Windows 11 Win 11 Start menu options

[tbernstein]

I've heard that organising the Start menu in 11 is not possible. (It became pretty convoluted in 10).
Is this true?
I like ( or even need) to organise programme links, grouped according to purpose ( graphics, Office, internet, etc,) because I have lots of useful little programmes, many of which I only use occasionally, and most of which have unhelpful names, so that I'd never remember what to look for to do a given job if it wasn't in a handy start menu folder dedicated to that kind of work (e.g. Openshot in a folder called video, Balbolka in the one called office, wherein also lie MSOffice and Libre Office, SimpleOCR and others ). And for the same reason I want to be able to remove the clutter that software publishers often add for no good reason - like those start menu folders of their own, named for their company which may have no relevance to identifying the name or function of the programme inside.
I don't mind digging into \users\username\start menu if that's available. I even have links on the desktop currently to take me to (both of) the locations.
But if I can't do this then 11 isn't coming on to my PC. It really is a deal breaker.
So. What's the score? Will I have control of my own Start menu or not? - It's also a matter of principle, I realise now as I come to write this.

 

[Mrdavie]

I believe Windows 10 had a great start up menu, utilizing tiles in which you could group your applications by subject matter, as you are describing. You will not have control over the Windows 11 start menu except to arrange the apps in any order, but without regard to subject matter. And, you will quickly discover that a second screen will be required if you place more than about 18 apps in start.

 

[tbernstein]

In which case 11 is not coming anywhere near my PC.
10's Start menu has its faults - needing some fussy procedures to whip the menu into shape, but at least it can be done. The idea of it being totally disorganised other than according to the alphabetic order of random, often irrelevant names and pointless publishers' folders of names just makes me shudder. And I'm pretty tolerant of disorder when it doesn't get in the way of efficent working. But the whole point of a computer; and an OS on the computer, is to make working easier and more efficient - not to create extra obstacles. And I neither have the time and patience to deal with it, nor the willingness to have my life made more difficult to suit the whim of some designer with more time than brain.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

I just posted another thread that addresses this to some extent, I guess that not everyone knows this since no one answered my question when I asked it.

You can right-click on pretty much anything and add it to the start menu. The secret is to see it, you have to point at the two little dots on the right side of the menu, and then click on the down arrow that appears. I created a folder C:\Start Menu Folder and placed it on the start menu.

Now I can place all the things I wanted on the start menu in it and access them easily. I wanted to place a lot of text files without cluttering up the desk top.

But there is no reason that you can place pretty much anything there and if you number them they will appear in the order you want.

This can go a long way toward organizing the links, and the right click menu gives you a move to top option as well.

So with a little planing you could arrange everything using that. Clicking Move to Top, in reverse order, would arrange them any way you want.

PS. I just discovered you can just drag them to any position you want, so it's just as easy as the previous ones to organize!

 

[tbernstein]

TBH the problem is not adding items. It's preventing them adding themselves and being able to put the ones I do want in a sensible location, according to function. So that programmes, and particularly the many programmes that don't have helpful names, can be grouped according to function. So that they can be found easily and quickly. Particularly the software that I might not use very often. I don't want to spend several minutes hunting for it, possible not even sure if I actually have such a programme, or if I have more than one that I can remember the name of another, perhaps more suitable, one.
What I don't want is a long cluttered list of programmes named according to the publisher giving, no clue as to what they actually do.

But
"PS. I just discovered you can just drag them to any position you want, so it's just as easy as the previous ones to organize! " You say.
That could make all the difference. Is it still possible to create a new folder, say "Graphics", and move all my image editing and drawing programmes into that? As is currently the case.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

What I'm doing is making a folder for categories and placing them on my C:\drive.
Then I drop everything that goes in that category into that folder.

For example, a folder named, Kidney Health, I'm 83.
This includes Information about my doctor, his website link, phone etc.
Document with recipes, list of bad food, list of good food, prescriptions, etc.

Then I add it to the start menu and put it at the top of the list, PS you can just drag them where ever you want them, it makes it easy to put them it any order.

I end up with just a few folders that open to the category I want and in the order I want them to be in. You can remove things you don't want by right-clicking and choosing Remove from Start.

I've just started organizing it, but I can see that it's going to work in the long run. I'm still experimenting.
I just figured out how to move to the 2nd page!

I can't believe I didn't see that right away.

My plan is to have a folder for Windows Info, and things that apply to Windows like Network ID, etc. It's a work in progress, but I think I have a handle on it now.

I wanted to put an image in here, but I can't figure out how to take a clip of the Start Menu. It always disappears when I make the clip.
I don't see any reason you can't make a Photos Folder and place links to any photos in any location on your computer in that folder.
Then you could access any photos anyplace in your PC from one location.

I'm still experimenting.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

OK, I don't know what's going on, I just got back to my computer, and now I know why I didn't see the little dots before, they aren't there now!
So the things I did earlier are still done, my custom folders are on the start menu.

But I decided to move my base My Photos' folder to Start and see what happens, and as happened earlier they didn't show up.
Why not?
I had the option when I clicked on it "Pin to Start" but they aren't there?
And there is no access to the second page, via the little dots.

OK, this is really dumb, they don't show up until I restart the computer, I haven't found any other way to get it to refresh, this was why I was having so much trouble earlier, there must be away to get it to update without restarting your computer. Maybe just logging out, but that's too roundabout too.

I though this was going to me easy.

It did add my Photos' folder to the start menu, though, with 20 subfolders just as it appears on my F:\ drive. So I can now access all my photos with one click on the Start Menu, and I've found anything you do to the original folder get updated to the start menu, like changing the name or the icon.

I think there is a workable process here, I just have to lean how it works.