Windows 7 - Start Menu - Pin or Unpin a Folder to

**Brink**

How to Pin or Unpin a Folder to the Windows 7 Start Menu

Information

By default in Windows 7, you can only pin a program to the Start Menu from the context menu. This will show you how to pin or unpin a folder from the folder's context menu to the Windows 7 Start Menu pin area to use as a shortcut.

Note

This will only add Pin to Start Menu to a folder or folder shortcut context menu on the Desktop or in a Windows Explorer window. It does not add it for folders in the Start menu All Programs area.
It is best to pin the actual source folder and not a shortcut of the folder since it is easier for a shortcut to be moved or deleted, causing the pinned folder in the Start menu to no longer open the source folder.
This will not allow you will still not be able to pin a network folder to the Start Menu. As a workaround, create a new folder (not network) and copy or place shortcuts of the network folders in the new folder. You can then pin the new folder to the Start Menu.

Tip

The pinned items in the Start Menu are located in the hidden system folder:

C:\Users\(User-Name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu

EXAMPLE: A Folder Pinned to the Start Menu

STEP ONE

Enable or Disable Pin a Folder to Start Menu

1. To Enable Folders to "Pin to Start Menu"
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Enable_Folder_Pin_to_Start_Menu.reg

B) Go to step 3.

2. To Disable Folders "Pin to Start Menu"
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Disable_Folder_Pin_to_Start_Menu.reg

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.

4. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.

5. Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK when prompted.

6. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

STEP TWO

Pin or Unpin a Folder to Start Menu

1. To Pin a Folder to the Start Menu
A) If you have not already, then you will need to enable a folder to Pin to Start Menu in STEP ONE above.

B) Press and hold the Shift key, then right click on the folder or folder shortcut that you want to pin to the Start Menu and click on Pin to Start Menu. (See screenshot below)

2. To Unpin a Folder from the Start Menu
A) Right click on the pinned folder in the Start Menu, an click on Remove from this list. (See screenshot below)

OR

B) Press and hold the Shift key, then right click on the folder or folder shortcut that was pinned to the Start Menu and click on Unpin from Start Menu. (See screenshot below)

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**Whattf** · 09-27-2009

Hello,
How did you find out what GUID needed to be edited (in the .reg file)?

**Brink** · 09-27-2009

Hello Whattf, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Going through the GUIDs in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID keys, most of them will have a description that will help ID what the GUID is for. From there it's just a matter of looking for that GUID in the usual context menu registry locations.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**JQQ** · 12-16-2009

Brink: your Enable_Start_Menu_Pin_Folder enables documents or shortcuts (as well as folders) to be (Shift-rtClick) to main Start Menu. However, this will not work if shortcut points to file on another network machine (Vista & XP of course allowed this by simply dropping shortcuts into the StartMenu folder - but not on Windows 7; it must be pinned). Is the problem some arcane security setting (maybe this post holds the key Help Classic Menu - Shortcuts attributes - BIG mistake )?

**Brink** · 12-16-2009

Hello JQQ, and welcome to Seven Forums.

As a workaround, you can create a new folder (not network) and copy or place shortcuts of the network folders in the new folder. You can then pin the new folder to the Start Menu.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

03-15-2010

This works, but not the way I was expecting. I am looking for the cascading type of folder that you find on previous versions of Windows, or like the All Programs folder. Any fix for that?

**Brink** · 03-15-2010

Hello Dwaldmann, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Unfortunately pinned folders to the Start Menu do not expand, and only open.

However, you could pin a folder to the taskbar that will expand, but it's subfolders will still not expand.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

03-15-2010

Shawn,

I actually discovered a built-in feature that will allow me to do almost exactly what I'm looking for, just in a very slightly different way.

I found that if you enable the Toolbar "Desktop", you will get a cascading menu of all folders, folders within folders and any files along the way. Of course, it shows everything on the desktop, not just what you want on the menu, but I can work with that. I am using just one folder (called "Start Menu"...) on the desktop, which I've placed at the very bottom of the list so it's closest to the cursor when it opens, and go from there as if it were the real Start Menu. I can build the structure of my "Real Start Menu" just like the old days.

thanks,

David

**Brink** · 03-15-2010

David,

I'm happy to hear that you found a workaround, but which desktop toolbar feature did you use? This feature was removed in Windows.

03-15-2010

Shawn,

Under Taskbar and Start Menu Properties, Toolbars, I checked of Desktop.

On the bottom of the taskbar (I have it docked on the Left Side of the screen) above the tray area there is a label "Desktop", and below that there is a double down-arrow. Clicking the double down arrow opens a cascading view of your desktop.

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