Start Menu - Customize

How to Open and Set "Customize Start Menu" Settings in Windows 7​

   Information

This will show you how to customize the links, icons, and menus look and behave in the Windows 7 Start Menu using the Taskbar Start Menu Propertes page settings.

   Note

• Display as a link - When the Start Menu button is clicked on, it opens a window for it.
• Display as a menu - When the Start Menu button is clicked on or hovered over, it expands a menu for it.

EXAMPLE: Customized Windows 7 Start Menu

OPTION ONE

Through Customize Start Menu Property Settings

1. Right click on the Start button and click on Properties.

2. Click on the Customize button. (See screenshot below)

3. To Customize the Start MenuA) Dot, check, and uncheck the settings for how you want them to look and behave in the Start Menu.
NOTE: The four screenshots below show all available customize settings.


B) Go to step 5.

4. To Restore All Default Customize SettingsA) Click on the Use Default Settings button at the bottom. (See bottom right screenshot above)

5. Click on OK. (See screenshots below step 3A)

6. Click on OK. (See screenshot below step 2)

OPTION TWO

Manually Through Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu, then type regedit in the search box and press Enter.

2. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

3. In regedit, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

4. For User Folder, Computer, and Control Panel Links or Menu ButtonsA) In the right pane of Advanced, double click on the DWORD value for the Customize Start Menu option that you want to set. (see screenshot above and table below)
NOTE: If the DWORD value is not here, then right click on a blank space in the right pane of Advanced, click on New and DWORD (32-bit) value, type in the DWORD value name below and press enter.

Customize Start Menu option	DWORD value
Computer	Start_ShowMyComputer
Control Panel	Start_ShowControlPanel
Documents	Start_ShowMyDocs
Downloads	Start_ShowDownloads
Games	Start_ShowMyGames
Music	Start_ShowMyMusic
Personal folder	Start_ShowUser
Pictures	Start_ShowMyPics
Recorded TV	Start_ShowRecordedTV
Videos	Start_ShowVideos

B) Type in the Data value for the Display option that you want for the selected Customize Start Menu option (step 4A), then click on OK. (see screenshot below)

Display option	Data value
Don't display this item	0
Display as link	1
Display as a menu	2

5. For Enable or Disable Only OptionsA) In the right pane of Advanced, double click on the DWORD value for the Customize Start Menu option that you want to set. (see screenshot below step 3 and table below)
NOTE: If the DWORD value is not here, then right click on a blank space in the right pane of Advanced, click on New and DWORD (32-bit) value, type in the DWORD value name below and press enter.

Customize Start Menu option	DWORD value
Connect To	Start_ShowNetConn
Default Programs	Start_ShowSetProgramAccessAndDefaults
Devices and Printers	Start_ShowPrinters
Enable context menus and dragging and dropping	Start_EnableDragDrop
Favorites menu	StartMenuFavorites
Help	Start_ShowHelp
Highlight newly installed programs	Start_NotifyNewApps
Homegroup	Start_ShowHomegroup
Network	Start_ShowNetPlaces
Open submenus when I pause on them with the mouse pointer	Start_AutoCascade
Recent Items	Start_ShowRecentDocs
Run command	Start_ShowRun
Search programs and Control Pane	Start_SearchPrograms
Sort All Programs menu by name	Start_SortByName
Use large icons	Start_LargeMFUIcons

B) Type in the Data value for the Display option that you want for the selected Customize Start Menu option (step 4A), then click on OK. (see screenshot below)

Display option	Data value
Disable this item	0
Enable this item	1

6. For the "Search other files and libraries" OptionA) In the right pane of Advanced, double click on the Start_SearchFiles. (see screenshot below step 3)
NOTE: If the Start_SearchFiles DWORD value is not here, then right click on a blank space in the right pane of Advanced, click on New and DWORD (32-bit) value, type in Start_SearchFiles and press enter.

B) Type in the Data value for the Display option that you want for this Customize Start Menu option, then click on OK. (see screenshot below)

Display option	Data value
Don't search	0
Search without public folders	1
Search with public folders	2

7. For the "System administrative tools" Option

A) See OPTION TWO or OPTION THREE at this tutorial link below for how.Administrative Tools - Add or Remove from Start Menu



8. Close regedit.

9. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

That's it,
Shawn Brink

Related Tutorials

---

• Download a Shortcut that Opens the Start Menu in Windows
• How to Change the Start Menu Button in Windows 7
• How to Add or Delete Start Menu All Programs Shortcuts in Windows 7
• How to Use Small or Large Icons in the Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Change the Default Windows 7 Start Menu Power Button Action
• How to Change the Active Navigation Folder Icon in Windows 7
• How to Pin or Unpin a Program to the Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Pin or Unpin a Folder to the Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Enable or Disable Pin Folders and Libraries to Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Turn Recent Programs On or Off in Windows 7
• How to Turn Recent Items On or Off in Windows 7
• How to Change the Number of Recent Items to Display in Windows 7 Jump Lists
• How to Change the Number of Recent Programs to Display in Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Add or Remove Administrative Tools in Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Add or Remove Switch User from CTRL+ALT+DEL Screen and Start Menu
• How to Make Windows 7 Start Menu User Folder Buttons Open to Users Instead of Libraries Location
• How to Enable or Disable Recent Programs in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Recent Items in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Create a Start Menu Properties Shortcut in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Add or Remove the Search Button in the Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Disable or Enable "Context Menus" and "Dragging and Dropping" in the Start Menu
• How to Enable or Disable Start Menu Auto Arrange by Name in Vista and Windows 7

 

[davehc]

Hi.
You are really proficient at displaying these useful little help items. Maybe you could supplement the above.
What you have outlined, customises the right hand panel and associated windows.
I am a customise freak. I like to move quite a few of the Program items around into fiolders of my choice. In Vista, I found that to do this, I needed to go into classic mode. Unfortunately, in "7", for the time being, the option is not available. Nerds like me will find they cannot drag and drop. Not all the items appear under the Users - username - Appdata - Roaming - Microsoft - Windows - Startmenu. It is necessary to also open Program data - Microsoft - Windows - Startmenu, and drag and drop between those two.

 

[Brink]

Hello Dave,

I'm not sure why they did not include (yet) that Start Menu button's context menu item in Windows 7 to make it easier to open those locations to Customize the Start Menu shortcuts like it is in Vista.

It is on the list on tutorials to make though.

Thank you,
Shawn

 

[Brink]

Ok Dave,

The tutorial for that is done.

Start Menu All Programs - Add or Delete Shortcuts

 

[davehc]

Great stuff.

 

[PhoneyVirus]

Better than the Registry Editor

Thanks for that little Tip after me being in there and tweaking, I never seen it LOL better then going in the Registry Thanks Man

 

[Brink]

You're welcome PhoneyVirus.

 

[Inskipp]

My Customize Start Menu is missing the Pictures link. I could just click my username, and then the My Pictures folder, but that defeats the purpose.

Seen below, I have no Pictures choices like in the 2nd picture in step 3 above.

Does any one else have this problem, or have any idea how to fix it? I didn't have this problem in the beta or the RC.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Brink]

Hello Inskipp,

Double check in the Local Group Policy Editor to make sure that the policy highlighted in blue below is set to Not Configured.

Downloading and merging this registry file should restore Pictures back to the Start Menu as well for you. It sets the group policy back to default for you automatically.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Inskipp]

The group policy was not configured.

The registry had the difference, I had a 1 in NoSMMyPictures in the HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer folder.

Your fix took care of it, thank you very much.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Inskipp. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

 

[thefabe]

Brink sure do love your tutorials. Nice work thanks. Fabe

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Fabe, and thank you.

Please feel free to critique them though. All input helps make them that much better and easier to use for everyone.

 

[BFG]

Folders In Start Menu

Do they not automatically expand when you point at them?

I thought for sure they did this in vista

I have 'Open submenus when i pause on them with the mouse pointer' checked'

Pointing at other things in the start menu works, just not the folders inside the all programs

 

[Brink]

Hello BGF,

Only on the dark right side when you have the buttons set to display as a menu will they automatically expand. The folders in the "All Programs" area will only expand when you click on them.

 

[xbxhkz]

Customize Windows 7 Start Menu

I have a question. I have been trying to figure out how I would add a customized item to the right half of the start menu, where the user name is, then documents, etc... I have searched all over the forums and cant seem to find anything.

 

[Brink]

Hello xbxhkz,

You can use a 3rd party program like Vista Start Menu in Windows 7 to have a fully customizable Start Menu.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[TimMensch]

I want my classic start menu back...

Short of a program like Vista Start Menu, is there a simple way to get a folder that you've pinned to the start menu to open as a menu instead of as a link?

This would restore a core aspect of how I used the "classic" start menu; I would typically have three folders at the top of the start menu (not in Programs, but in the main menu itself) and all of my day-to-day links would live in those three folders. (each was a category relative to what I typically do)

What I want is for a simple key combo that can get me into a menu that (hierarchically) lists off my most commonly used programs. I get close with a pinned folder in the start menu, but I don't really want to open an explorer window and then navigate in it--I want that pinned folder to open up in place as a menu and show me the options right there.

Frankly it wouldn't be a hard utility to write, sidestepping the entire start menu for my personal shortcuts, but surely someone has written something like this already?

Thoughts? Options?

 

[Brink]

Hello Tim, and welcome to Seven Forums.

When you have pinned the folder to the taskbar, just leave the arrows visible at step 7 in the tutorial below to be able to expand the folder from the arrows.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9305-taskbar-pin-unpin-folder.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[jedy48]

Tanks for Trikx very appreciated