Forum Discussion
Windows 11, Start button menu, make it show all apps by default
I upgraded to Windows 11 this week and I don't like the new Start button menu. I don't want "pinned" apps. I want to see All Apps in a list like before. Why don't we get the option to choose how we want things to look? So frustrating.
Barbara
138 Replies
Microsoft is becoming an absolute pain in the Butt...fixing stuff that is already optimal ! Why move stuff around ? If you have NOTHING useful to do, then do nothing ! It is better than screwing stuff up. Our department spends more time trying to work around stuff that does not work anymore, because of Microsoft useless updates than acutally doing any productive work !! Every updates appears to be a downgrade !
Dear Microsoft,
To be CLEAR. I don't want your recommendations for my Start Menu. I don't want your recommendations for ANYTHING.
I want a clear and concise menu of ALL OF MY APPLICATIONS without you interferring in MY work processes or MY LIFE! And I want it to be the ONLY MENU I see when I click START.
I want a FULL right-click menu in File Explorer without needing to click "Show more...". This is YOU interferring with my work flow.
You are probably thinking you know better and your way drives engagement. NOBODY wants to engage with YOU, for any reason. We just want an operating system that works WITHOUT your interference and WITHOUT extra clicks (engagement).
Your only job here in an OS is to be invisible, never forcing your idiotic ideas on us, and provide useful process improving features like multiple desktops, Linux Subsystem, Window tile management. These are good features which don't additionally burden our already limited time.
Extra clicks, annoying changes, thinking WE NEED to get used to your way is stupid!! There are hundreds of millions of us working people you are pissing off, and just a few of you making these horrible decisions. Stop it already!
Thank you,
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hope these people read your comment and know it represents millions of us.
To all the clowns that said Microsoft never listens....they have brought back the show all apps by default ability. Took way too long but better late than never! You'll have to wait for it to get released. Currently in an insider build.
do you know if this has been made available in an official release yet?
You can access the "All Apps" list by clicking on the "Start" button (or pressing the Windows key) and then selecting "All apps" at the top-right corner of the menu. This will allow you to view all installed applications without going through the pinned section.
hi when i press start or win button it just blinks but brings nothing , All system ,settings and others did not come at all
The easiest method is to simply press the Windows key and then type in the name of the desired software. Then press return and the desired program will start. It is a little bit more difficult to switch back to Windows 10. But I will definitely do it. DirectX 12 Ultimate is also available on Windows 10, otherwise Windows 11 has nothing that Windows 10 didn't already have (at least no absolutely necessary tools). The easiest way is to choose a Linux distro that has a user interface you like. Then just get to grips with Linux for a few weeks and you'll be much less annoyed afterwards.
OMNIDROID2995Sometimes we don't remember the exact name of the app. Took me ages to remember the name Handbrake instead of "that pineapple app".
For me the easiest method was installing Windhawk with the "Show all apps by default in start menu" Mod. Boom, done. I also use that app to be able to re-arrange taskbar thumbnails (Taskbar Thumbnail Reorder).I know you left this reply a year ago, but I just wanted to thank you for writing this and for introducing me to Windhawk. 😺
- You can try searching online for ways to customize the Start button menu or consider switching to a third-party software that can provide a more customizable experience.
- I thinkk these two suggestions are a bit, um, obvious !
@Everyone - Almost 8 billion people on this planet. Obviously MS can't give everyone what they want but of course they listen to customers (within reason). This post is about the start menu. If all you're going to do is hate on MS then take it somewhere else.
Microsoft hasn't addressed the issue? Am I getting that right?
- Is the pope Catholic !
- I understand that frustration, I think it should be an option to all apps in the Start menu. But to be fair, Windows 10 Start also required that you click a button to see all apps.
Personally, I like the new Start menu. I mainly use a handful of apps that I keep in the taskbar. Secondary apps I keep organized in folders in the Start menu so they don't take too much space. And I find the recommended section handy to access recent documents along with the additional folders you can add next to the Power button.
However, I do occasionally wish I could access All apps more easily from the keyboard. A shortcut (kind of..) I found is to hit the Windows keyy and then the Tab key twice to navigate to the All apps button, and then hit the Space or Enter key to select All apps. So just three extra quick keystrokes.Please evaluate how many extra clicks & Keystrokes Win11 brought for 3B users recently:
Based on my experience: (18 extra-kestrokes + 38 extra-click )/ hour = extra 1.8 min/hour => 0.24h / workday => 48h lost / year (200 work days) x 3B users = 144 Billions hours lost / year due to Win11 Upgrade. Thanks MS !!!
I have been waiting since beta/dev versions of 11 came out. Sent in constant recommendation to allow Windows 10 Start Menu. Even if I had to go into control panel a make a change to a setting would be agreeable.
I wonder what age group the focus groups were. Oh maybe they forgot to ask people who have been using Windows since day 1.
The best solution to all your problems unfortunately requires a lot of time to learn and change. But it is possible. I also had a Windows 11 upgrade forced on me this night. At first I thought, "Well, I'll give it a try".
However, I'm not happy because of the very reason you're complaining about here and the constraints Microsoft is putting on us.
I am a bit deeper in the Linux matter and therefore use "Manjaro".
For beginners I recommend "Linux Mint".
However, I would recommend that you familiarize yourself with the Bash (Like Microsoft CMD/Powershell).
Like this:
- learn the basic Bash commands
- learn the package manager of your Linuxdistribution
- check if there are Linux versions of theprograms you use
- install Steam and create an account atValve (to use Proton for all other Windows
programs)
If you have an Nvidia graphics chip, it can lead to high CPU loads with multimedia. The driver installation is also a bit more difficult. Nvidia is unfortunately a bit sloppy. But it gets better from year to year.
EVERYTHING AFTER THAT IS EXPERIENCE.
You can still use Windows on the side. I will try the next few days to get rid of Windows completely. With Linux I can expect costly interruptions in time. Microsoft Windows forces me to stay awake at night purely by chance.
- I created an account just to add my frustration with the windows 11 start menu here. It is the worst UX I have ever experienced in my life. Having no option to default to all apps is incredibly short sighted and just goes to show you that MS is opting for a user hostile approach that allows them to jam more ads into the start menu that the average person won't be able to contend with.
