Forum Discussion
How to Remove These Annoying Category Folders in the Windows 11 Start Menu?
Need help! Many category folders (such as "Productivity tools," "Creativity," "Games," etc.) have automatically appeared in my Start Menu, grouping the application icons that were previously displayed directly. I simply want the apps to be shown directly in the Start Menu as they used to be, rather than being categorized into these folders. How can I turn off or remove these automatically categorized folders?
37 Replies
Utterly dreadful update. Who wanted this?! At least give us a quick option to switch it off. This and a couple of other things on modern Windows makes working on it impossible.
It's like they WANT us to switch to Linux, which I plan on doing, fyi.
I agree, the folders are really no fun. I wish I had freedom to choose how I want the product I bought to be. It's too messy, I live a simple life, and wish I could just have the Start Menu be simple too, giving me peace of mind.
Microsoft, please take note! Freedom is key.
Kind wishes,
DragonOfPlants
Those category folders in the Windows 11 Start menu can’t be turned off. They’re part of Microsoft’s new Start menu layout and are automatically applied.
What you can do:
- Click View (top-right of Start) and switch between Category and List view
- Use List view to see all apps alphabetically without folders
- Pin apps you use often to the Pinned section to avoid categories
What you can’t do:
- There’s no setting, registry option, or policy to permanently disable the category folders
- They will reappear if Microsoft keeps this layout enabled
Summary:
Category folders in the Windows 11 Start menu are by design and can’t be removed. The only workaround is switching to List view or pinning apps.
Das bringt aber nix. Spätestens nach einem Neustart ist alles beim alten. Mal abgesehen davon, dass die Listenansicht ebenfalls fürn Arsch ist. Wenn ich dort einen Ordner aufklappe, und sich darin Verknüpfungen befinden, die ähnlichen Namen und Bilder haben, sehe ich immer noch nicht, welches Programm ich klicken muss.
Das ist mehr als ätzend.
Translation
But that doesn't help. At the latest after a restart, everything's back to the way it was. Not to mention that the list view is crap too. If I open a folder there and it contains shortcuts with similar names and icons, I still can't tell which program I need to click on.
It's more than annoying.
Why do Microsoft make these arbitrary changes which do not add to the user experience and do not add any new functionality, and then make it mandatory with no way to revert to the previous.
Whilst you can switch off the All section at the bottom of the Start Menu using the methods other posters have provided, this leaves you with no way to access programs that are not pinned as the 'All' option at the top right is gone.
This is about as pointless as moving the 'Lock' option from the Person menu to the Power menu.
Maybe they are following the guidance of their AI overlords?
In the Start Menu, you've View: set to Category. You can change this View to Grid or List and that will resolve this issue.
Das bringt aber nix. Spätestens nach einem Neustart ist alles beim alten. Mal abgesehen davon, dass die Listenansicht ebenfalls fürn Arsch ist. Wenn ich dort einen Ordner aufklappe, und sich darin Verknüpfungen befinden, die ähnlichen Namen und Bilder haben, sehe ich immer noch nicht, welches Programm ich klicken muss.
Das ist mehr als ätzend.
Hinzu kommt, dass diese Ansicht sich nirgends anpassen lässt.Translation
But that doesn't help at all. After a restart at the latest, everything is back to the way it was. Not to mention that the list view is also crap. If I open a folder there and it contains shortcuts with similar names and icons, I still can't tell which program I need to click on. It's more than annoying. On top of that, this view can't be customized anywhere.
It doesn't stick. A couple minutes later it's back to Category.
After a Group Policy Update it reverts to Category View! Had it happen multiple times by now!
For more Info you can go here:
https://james-rankin.com/articles/quickpost-windows-11-start-menu-reverts-to-category-view-after-group-policy-refresh/
