How to Remove or Add Apps to the Start menu in Windows 11

If you are not happy with default icons in Windows 11 Start, you can remove or add apps to the Start menu manually.

Six years after introducing Windows 10, Microsoft is back with a brand new UI for the Start menu. This time, the company has ditched long-deceased Windows Live Tiles in favor of regular icons akin to those on your Desktop or the taskbar. The new UI for the Start menu has also brought some updated logic to how you manage and personalize pinned apps. If you feel slightly lost and do not know how to add or remove apps from the Start menu in Windows 11, this article is here for you to help.

To delete apps from the Start menu in Windows 11, you need to follow the same logic as removing live tiles in Windows 10. Do the following:

Remove app icons from the Start menu in Windows 11

1. Click the Start button at the center of the taskbar. In Windows 11, it has an icon with four blue squares. Alternatively, press the Win button on your keyboard.
2. Find the app you want to remove from the list of pinned applications in the Start menu in Windows 11.
3. Right-click the app and select Unpin from Start.
4. Alternatively, you can right-click an icon on the Desktop and select Unpin from Start. Keep in mind that that will only work if the app you want to remove from the Start menu has a  Desktop shortcut as well.

That is how you remove apps from the Start menu in Windows 11.

How to pin apps to the Start menu in Windows 11

Again, you can pin apps to the Start menu in Windows 11 in the same way you used to pin live tiles in Windows 10. All that is changed is the Start menu now uses simple icons with labels, not live tiles. Newcomers to Windows 11 may still have a hard time finding the list of all apps in the new system, so our guide is here to help.

To add apps to the Windows 11 Start menu, do the following.

1. Press the Start button and then find the All apps button in the top-right corner.
2. Find the app you want to pin to the Start menu in Windows 11 and right-click it.
3. Select Pin to Start.
4. You can also pin apps and folders to the Start menu from the Desktop.Right-click the app or folder you want to pin and select Pin to Start.

That method also works from any other folder open in File Explorer.  Unfortunately, it does not work with regular document and image files. That is how you add apps to the Start menu in Windows 11.

Tip: A new centered taskbar may add to your confusion even more. Luckily, you can move icons on the taskbar from the center to the left using a dedicated guide.