A Closer Look at the Windows 10 Start Menu

​One of consumers’ biggest gripes about Windows 8 was the practically non-existent Start Menu. So, this key operating system element is back in Windows 10. To access it, click on the white flag icon in the bottom left-hand corner, and it’s easy to navigate your PC or tablet from there. Here’s a quick primer on how to use the Windows 10 Start Menu and some insight on how it differs from the one in Windows 7.

While left-clicking the flag icon opens the full menu, right-clicking brings up some helpful options as well. Those functions you are most likely interested in are the two selections at the bottom. “Shut down or sign out” don’t just provide the ability to turn off the system, but also close programs that may be slowing down the PC in general. Also, you can press “Desktop” to bypass all open windows and view the desktop.
On the full Start Menu, with a left-click you can access four helpful sub-menus to navigate your device. “File Explorer” allows easy access to the hard drive, including frequently and recently used folders. The “Settings” tab is essentially the new version of the “Control Panel.” “Power” lets you shut down, restart, or put your device to sleep. To see all the applications you’ve installed, all you have to do is press “All Apps.”
Above those four sub-menus you can find your “Most Used” items which provide quick access to your preferred browser and other features your activity proves are most useful to you. If you hover over the arrow to the right of one of these options, then you will see the webpages or files you opened most recently in that particular program.
Lastly, the Live Tiles of Windows 8 that automatically update programs you have installed haven’t disappeared in Windows 10; they’ve just been moved to the Start Menu. This eliminates the clutter on your screen while still storing these quick-click tiles in a single place. These tiles can even be resized and arranged in whatever mosaic-style configuration you prefer. The Start Menu as a whole is resizable as well.