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How do I add and delete programs from the Windows START Menu?

I'm on a customization kick and would like to pull a program out of my START menu in Microsoft Windows XP and add another one. Can you show me how to customize my Start menu, please?


Dave's Answer:

Once you have Windows XP configured properly, it turns out to be incredibly easy to add entries to your START menu, but taking others that you don't want out of the menu proves just a wee bit more tricky. The important thing is to start by changing the START menu configuration so that you can drag and drop material onto the bar.

That's done by right-clicking on the taskbar on the bottom of the page:

Right Clicking on the Windows XP Taskbar (winxp)

Choose "Properties" then click on the "Start Menu" tab:

Windows XP Taskbar (winxp): Start Menu

Click on "Customize" and you'll see the first place where you can make tweaks to your START menu:

Windows XP Taskbar (winxp): Customize Start Menu

We're almost there. Click on the "Advanced" tab and, finally, you'll see the option we're seeking: "Enable Dragging and Dropping":

Windows XP Taskbar (winxp): Customize Start Menu: Advanced

Select that option and click "OK" to make the change. Now you can quite literally just drag program and file icons onto the START menu and they'll be automatically added. For example, here I'm adding a new item to my START menu by dragging the icon from the desktop itself:

Windows XP Taskbar (winxp): Adding a Program to the Start Menu

You can see that it not only lets you add programs but you can also choose exactly where on the list of items it appears. Nice!

To delete items, right-click on the item in the START menu itself:

Windows XP Taskbar (winxp): Customize Start Menu: Remove Delete Programs Items

Choose "Remove from this list" and *poof* it's vanished.

Note that there are some system items added to the START menu that can only be deleted by scrolling through the configuration list on the Advanced configuration window, but you know how to get there now, so that should be easy too.

Hope that helps you with your customization efforts!


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Categorized: Windows PC Help   (Article 7337, Written by )
Tagged: microsoft windows xp, windows customization, winxp
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Reader Comments To Date: 11

Pradeep Behera said, on May 1, 2007 5:40 PM:

I am facing problem: While I am closing Internet Explorer(7.0) NSIS Error Occurs.So, kindly inform me about its solution to skip NSIS Error.

William Scott said, on October 29, 2008 5:53 PM:

Thank you for clear instructions, definite results
and now a quicker menu!

Nmest said, on December 18, 2008 2:08 PM:

Thank you. I found you through web Search. You solved my problem.

Thank you.

sidhu said, on April 27, 2009 7:43 PM:

thanks

Linda said, on May 5, 2009 12:36 PM:

I sure hope you can help me. after clicking the start button the start window opens, and at the bottom of this window on the left hand side above the start button you just clicked on the words ALL PROGRAMS this shows a pop out minu of programs in your computer. the list on my computer is very long and alot of these i do not use all the time i want to shorten this list. how do i do this and saftly I have been looking for help with this for a long time

Crazy Start Menu said, on August 10, 2009 10:13 AM:

First of all. I have a toshiba lap top w/ windows vista pre installed. There is so much stuff in my start menu that i have NEVER used. Are these items taking up space on my computer memory? How do i uninstall them when they dont show up under the "uninstall/repair" list of programs? For example. If I click start > programs > accessories > ease of access. Theres quite a bit there I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT ITS FOR.

Brian said, on November 26, 2009 6:58 AM:

Yes, I agree with your clear instructions, until, when I right click an item that is in the Start Menu (with a view to removing it) I get NO options.

Why would this be, and is ther another way to unpin items from the start menu?

I went to where the file is supposed to be, but no files in that place give me the unpin option?

I'm baffled

j williams said, on January 4, 2010 11:51 AM:

please show me how to get rid of the opening page for msn opening page and now the my start shows up all i want is to go back to my opening page yahoo. i am getting very frustrated with this problem

dosmastr said, on August 6, 2010 3:04 AM:

dude,

this is all fine and good, but on my vista box the "adaptive" section of the start menu,, everything under camtasia studio on your menu---- no matter how many times i remove welcome center, and gateway games, and 3 others, it never remembers that I'm always using notepad and mspaint or even chrome (OPEN EVERY TIME I START THE PC!!)

it keeps up the stupid other ones i listed which I NEVER use, couldn't find anything that made them start each boot either which could trigger their inclusion on the menu... how about a more indepth followup on how to tweak THAT part of the start menu?

as for me, I just disabled it and put blank notepads on the top to push everything I want DOWN toward the Start button (hey... i want to click and click, not click and move across the screen to click lol)

regards,
dosmastr

bruce blandford said, on September 1, 2011 4:25 PM:

every time i eliminate a one start up menu another takes it'slace . i hope this will elimninate them

Adam said, on June 20, 2012 7:44 AM:

Right-clicking on a specific program and selecting "remove from this list" works for as long as I have the computer running, but once I shut it down and restart it, the same programs appear in my start menu. These are programs like "Try AOL Free" and "Net Zero." Obviously, program developers who paid Vista or Gateway to permanently place these items on my start menu as a sort of advertisement. But since I'm the owner, this is MY computer, I want them gone.

I'm not talking about deleting the program itself. I'm always hesitant to delete programs -- I'm a pack rat, I guess. I just want them to disappear from my start menu so I can populate it with programs that I DO use throughout the day. And doing the "remove from this list" thing every single time I turn the computer on gets a little tedious. I've had this computer for a few years now, and I STILL haven't found a way to get them off.

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











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