When installing an application, the app is usually added to the Start menu so that you can open it using the search function or via the All Apps screen. However, what if the installer didn’t add the application to the Start menu? Or, what if you are using a portable app and want it available in the Start menu? In case you don’t know, a portable app is a program that requires no installation to run.
Well, in those cases, you can manually add the app to the Start menu by creating a new shortcut. In this quick and easy tutorial, I will show the simplest way to add any program or app to the Start menu in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Let’s get started.
Before You Begin
- To add a program to the Start menu, you need to know its exe file location. For installed programs, check “C:\Program Files” or “C:\Program Files (x86)”. For portable apps, look in the app’s main folder or subfolders, rather than in a standard installation directory.
- The below steps are tested to work on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Steps to Add an App To Start Menu
To add any program or app (including portable apps) to the Start menu, you need to create the app shortcut and copy it to the Start menu folder and you are done. Here’s how to do it.
- Open File Explorer using the “Windows key + E” shortcut.
- Find the exe file of the program you want to add to the Start menu.
- Right-click the application’s EXE file.
- Select the “Show more options” > “Create shortcut” option.
- Select the shortcut and press “Ctrl + C“.
- Open the Run dialog with “Windows key + R“.
- Enter “%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs” and click “OK“.
- Press “Ctrl + V” to paste the shortcut in the Start menu folder.
- Close the File Explorer.
- The application will appear in the Start menu within a few seconds.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
To start off, open the File Explorer window using the “Windows key + E” shortcut. Next, find the programs exe file you want to add to the Start menu, right-click on it, and select the “Show more options” > “Create shortcut” option.
Note: On Windows 10, you can directly select the “Create shortcut” option.
Once the shortcut is created, select it and press “Ctrl + C” to copy it to your clipboard. Optionally, rename the shortcut if you want.
Now, open the Run dialog box by pressing the “Windows key + R” shortcut. Enter “%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs” in the blank field and click “OK“. This action opens the Start menu folder in the File Explorer.
Press the “Ctrl + V” shortcut in the Start menu folder to paste the application shortcut you copied earlier.
Once done, close the File Explorer window by clicking the “X” icon on the title bar.
That’s it. Give the system a few minutes to index the changes and you will see the newly added app in the Start menu.
(Optional) If needed, you can pin the app to the Start menu. To do that, right-click the app icon and select “Pin to Start”. That way, you can launch the program from the Start menu without searching for it.
Wrapping Up — Adding Programs to the Start Menu in Windows 11 and Windows 10
While a missing program in the Start menu can make it difficult to open it, by following the above steps, you can add any program or app to the Start menu thanks to the built-in options. The only hard task here is finding the exe file location of the program you want to add to the Start menu. As I said earlier, you can find it in the default installations directories. In the case of portable apps, you will find it in the app’s main folder or subfolders.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
