TheStart menu (calledStart screen inWindows 8,8.1 andServer 2012) is agraphical user interface element that has been part ofMicrosoft Windows sinceWindows 95, providing a means of openingprograms and performing other functions in theWindows shell. The Start menu, and theTaskbar on which it appears, were created and named in 1993 by Daniel Oran, a program manager atMicrosoft who had previously collaborated ongreat ape language research with thebehavioral psychologistB.F. Skinner atHarvard.[1][2][3][4]
The Start menu was renamedStart screen inWindows 8, before returning to its original name withWindows 10. It has been co-opted by some operating systems (likeReactOS) andLinuxdesktop environments for providing a more Windows-like experience, and as such is, for example, present inKDE, with the name ofKickoff Application Launcher, and onXfce with the name ofWhisker Menu.
Traditionally, the Start menu provided a customizable nested list of programs for the user to launch, as well as a list of most recently opened documents, a way to find files and obtain assistance, and access to the system settings. Later enhancements viaWindows Desktop Update included access to special folders such as "My Documents" and "Favorites" (browser bookmarks).Windows XP's Start menu was expanded to encompass variousMy Documents folders (includingMy Music andMy Pictures), and transplanted other items likeMy ComputerandMy Network Placesfrom the Windows desktop. UntilWindows Vista, the Start menu was constantly expanded across the screen as the user navigated through its cascading sub-menus.
InMicrosoft Windows, the Start menu in some form appears inWindows 9x,Windows NT 4.0 and all subsequent versions in theWindows NT family, as well asWindows CE,Windows Mobile andWindows Phone.
The Start menu first appeared inWindows 95. It was made to overcome the shortcomings ofProgram Manager in previous operating systems.[5] Program Manager consisted of a simplemultiple document interface (MDI) which allowed users to open separate "program groups" and then execute the shortcuts to programs contained within. It lacked the ability to nest groups within other groups.
Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 replaced the Program Manager with thedesktop and Start menu. The latter was comparable in some respects with theApple menu inMac OS and did not have the mentioned limitations of Program Manager: Being amenu, it allowed nested grouping while keeping only one group open at the time. The menu also offered the ability toshut down andlog off from their computer.
Later developments inInternet Explorer and subsequent Windows releases make it possible to customize the Start menu and to access and expand Internet Explorer Favorites,My Documents and Administrative Tools (Windows 2000 and later) from the Start menu. Items could also be simply added to the Start menu bydragging and dropping them.
AlthoughWindows XP andWindows Server 2003 introduced a new version of Start menu, they offered the ability to switch back to this version of Start menu. This version of the Start menu is also available inWindows Vista andWindows Server 2008. However, it is absent inWindows 7,Windows Server 2008 R2 and other later Windows releases.
The first major overhaul to the Start menu was introduced inWindows XP and was later included inWindows Server 2003. The Start menu was expanded to two columns: the left-hand column focuses on installed programs, while the right-hand column provides access toMy Documents, My Pictures, My Music and otherspecial folders.[5] This column also includes shortcuts forComputer andNetwork (Network Neighborhood in Windows 95 and 98), which were placed on the Desktop in prior versions of Windows.[5] The contents of this column can be customized. Commonly used programs are automatically displayed in the left-hand menu. Users may opt to "pin" programs to this side of the Start menu so that they are always accessible. A sub-menu item at the bottom of this column grants access to all items of Start menu. When this menu item is selected, a scrolling list of Start menu programs replaces the user/recent list.
Windows Vista and its successors added minor changes to the menu. Prior to Windows Vista andWindows Server 2008, the Start menu consisted of a group of menus and sub-menus that cascaded and expanded, obscuring the initially visible portions of the screen beneath them. In Windows Vista, however, cascading menus were replaced by a sliding window in the left pane of the Start menu. Whenever the All Programs item is clicked, the contents of the left pane slide off the left edge of the Start menu, and the All Programs menu slides in from the right edge of the left column. This menu presents atree view of its hierarchy that expands towards the bottom, with a verticalscrollbar whenever needed. Also added in Windows Vista is aSearch box that allows users to search for the Start menu shortcuts or other files and folders. The search box featuresincremental search: If indexing is not turned off, the search box returns results on-the-fly as users type into it. Since the found items can be immediately opened, the Start menu search box partially replaces the function of the Run command from previous versions of Windows. The Run command can also be added separately to the right column in the Start menu. InWindows 7 andWindows Server 2008 R2, the search results pane covers both columns of the Start menu. The search box is extended to support searching Control Panel items. The right column in Windows 7 links toLibraries instead of ordinary folders. Most importantly, however, items on the Start menu supportJump lists through cascade buttons on their right. Unlike prior versions, the ability to revert to the "Classic" Start menu design is no longer available.
OnWindows 8 andWindows Server 2012, an update to the Start menu known as the "Start screen" was introduced. It covers the entire screen and no longer features the right column. It shows much largertiles for programs and, whenever possible, displays dynamic content supplied by the program directly on the tile itself (known as a "live tile"), behaving similarly to awidget.[6] For instance, the live tile for anemail client may display the number of unread emails. The Start screen allows users to uninstall their programs by right-clicking on them and selecting "Uninstall". Pinned apps can be placed in groups. The search box is initially hidden but can be viewed by clicking the search button on thecharms bar and can also be brought up as it receives keyboard input. True to its name, the Start screen is the first screen that a user sees uponlogin.
The idea of a full-screen Start can be traced back toWindows Neptune, when Microsoft originally considered a "Start page" that integrated with Windows desktop throughActive Desktop.[7] This menu has its roots inWindows Mobile andWindows Phone: In Windows Mobile Standard, which runs onsmartphones, the Start menu produces a separate screen of icons. Windows Phone was the original host ofthe design principles of the third generation Start menu.
The Start screen no longer supports several previously available features. A list of recently launched programs or shortcuts to special folders no longer appears on the Start screen. It no longer supports more than one level of nesting for groups in the All Programs view. Drag and drop support for adding new items to the menu as well as reorganizing the contents of the All Programs view is no longer available. In addition, for the first time in the history of Windows, the Start menu in a stock installation of Windows 8, Windows Server 2012,Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2 does not provide any facility forshutting down,restarting or activatingsleep mode orhibernation, forcing users to use the settings button in the charms bar to perform these actions. AnApril 2014 update for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 restores the latter.
Windows 10 re-introduced the Start menu in a revised form. It uses a two column design similar to Windows 7's version, except that the right side is populated by tiles, similarly to Windows 8's Start screen. Applications can be pinned to the right half, and their respective tiles can be resized and grouped into user-specified categories. The left column displays a vertical list, containing frequently-used applications, and links to the "All apps" menu,File Explorer,Settings, and power options. Some of these links, and additional links to folders such as Downloads, Pictures, and Music, can be added through Settings' "Choose which folders appear on Start" page. The Start menu can be resized, or be placed in afull-screen display resembling the Windows 8/8.1 Start screen (although scrolling vertically instead of horizontally).[8][9] The Start menu also enters this state when "Tablet mode" is enabled.[10][11][12][13]
As ofversion 1511, the left panel of the Start menu advertises "suggested" Windows Store apps; users can opt out of these suggestions.[14]
Version 1607 and later remove the recent apps view, always showing all apps.Version 20H2 replaced the colorful tiles in previous versions with transparent "theme-aware" tiles.
Windows RT 8.1 update KB3033055[15] adds a variant of the Windows 10 Start menu that is visually closer to the design used in early preview builds of Windows 10. It allows applications to be pinned to the top of the left column, with recently used apps listed below (much like 7), and as with 10, allows tiles to be pinned to the right column.[15][16][17][18]
Windows 11 introduces another major redesign to the Start menu. A search box was reinstated at the top of the menu, and tiles have been replaced by an area for pinned application shortcuts displayed in a grid (similar to many application launchers in Android and iOS), accompanied by a section for "Recommended" applications and files (often equivalent with the user's most recently used files). An "All apps" button is displayed next to the heading for pinned applications. Windows 11 does not support live tiles, with their functionality being moved to the separate "Widgets" area on the taskbar.[19][20]
The Start menu may be launched either by pressing⊞ Win (theWindows key) on a keyboard or its equivalent on atablet device, pressingCtrl+Esc on a keyboard, or by clicking on the visual Startbutton. With the exception ofWindows 8 andWindows Server 2012, the Start button can be found on thetaskbar. The Start button on Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 is initially moved from the traditional taskbar to "charms", a hidden secondary taskbar located to the right of the screen (accessed by swiping in from the right on multitouch devices, or positioning the mouse in one of the right corners of the screen and sliding up or down). The Start screen is accessed either by that button or by clicking the lower left corner of the screen.Windows 8.1 andWindows Server 2012 R2 restore the button back to its original place without removing the new button in the charms.[21][22] On most versions of Windows, the Start button is located on the lower left corner of the screen, while the start button onWindows 11 is located in the center (but can be moved back to the lower left corner).
On a Mac keyboard or on a Mac running Windows throughBoot Camp, the⌘ Command key is used as the Windows logo key to activate the Start menu.
Right-clicking on the Start button invokes acontext menu. This menu in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 is called the Quick Link menu[23] and grants access to several frequently used features of Windows, such as accessing desktop orFile Explorer.[24]
Users may add Start menu entries by creating folders and shortcuts in the associated "Start Menu" folder, located on the operating system operating media. These appear in a separated section at the top of the Start menu, or, if placed in the Programs sub-folder, in the Programs menu. The location of this folder however, depends on the operating system installed:
%windir%\Start Menu" or, if there are multiple users, in "%windir%\Profiles\[username]\Start Menu" path, where[username] is the account name of the user.%systemroot%\Profiles\%username%\Start Menu" for individual users, or "%systemroot%\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu" for shared shortcuts. One distinguishing feature in Windows NT 4.0 is that the Start menu separated theper-user shortcuts from the shared shortcuts and by a separator line and used different icons for the program folders in per-user and shared menus.[25][26]%userprofile%\Start Menu" for individual users, or "%allusersprofile%\Start Menu" for shared shortcuts.%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu" for individual users, or "%programdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu" for the shared portion of the menu.InWindows Server 2003 and earlier, the folder name "Start Menu" changes depending on the localization; for example, on German versions of Windows XP it is "Startmenü". Windows installers generally use theWindows API to find out the real names and locations of the Start menu and Desktop folders. SinceWindows Vista, all folders used by the system use the same name as in the English version and only display different names in Windows Explorer.
TweakUI, an unsupported utility program from Microsoft, offers additional customizations, including speeding up the response time of the Start menu, window animation, and otherhacks.[27][28] On Windows XP and Windows Vista, it is possible to prevent specific programs from appearing in the recent programs list (the left pane of the Start menu) by modifying theWindows registry.[29]
 | This sectionmay contain materialnot related to the topic of the article. Please helpimprove this section or discuss this issue on thetalk page.(March 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Manydesktop environments foropen source operating systems provide a menu similar to the Start menu:
_showing_search_function_in_overview_mode.png)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
