Start Menu - Reset Pin To Area

How to Reset the Pin To Start Menu Area in Windows 7​

   Information

This will show you how to reset your "Pin to Start Menu" area to remove all current pinned items in Windows 7.

This can be helpful if you cannot "Unpin from Start Menu" a item, or just wish to quickly clear all pinned items from the Start Menu "pin to" area.

EXAMPLE: Start Menu "Pin to" area reset and cleared




Here's How:
1. Click on the Download buttom below to download the .bat file below, then run it.
Reset_Clear_Pinned_Start-Menu_Items.bat


Download


2. If prompted, click on Run.
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

3. You will now notice your screen flicker as explorer is restarted.

4. All pinned items in your Start Menu "Pin to" area will now be reset and cleared.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Reset and Clear All Pinned Items on the Taskbar in Windows 7
• How to Reset and Clear All Taskbar Toolbars in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Reset and Clear All Items in Windows 7 Jump Lists
• How to Backup and Restore Pinned Start Menu Items in Windows 7
• How to Use Small or Large Icons in the Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Pin a Folder, Drive, and Library to the Start Menu in Windows 7
• How to Pin or Unpin a Program to the Windows 7 Start Menu

 

[darkassain]

incredible you are good Brink...
i remember hypothezing with john on how to remove the SL's from the start menu but you go ahead and find out...
thanks...

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Darkassain.

 

[Sp4rkR4t]

Thank you very much for this, I hope they get this issue with not being able to remove explorer shortcuts from the start menu soon as I really need a quick way to get to the Downloads library.

 

[Brink]

Hi Sp4rkR4t,

You can do this for one:

1. Make your Personal folder in the Start Menu display as a Menu instead of a link.
2. Go to C:\Users\(user name)\Downloads.
3. Right click on Downloads and click on Include in Library and Create new library.

Now when you hover over your Personal (user) button on the right side of the Start Menu, you will see Downloads there for easy access.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Dwarf]

This worked a treat - see: http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/3801-remove-pinned-start-menu-item-2.html#post35798

Note that you do not need to restart your computer - logging off and back on is sufficient.

 

[Brink]

Thank you Dwarf. Updated.

 

[Raen Yrtham]

Yes I did at the time.

I ended up pinning the default start menu pin area items manually. It's not that much trouble.

At least the tutorial was good for one thing, it removed the highlighting for new installed programs in the start menu programs menu

 

[Brink]

Raen,

I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

The Customize Start Menu settings is where you can turn the Highlight newly installed programs option on or off in case it comes back on for you.

 

[Gurn Blansten]

Still relevant after all these years.

Thanks Brink!!
This helped made my explanation of why icons from Office 2007 were left behind in the '"User Pinned Start Menu" after an Office 2010 installation, and why we couldn't simply 'delete them', to a bunch of pointy headed bosses much easier for them to understand.
I would have never found that reg key.
Phew.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Gurn, and welcome to Seven Forums. I'm glad it was able to help.

 

[Chris01]

I just registered to say thanks for that small but very important fix. This was driving me nuts.

For reference, my issue was that after pinning the Network icon in the Start menu manually by drag & drop, i could not remove it by "Remove from this list". Other answers didn't work either as Windows' icons (such as "Network" or "My Computer") do not show up in %appdata folders, so you cannot remove them. Thanks again!

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Chris, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[cmark]

Any tips on deleting just a specific pinned item?
When I try some logical steps it does nothing.

DEL "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu\Hyperspace ACE2"

I replaced the * with "Hyperspace ACE2" in hopes of removing that pinned item but it goes nowhere.

 

[Brink]

Hello cmark, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Are you able to unpin the item from Start normally?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/744-start-menu-pin-unpin-program.html

 

[cmark]

Yes, I can remove it normally without issue.

 

[Brink]

Good news.

 

[cmark]

But I need to do so on 1000 pcs...

 

[Brink]

Any tips on deleting just a specific pinned item?
When I try some logical steps it does nothing.

DEL "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu\Hyperspace ACE2"

I replaced the * with "Hyperspace ACE2" in hopes of removing that pinned item but it goes nowhere.

But I need to do so on 1000 pcs...

In that case, you will also need to delete the pinned item from the registry location below. It may be best to export this location before and after manually unpinning it from Start to know which one to delete on the other PCs.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartPage2

 

[cmark]

Thank you very much, that saved me a ton of time!