The Start menu in Windows 8 was its most strikingly different feature. While it was tamed down a little in Windows 10, it’s still quite startling if you’re upgrading from, say, Windows 7.
Unfortunately, that tiled Start screen leaves many with a very negative first impression — a first impression that goes on to color their entire Windows experience.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Open-Shell (formerly Classic Shell) is free software that gives you your favorite Start menu back, as well as restoring and adding functionality to Windows Explorer.
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Start is…
This is what most people react to.
On the left is Windows 10’s traditional list of installed programs (not present in Windows 8.1), and on the right is the object of most people’s concern: the tiled portion of the Start menu.
It’s powerful, it’s customizable, and works well with the mouse and on touch screens.
And not everyone likes it.
With Open-Shell — also known as Open-Shell-Menu — you can get the old-style Start menu back.
Installing Open-Shell
Open-Shell is free, open source software available on GitHub.
Visit the Open-Shell homepage and look for the release button.
Click on that. On the resulting page, scroll down until you see the installer — OpenShellSetup_xxx.exe.
Click on that to download the installer, and select “run” if prompted. You’ll be presented with a welcome message.
Click Next to view and agree to a license agreement; click Next again to view a menu of installation options.
Open-Shell has three separate components:
- Classic Explorer adds a toolbar and a status bar to Windows Explorer (now referred to as the File Explorer or Windows File Explorer).
- Open-Shell Menu adds a Start button and a highly customizable traditional Start menu.
- Classic IE adds a caption bar and status bar for Internet Explorer.
Each of these can be selected (or not) at installation. The default is to install all, and so far, I’ve seen no harm in doing exactly that.
The fourth option — Open-Shell Update — enables checking for future updates. I recommend leaving it selected.
I’ll focus on the Start menu — Open-Shell Menu — for the rest of this article.
Click Next and then Install to complete the installation.
Open-Shell Menu
After installing Open-Shell (and making a choice or two, which I’ll cover in a moment), my Windows 10 Home edition now has a Windows 7 style Start menu:
If you’re not a fan of Windows 7’s approach to Start menus and prefer something even more basic, we can do that, too.
You choose the style you prefer the first time you click on the Start button.
Using Open-Shell
Open-Shell has been integrated into Windows very well. It feels very natural and familiar in almost every circumstance.
Of particular note, however, is that Classic Start hasn’t removed anything. In fact, if you want to re-visit your tiled Start menu, just hold down Shift as you click on the Start button.
And, of course, if you decide you’d rather not use Open-Shell and want to run with the native Windows 10 interface, you can simply uninstall it as well.
Options, we have options!
To be honest, I’ve really only scratched the surface of Open-Shell’s capabilities.
Right-click on your Open-Shell start button and click on Settings, and then make sure that the “Show all settings” checkbox is checked.
The options available allow you to customize just about every aspect of the Start menu.
It’s not just for Windows 8 & 10
While Open-Shell is most popular for users of Windows 8 and 10, it works in Windows Vista and Windows 7. In fact, it was developed in response to changes in those operating systems. It became a powerful alternative for folks now struggling with Windows 8 and 10.
My recommendation
My true recommendation is that you embrace the characteristics of the operating system you have. If you’re on Windows 10, learn to use the Windows 10 Start menu. That will serve you well into the future and keep you less dependent on third-party tools like Open-Shell1.
However, if you’re struggling with the newer Windows Start menu, give Open-Shell a try before you give up on that version of Windows.
It might change your mind.
I recommend it.
Do this
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Hi leo i don’t even miss the start button on my desktop i rather like the change. but this looks like a awesome program might be worth me looking at. Thanks for the write up :).
Leo, thanks for the confirmation on my feelings about Windows 8! Once I realized the opening Metro screen was nothing more than a full screen “START” button, everything started to make sense! I have installed “Classic Shell” on my new Desktop and find Windows 8 to feel much more at home. My Sister-in-Law just got a new Laptop with Windows 8 and appreciates Classic Shell because she now has a Shutdown button immediately available from the “Desktop”!
I’ve been using Classic Shell since Vista. I’ve always preferred a start menu that shows all of my programs on one screen. I find it much easier than having to click on the top or bottom of the list to get it to scroll. I’ve never understood why MS didn’t allow scrolling the programs list with the mouse wheel.
I’ve done half a dozen Windows 8 upgrades now — actually did all as fresh installs — and have found that Classic Shell can be a bit kinky and sometimes really slow down a computer. We’ve been using Start8 from StarDock.com instead. Even though it costs all of $4.99, it has worked flawlessly with no hit on performance. While Classic Menu sometimes takes some time to get to the desktop, it’s instantaneous with Start8. There are lots of additional choices out there for restoring the “Start” button and menus, and booting directly into the desktop including Startw8, Retro UI, Pokkie_Start_Menu, StarMenuX, and Power8. We’ve tried them all and Start8 has worked the best for us.
My (relatively computer illiterate) sister bought a new laptop with Win8 and asked me to set it up for her…my first experience with it. I don’t have too much trouble with the start menu structure (don’t particularly like it, but no trouble), but when I start an application from it, there doesn’t seem to be a way to ‘exit’ from it or shut it down (no “X” button), and it appears to keep running even if you go back to the start tiles and open something else. Is this correct? Am I missing something in closing or stopping an application in Win 8, and will the Classic Shell app return that functionality when running programs? Please advise, and thanks.
Sure needed Classic Shell when I first installed Win 7. By the way, I’m in IE10, so I skipped the IE9 part of the installation. Still, something installed. Also, bootup to Win 8 seemed to run a little slower, but I think my computer is learning. I spent hours struggling to do some of this customization of Win 8. Microsoft needs to make this readily available.
Its too good, but can I use both the start menus at the same time? I mean the classic one and win 8’s menu.
I’ve installed Windows 8 on my laptop and like it!
Hitting the “Windows” button takes me to my old W7 desktop where all my old programs remain. Hitting the same button takes me back to the W8 desktop. Perhaps, in time, I’ll look for traditional “Start” button but, for now, I don’t miss it.
I’ll give it another few weeks and then probably bite the bullet and install on my main PC.
After starting I always click ‘desktop’ and then Win 8 is not much different to Win 7. The desktop version of IE is ok.
If I had been offered this in mid-December – when I first upgraded to Windows 8 Pro – I would have jumped at it.
Now that I have been using Win 8 for 4 weeks, with standard keyboard & mouse, I find it as easy as the old Start Menu and in most cases much quicker. I will save the article just in case but do not see myself changing back.
Good article
Thanks
There’s a feeling of Deja Vu here. I can remember when Windows 3.1 came out. The reception was Ok better than 3.0 but not good until Norton came out with their Desktop product – although you had to have a poky computer to run it properly, and you could only generally upgrade to 2Mb of RAM (no that’s not a typo) remember Win3.xx was a DOS application! And there were other shells too one earlier than Norton although I can’t remember it’s name but it was the first one I saw with right click context menus & that ran under most 3.xx variations – and it was faster than Program Manager (not hard). Not too much changes…
You sum up the disappointments with the newer OS nicely with this example above:
” The reaction to this, the Windows 8 desktop, is typically: “Where’s the Start button?!” and “How do I do anything?!” “
My complaint with the newest operating systems (and web sites) is that they now seem to diminish a more intuitive user interface in favor of cleaner, fewer and more austere graphics. I find that even Apple’s newer OS systems are also much harder to navigate intuitively (or obviously).
I don’t get it — Why wouldn’t Win 8 include an obvious “Start” (or similar) button to click on so we can find the features we are looking for?
I am slowing getting used to Windows 8 after calling Microsoft twice (free under warranty). I now can log on without a password – hooray. (The W8 password also opened my hotmail & I hated that.) I learned a trick to shut off quickly – hit the windows key plus C and all the right-side settings appear so I don’t have to hover my mouse to try to get it to appear. It does seem extremely fast compared to my old Vista. Hate the new IE, so use Firefox in desktop.
It’s worth knowing that the old Alt+F4 key combo still works in Win8. It will shut down Metro or desktop apps and on the desktop with no programs running brings up an option box to shutdown, sleep etc. Just use your up and down arrow keys to select and then press enter.
Not sure I’ll ever need Classic Shell. I confess I am a keyboard bigot… Ever since Windows 3.11, I keep a desktop icon for every program I use, with keyboard shortcuts for each of the 2 dozen I use most. That includes the six Windows Explorer shortcuts that open the most-used directories (uh, folders). When my boss decides to convert us to W8, I’ll be looking for how to clear the tiles off the desktop and go back to keyboard shortcuts.
I’ve been using Win8 (on and off) since it went GA. Fortunately for me most of my interaction is with “old” desktop apps so I rarely have to deal with the Win8 Start Screen. I haven’t found many useful Metro apps that I’m willing to pay for.
One of my main objections to the “Start Screen” concept is I’m working on a non-touch laptop/desktop, so tiles are a HUGE waste of my screen real-estate. And using the mouse vertical scroll wheel to scroll the metro screen and metro apps HORIZONTALLY is totally counter-intuitive.
In one place you say ” if you want to re-visit your tiled Start menu”. Does that mean the shell app removes all tiles from the Metro start screen?
I would LIKE that!
Joe b :
there doesn’t seem to be a way to ‘exit’ from it or shut it down (no “X” button), and it appears to keep running even if you go back to the start tiles and open something else. Is this correct? Am I missing something in closing or stopping an application in Win 8,
No you are not missing anything, except the change in concept. Win8 turns your laptop into a phat smartphone. You are right, apps don’t close when you leave them, they just lurk in the background. MS encourages that. If you wish to stop a Metro app, you have to click-hold- the very top of the screen AND drag it down toward the bottom of the screen.
Marty W:
Nothing is “intuitive” without some sort of predecessor to provide a user base of experience to provide the context for “intuition”. Actually, there is an intuitive basis for Win8 / Metro, Windows Phones and even other smartphones. They taught people thumb swipes, horizontal scroll instead of vertical scroll and other metro design points. Unfortunately for desktop users, a (large) majority of Windows current users (?), those elements are not intuitive.
When I tried the Win8 Preview in Feb, I lasted about 5 hours before I wiped it in frustration. (Yes bob, one of those frustration points was not being able to close or exit metro apps) After that, I had time to read and learn about the changes in conventions and the other minimal tips that made a difference. The biggest convention I learned was think of the Metro desktop as a really PHAT start menu (and the horizontal scroll).
So can someone remind me why i need a 3rd party program to make 8 work, why don’t i have the option to do this through Windows.
Why am i forced to use Metro when its crap on a desktop, why can’t i switch it off.
Could it be that 8 is another bloated, mixed up mess, the end result of desktop crashing into touch and like all crashes its very messy.
It really shocks me that so called experts recommend this “one size fits all” pile of bloat before its first service pack.
8 is a half ready crippled OS that will compromise any hardware its ported to,, avoid like the plague…
@Hoppy
I agree that Microsoft made a mistake by not putting a Start Menu option in Windows 8, but that’s the reality, and Classic Shell is a simple fix which doesn’t slow down your system. As for bloat, it seems to run a little lighter than Windows 7.
I had problems migrating from IE6 to IE7 and problems migrating from Office 2003 to Office 2007. Took a couple weeks each time but the migrations happened and I found the new way an improvement. Same with Windows 8. I simply believe software works best when I go with its flow. If I do not like the flow, then I go back “across the waters” to the original. And spend no time bad-mouthing the new stuff. New software is generally better than the old cuz developers overcome the old problems.
“cuz developers overcome the old problems.”
Or, more often, create newer more disastrous problems.
Having worked as a software developer, I can say how it works more or less. Bug fixing is a game of whack-a-mole. You fix one bug and sometimes that creates another problem. Fortunately, not always, so you’ll usually have fewer bugs than before the fixes. Eventually we ended up with bug free systems. Usually, once the bugs were almost all fixed, it was time for a total revamp of the system. With a system as large as Windows, this scenario is multiplied by a huge factor and again, when most of the bugs are gone a whole new set of bugs is introduced when the system is upgraded to a new version. From my experience working with Ask Leo! and hearing complaints, I find Windows works amazingly well. The vast majority of complaints are from people who don’t like how it looks, for example, the tile menu which is easily remedied by programs like Open Shell.
I would not say “more often”. It does happen, but developers are not adding more problems than they solve, even if you don’t see the later.
I have just been looking at a website (http://dottech.org) showing screen shots of Windows 1 through 8, where the author comments: “.. has Windows 8 gone back to the block/tile style of Windows 1 except with higher quality graphics? Yeah, yeah, I think it has.” Interesting thought, that Windows might have gone full circle. Makes 8 a more attractive proposition for me (I am now with XP)
Excellent news! When my XP laptop dies, I may consider W8 after all. Thanks!
Bought a new HP hot rod with Win8 (great deal, no choice). Instead of wiping the HD and reverting back to Win7, I installed *Classic Shell* to restore the features Microsoft left off (or hid) on Win8. Love it, love it, love it. If Classic Shell has a down side I haven’t discovered it. Thanks, Leo.
Another option, and possibly Leo could do an article on this, is to provide more information about how the new Start screen works. In just two clicks one can get to a screen that shows All Apps, arranged in program groups just the way the old start menu does. One there, I can find the program I want much faster than I ever could by drilling down through the layers after clicking the old start button. In addition, the new Start screen is highly configurable. The default Metro apps can be quickly deleted (or completely uninstalled) if they aren’t helpful. Any other applications, as well as Videos, Pictures, Documents, can be pinned to the Start screen, an organized into groups as well. After decided to stop pining for the old days and decided to learn more about what I had, I found that I can access my files and programs at least as easy as I could with the old start button.
A recent addition to the Stardock Software is ModernMix which allows you to run Metro (full screen only) apps in windows. You can even pin the apps to the taskbar and start them directly from the desktop. Currently in beta.
Joe B mentioned that he could not close apps in Win 8. Simply press ALT F4 and it will close. Not my super knowledge of Win 8, someone else told me about this.
Windows 8 came bundled with my new H P desktop that I bought a month ago. Though I had not much difficulty in wading through the new start menu, I still missed my old start menu of Vista. Now that you explained about Classic Shell, I feel it is worthwhile giving it a try. Thanks, Leo. You are lucid to a fault, as always.
I have installed Windows 8 Pro 32 bit which I have also installed Classic shell. I would not consider using Windows 8 without it.As I cannot use it with the Metro start menu as it’s just not functional like the old Windows start menu. there are also other start menu software’s that work on 8 Start Menu 7,and Vi start but I find Classic shell is the best one.
Andrea Borman.
I have classic shell, but this page will make shutting down windows 8, even faster.
http://blog.laptopmag.com/how-to-shutdown-windows-8-in-just-one-click
I installed the Classic shell as advised. But when I am working on the internet and need to snip form the images, I cant get the tool. I have windows 8. My task bar does not show up when I am using the internet. Can you please help
Classic Shell is good software. I much prefer the classic start menu over the XP and Vista/7 start menus, and I installed it in my computers running Windows 7 to get back the classic start menu.
When one of my relatives purchased a cheap laptop with Windows 8 (despite my reservations) and asked me to help set it up for use, the first thing I did was to install Classic Shell on it.
Personally I shall avoid Windows 8 / 8.1 and anything with that “Metro” interface like the plague. If that’s the direction Microsoft wants to go I certainly won’t go with them.
OK, I decided to uninstall Classic Shell 4.02 and give Windows Classic shell a chance. So far, I’m not too pleased with it on two counts: 1. This new function almost immediately caused freeze up on my Laptop. 2. Upon restarting to complete the full installation, I was greeted with an annoying Pop Up on my Desktop (Which I was only able to eventually close after my initial attempt caused further freeze up!), something that has never occurred with ANY previous Start up that I’ve ever done previously with ANY OS!
If this continues, it won’t be long before I return to the previous Classic Shell Program!
CHEERS!
Apparently in my case, the cause of the Start Menu 8 Freeze Up is whenever I highlighted a specific Folder in the “Show As A Menu Item” setting. Therefore, I changed the relevant Menu Items to “Show As A Link.” That appears to be one problem solved! Hopefully, the annoying Desktop Pop Up that occurred upon my Restart to complete the Start Menu 8 installation was a one time thing, as I found that rather unsettling.
‘StartIsBack’ is much better than ‘Classic Shell’ I think.
It might cost around a couple of dollars for the licence, but its much closer to the original Win 7 Start menu.
I realize this is a slightly older topic now, however many Windows 8/8.1 users still relies on Classic Shell. It’s a great piece of software for that OS & even Windows 7.
However, the last supported version of the app for Windows Vista SP2 (3.8) made my notebook act as though a zombie. Being that I installed several apps on the same day, plus security, it took me 2 months to figure what kept causing the screen the freeze after opening an app. Had to hard shutdown many times because the only thing that would work was that silly neon circle.
Out of curiosity, after trying other things, I thought I’d uninstall Classic Shell, though I though it was a long shot. In seconds, I regained my Vista SP2 install back!!!!
Now, it very may well have been that earlier versions were fine on Vista, but the last supported one wasn’t. So if you’re having freezing issues on Vista & Classic Shell is installed, it may be worth removing to see.
However, please let me make this perfectly clear, I’m not knocking Leo on this. I’ve learned many, many things on this site & Leo is one of the few who calls it down the middle. Nor did I get the idea of trying it from this article.
I’m just saying, it may cause issues with Vista SP2 computers. Beware.
Cat
Cat
Classic Shell is the best one and I say this objectively speaking and comparing. I made a comprehensive feature comparison table here of the various Start Menus: http://www.classicshell.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2399
I have used ClassicShell as well in the past, mainly to overcome the problems with the jumping folders in the navigation pane of Windows Explorer in Windows 7, but now that I’m using Windows 8.1, I’ve switched to Stardock Start8. You can try it for free for 30 days, but it’s worth its $4.99 (or €3.73). The look and feel is like it’s a 100% integrated into Windows!
Great article!
I had said since the moment I installed the public beta of Windows 8 that the new Start Screen was fine and that most Windows users would eventually gravitate to it. But that the Start Menu should never have gone away. To me, that was akin to ripping off a bandage that would, given time, fall off on its own.
I had to google to find out how to shut down or restart Windows, how to fully shut down and how to use the PC without signing in to a Microsoft Account. And I found Microsoft’s shortcut guide to Win8 gestures & mouse movements quite helpful.
But there are way too many Windows users that are not interested in what’s new, other than, “Is it faster?” The other drawback was apps taking the focus from the Desktop back to the Start Screen. A one- to two-hour training session is needed, I believe, to make a user comfortable with the changes in Windows.
So Classic Start and the 8.1 upgrade make Windows 8 friendly to XP, Vista, and Win7 users. Replacing a PC, then, no longer requires anything more than a 15 minute (shorter for many) session of turning it on, clicking on some installed programs, shutting it down. Then, showing the new Start Screen – and switching back n forth between the Deskotp and the Start Screen.
In time, the user request to boot to the Start Screen will come, if they are not comfortable changing that feature on their own.
I do recommend getting a touch screen. Remember when a mouse was that strange thing? Now it’s the screen, but the big difference is multi-touch.
Did I mention that I’d love both a Surface and a Surface Pro?!
I have been using this since I bought my first Win 8 first desktop. I absolutely love it and I don’t know what I’d do without it. When I got my laptop I put it on there too. The customization is great and it functions very very well.
Is still available and operative Classic Shell Start Menu for Windows 8.02, on 9/24/2015 ?
As far as my experience goes, it works on all versions of Windows XP through WIndows 10.
Is this a little late for questioning Windows 10? When I had my windows 8 installed it came with a really good opening page at least for me it had all the sports I wanted and the news but when windows 10 was installed all those cool things I had were gone. I am not sure they are gone it is just that I don’t know where they came from on the windows 8. I am still not 100% convinced that the windows 10 is much better than the 8. the thing that the windows 10 did was it got rid of my Kaspersky and installed the windows defender. Not sure if I need it or not.
Okay thanks
Those pages aren’t a function of which version of Windows you are running. What your comment sounds like is that under Windows 8.x your browser was set to open a home page with that information. Yahoo.com, MSN.com, News.google.com and a host of others are customizable pages which give you the kind of information you are describing. This article explains how to set your browser’s home page:
https://askleo.com/how_do_i_change_my_browser_home_page_back_to_what_i_want/
Classic is a very good “Classic” good show!!!!!
Running Win7 and just heard about Classic Shell. Not tech-savvy AT ALL! Wondering whether Classic Shell will make my working on my desktop easier. By passed WIn8; considering upgrade to Win10. Any comments from an interested but befuddled wannabe? Thanks, Leo
I’m not a befuddled wannabe (I think you mean newbie), but I’ve installed ClassicShell for several newbies, and it makes Windows 8 and 10 look and feel 99.999% like Windows 7 and in some cases even better.
Interesting things about Windows 8 start menu (Which may help you decide on start menu options)
1: Windows 8 (Developer Preview) actually was almost perfect. By enabling or disabling RPenabled .reg key, you could enable or disable the start menu, which Win 7ish, & skipped Metro completely. But, they had a 2 hr timer & other things that made it impossible to use. If they had released Windows 8 with this Developer Preview instant on/off switch, Windows 8 might have easily become the new Windows 7 replacement.
2: In x32/64 Win 8.0 (Will NOT work in 8.1), you can use a free utility called ex7forw8 to make Windows 8 use the Windows 7 explorer & skip Metro loading entirely. Very cool app, works great.
3: ClassicShell is marvelous, though the older 3.6.5 may contain different skins than the modern variants. You can download skins, if you need more, & checkmark to disable the metro start screen & hot corners under advanced.
If you are using Windows 8.0 instead of 8.1, you will find it is more customizable, lighter on resources, & slightly faster. In addition to being able to utilize ex7forw8 to completely bypass Metro
Very Good Software
UTTERLY USELESS! Since Win10 it’s 100% obsolete and only generates problems!
Then don’t use it. For me, the metro interface is counterintuitive.
Have classic shell on my box and a cheapo Acer laptop (given to me by BIL who has dementia)
Works the way that “I” work. ‘Nuff said.
I used Classic Shell when I ran Windows 8 because I hated the start menu. That has changed with Windows 10. For me, I find the Win 10 start menu to be a cool hybrid. In fact, I find the live tiles quite useful and use them all the time. Having said that, I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Classic Shell has stopped developing and updating this program, the latest which was released last year is version 4.4.131.
The replacement of this program is now called Open Shell and the latest version is 4.4.138.
You can download it from here:
{link removed}
Good luck and enjoy.
The article was updated to reflect this before you posted your comment, so I’m not sure exactly what I missed?
I removed the link because you should be getting it directly from the source, not a download site.
I have been using Classic Shell since Windows 8 which came on my 2-n-1 laptop. I then installed it on my Windows 10 desktop (which came with Win 7) and also use it on my Windows 10 laptop. The makers of Classic Shell/Open-Shell are the perfect customer-oriented developers that I appreciate. I can’t stand using Windows 10 — period! Classic Shell has made it easier and more friendly to use.
With the dozens of computers I’ve upgraded or built in the last few years (including those for our small office), I’ve found that Start10 is the most “satisfying” to use for replacing the windows 10 start menu. It’s more stable and the the right features for customizing — at least the features that the vast majority of users would conceivably want to use. After a free 30-day trial , it’s dirt cheap at something like $4.99 (sometimes on sale for less – you can install it on two computers). It’s available from the good folks at Stardock.com where they also make “groupy” which essentially does what the abandoned “Sets” was going to do for Windows 10 – namely place all those multiple instances of Word that open for each document with a single instance of Word with tabs across the top (or whereever you choose) for each open file, just like a in browser. You can set Groupy to group together all the documents for one application like Excel, or you can set Groupy to place open documents from multiple applications in a single window with tabs for each application. All in all quite versatile and productive. Same 30-day free trial before purchasing for something like $9.99. Disclosure: I have no financial or other interest in Stardock. I’ve simply found 3 or 4 of their products to be really helpful.
It strikes me that if Windows XP had been released after Windows 10, the Start menu could have been advertised as much improved: it’s visually more appealing, with its pastel shades of blue, it enables easy access to useful items such as recently used files, it is simple to group programs together into categories as required, etc, etc. What a pity that things have regressed so much; it now looks like Windows 95 gone wrong, or, as has been said elsewere, a Frankenstein hybrid of Windows 7 and 8.
Nevertheless, as Leo says, Classic/Open Shell does make the transition easier, although I have heard that it needs to be reinstalled after major updates.
As some features of the W10 Start menu persist, it is worth knowing that there is a list of standard personalisations of it here:
https://www.howtogeek.com/197836/8-ways-to-customize-the-windows-10-start-menu/
Furthermore, after some research, I found that it is possible to introduce goupings into the new “apps” list, even though dragging and dropping or right-click > open/explore no longer work. Just edit the folders as in the past in:
%programdata% OR %appdata%/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs; see:
https://www.onmsft.com/how-to/how-to-organise-your-start-menu-apps-list-in-windows-10.
Today I suddenly found that even if I shift click on Start Menu button in my Win10-64bit, no start menu opens. And if I click without shift key, then Open Shell menu opens.
To regain the Win10 default start menu, I uninstalled the Open Shell.
But now, not only the start menu doesn’t appear, but some of my apps are behaving very abnormally. E.g. Firefox browser opens only in any one corner of the display.
No desktop icons are being shown.
Taskbar right click doesn’t work anywhere.
Etc etc.
Can anyone pls help?
I’ve not heard of this but I would reach out to the Open Shell people for assistance.
I will look into this. I absolutely DETEST Win10’s blocky look (it’s useless since I don’t have a touch screen) and its yucky color palette.
You claimed people should learn the nuances of the OS they are using. Why would anyone want to use crap when good apps like Open Shell are available. That’s like claiming people should use Internet Explorer, a piece of rubbish that has never improved since it was released initially. Microsoft screwed up with the design of Windows 8 and 10 and people reacted to the design. Microsoft changed the start menu a little but, in spite, they retained their own nonsense, which is geared at touch screen users.