power button. Windows 11 keeps the same idea in the account area at the bottom of the menu. Go to Settings > Personalization > Start, select Folders, and turn on each folder you want. Microsoft lists options including Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, Network and your personal folder. Turn a switch off to remove that shortcut again.
On PCs with the August 2026 update, the Start settings page also has Hide your name and profile picture on Start if you want a plainer account area.
In Windows 10 you could drag the edges of Start to resize it. Windows 11 does not support free resizing. On PCs with the August 2026 update, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and use Start menu size to choose a small or large menu instead of Automatic (default). Without that option, Start adjusts its size to your screen on its own.
Other Windows 10 habits that still work
- Windows logo key opens and closes Start, exactly as before.
- Windows logo key + X, or right-clicking the Start button, opens the Quick Link menu of system shortcuts.
- Search box on the taskbar. In Taskbar settings, under Taskbar items, set Search to Search box to get the typing box next to Start. The other choices are Search icon and label, Search icon only and Hide. Our guide to making the Windows 11 taskbar look like Windows 10 covers the rest of the taskbar settings.
- Windows logo key + I opens Settings and Windows logo key + S opens search.
Check that it worked or undo a change
Open Start and look for four things: the menu opens from the left corner, the All section shows a single alphabetical list, your folders appear beside the Power button, and only the sections you kept are visible.
Every change in this guide is reversible from the same place. Set Taskbar alignment back to center to return Start to the middle, turn the section switches back on in Start settings, switch All back to Category view, and turn off any folder you added.
Troubleshooting
Start settings do not show section switches or Start menu size
These options came with 2026 updates that Microsoft is rolling out gradually. Run Windows Update, restart if asked, and check again later. Until then, use the individual recommendation switches on the Start page to shrink the Recommended section.
A Start setting is greyed out
On a work or school PC, your organization can manage Start with policies. Microsoft’s policy list includes options that hide the recommended section, hide recently added apps, remove the app list, force a Start size, lock the pinned layout, and prevent changes to taskbar and Start settings. When one of these is set, the matching switch in Settings is unavailable. Ask your IT department if you need it changed.
The Recent or Recommended section is still visible
The section collapses only when all of its recommendation sources are turned off. Turn off every recommendation switch on the Start settings page, or use the section switch on updated PCs. On a managed PC, a policy may control what this section shows.
My folder of pins disappeared
A Start folder is removed automatically when only one pin is left in it. Drag another pin onto that last pin to create the folder again.
The search box disappeared after I moved the taskbar
On PCs that can move the taskbar to the left, right or top with Taskbar position, Microsoft notes that the search box and the small taskbar work only at the top or bottom. Move the taskbar back to the bottom to get the search box again.
I want Live Tiles back
Live Tiles are not available in Windows 11, and no Start setting brings them back. For live information such as weather or news, use Widgets.
Older guides suggested a registry value to switch on a classic Start menu, or programs that replace Start entirely. Microsoft does not document either as a supported way to change Windows 11 Start, and a Windows update can stop them working. A mistake in the registry can also cause problems that are hard to undo. Everything above is a built-in setting you can switch back at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the exact Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 11?
No. Windows 11 has no built-in option to restore the Windows 10 Start menu. You can move Start to the left, use the List view, hide sections, group pins into folders and add folder shortcuts, which covers most of what people used in Windows 10.
Can I move the taskbar to the top or side like in Windows 10?
On PCs with the August 2026 update, yes: go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors > Taskbar position and choose bottom, top, left or right. Without that update, the taskbar stays at the bottom of the screen.
Will my Windows 10 Start tiles carry over after upgrading?
Live Tiles are not available in Windows 11, so you cannot use your tile layout as it was. Pin your important apps with Pin to Start and group them into folders instead.
Will a Windows update undo these changes?
These are normal Settings options, so updates keep them. Updates can add or rename options, as when Recommended became Recent, so check the Start settings page if something looks different after an update.
How do I put the Start menu back in the center?
Right-click the taskbar, select Taskbar settings, expand Taskbar behaviors and set Taskbar alignment to center.
Where are Microsoft’s instructions?
See Microsoft’s Customize the Windows Start menu, Customize the taskbar in Windows, the KB5120998 release notes for the newer Start and taskbar options, and the Windows 11 specifications for features that were removed.
Once Start is set up, finish the rest of the desktop with our guide to making Windows 11 look like Windows 10.
Related: learn Windows 11.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.