Customize your Start menu

The Start menu is the gateway to your programs, your computer’s settings, and the Internet. Over time, however, the Start menu can get so cluttered that you have to work to find what you need. If you’ve ever stared at your All Programs menu for more than a second trying to find a program, it’s time to organize it.
To make your Start menu more manageable, you can:
• Pin (or attach) commonly used programs to the Start menu
• Reorganize the folders in your All Programs menu
The sections that follow describe each of these techniques. Even if you have just a few minutes to spare, read the first section—it will save you time over the long run.

Pin commonly used programs to the Start menu
If you have a hard time finding applications in your All Programs menu, you can “pin” your favorite applications to the Start menu (you are actually pinning the applications’ icons to the Start menu). This way, they will appear in the Start menu when you click the Start button. Then you can start the application with just two mouse clicks—without opening the All Programs menu.
To pin a program to the Start menu
1. Click the Start button.
Start menu
2. Click All Programs.
All Programs item on Start menu
3. Right-click the program you want to pin to the Start menu, and then click Pin to Start menu.
Program name selected and Pin to Start menu selected
The program appears on the upper-left side of the Start menu. To start the program, click the Start button, and then click the program.
To remove (or unpin) a program icon that you’ve pinned to the Start menu
1. Click the Start button.
Start menu
2. Right-click the program you want to remove from the Start menu, and then click Unpin from Start menu.
Program selected and Unpin from Start menu selected