Windows 10: Are there any alternatives to the Start Menu?

I love having my icons available but recently I've clicked on Auto-Hide taskbar and positioned it on the left side of the screen. it's great having that extra clean space but it has it's issues like not always auto-hiding and staying open and when I've moved the mouse away and the animation is just crap, looks like 15FPS on a 144hz screen.

When I put it on the left or right or even the top the issues persist and when I'm browsing the internet or anything else, having the minimize and exit buttons covered up by the taskbar or having my favourites bar taken up isn't ideal.

It seems to me that this start menu bar could be massively improved and integrated better but Microsoft is so behind on everything and usually there's someone else who's made it better.

Is there any alternative to this?

submitted by /u/LopsidedIdeal
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:)

 

Windows 10 Start menu is empty

Hi. Steps 1 and 2 didn't do much but step 3 has restored what looks like the list of original Microsoft apps but no sign of any of the many apps I have installed. And there are no tiles in the start menu. Any suggestions please?

 

AllApps menu alternative

I prefer the AllApps screen in Win8.1 to the alpha list in Win10. I've suggested a few variants to MS through feedback.

It looks as though the alpha list will be the defacto standard, although a leaked peek shows it is a little better (can be hidden) and the Start Screen is not cluttered with a list that's too small and not nearly granular enough to be useful.

Windows has always been friendly to customization, and if I get the time to learn the XAML coding pertaining to Start, I might build my own. I tried exporting Start though PS, but it failed - that's ok because if you go that route, the Start screen becomes static. The export serves companies who want to have the same screen for all users.

Until then, I made a poor man's AllApps screen

Download ~AllApps.zip folder and extract the shortcut

~AllApps.zip
After you have extracted the shortcut, check the properties of the shortcut and unblock it if it is marked blocked.

If you would rather a different icon or the icon I set did not make it through the transfer, change it while you're in properties.




I used the right arrow icon in %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
You can see it in the screen shots and if you have to 'fix' the icon, it's about in the middle of the slider displaying icons in shell32.dll

When you are finished with the shortcut properties
Move ~AllApps.lnk (the shortcut) to your personal Start menu

%Appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
When you look at the Start menu list, the new item, ~AllApps, will be first in the list since tilde ~ is lower in value that most other characters.

Pin ~AllApps to Start and place it where it's convenient to you. I mimicked the Win8.1 placement of an arrow at the lower left area.




When you're finished, you will have a pseudo AllApps screen. One of the niceties is that you can use all of the File Explorer organization features.

I set mine to
Hide the Navigation pane (organize button)
view as list (top view selector - press the icon to cycle through available views or press the down arrow to select the one you want)

Right click an open area of the main window
sort by name
group by none




There is one problem ... the settings do not stick.

I'll post an update once (if) I figure that out - I'd venture that some member will post the solution before I get back to it. It might be as simple as changing the shortcut target to call rundll shell32 or explorer.

 

Start Menu Search

Hi,

About your issue regarding the Start menu or Search, in order for us to assist you better. Please answer the question:

• Were there any recent changes made to your system prior to the issue?

In the meantime, we suggest you to check this link:
Troubleshoot problems opening the Start menu or Cortana. It contains troubleshooting steps prior to the issue.

We'll look forward to your response.