Customize live tiles and start menu in Windows 10

Modern user interface - a new design language, created and popularized by Microsoft with the release of Windows 8, was first used on portable devices with Windows 7. Part of this interface style was found in MSN 2.0 or Encarta 95, but it is not the same as today. It focuses more on efficient typography, placing useful content in the center. Microsoft successfully used the famous international Swiss style. It was developed over 60 years ago and emphasizes readability, objectivity and ergonomics. It is easy to see that the point is to use the grid and fonts without sharp corners.

Instructions for setting live tiles in Windows 10.

Metro - new design style

Microsoft first introduced a new design in Windows Media Center 2003 for Windows XP Media Center Edition. As a form of navigation here, the focus was on content and text used. In 2006, Zune updated the interface using several other principles, for example, focused more on content, beautiful typography and less on UI design. From there, he switched to smartphones under Windows 7, and then to a new operating system, Windows 8, released immediately after the beta testing period. Other products, such as Windows Live Messenger, Live Mesh and Outlook, also contain current trends in user interface design.

Design inspires confidence and focuses on the details. It creates a sense of reliability and security. This new minimalist approach can be the present future of the Internet. Portable devices such as tablets and touchscreen smartphones are the future of technology, and the modern user interface has been created specifically for such devices. Yes, Windows 8 for computers and phones has the same interface, but who knows how long we will use the mouse and keyboard.

Setting the tiled interface in the "Start"

Microsoft likes tiles and wants you to love them too. They appeared in Windows 8, and then in Windows 10, even with the return of the Start menu. Whether you like tiles or not, you can customize them so that you can more easily access your favorite applications. How to configure them? You can resize them, display them in the Start menu, turn live fragments on and off, and arrange them in specific groups. Consider the interface settings in more detail.

Adding and removing new tiles

Consider how to add tiles. To create additional space for more tiles, click the “Start” button - “Settings” - “Personalization” - “Start”. On the right, find and activate the function "Show more tiles in the Start menu". Now click "Start", and you will see that the area of ​​the menu has become larger, creating additional space for new tiles. Next, right-click to select any application and click "Secure on the initial screen."

Size setting

As in Windows 8 and 8.1, in Windows 10, you can also change the size of the fixed tiles, making them larger or smaller. To do this, right-click on the tile, then in the pop-up menu, hover the mouse over the Resize option and select a new one from the 4 available sizes.

Grouping

You can place tiles in different groups so that they are better organized and easier to find. For example, you can create one group for your main applications, another group for applications related to the Internet, and a third group for games. First select the tile you want to use to create a new group and move it to an empty area in the Start menu. Then move all other application shortcuts to this group. Continue until all applications have been added. Now we need to give the group a name. Move the mouse a little higher than the first tile in the group until “Name a group” appears. Click on it with the mouse, enter the name of the new group and press Enter.

With the release of Windows 10 Creators Update, you can use a new feature that allows you to place shortcuts in folders. This process will help you better organize your tiles so that they take up less space on the screen. Suppose you want to put all the entertainment related apps in one folder. For example, Xbox, Groove Music, Movies & TV and Netflix. Start by dragging one tile on top of another, for example, place a Groove Music plate on top of an Xbox tile.

Your Xbox and Groove Music shortcuts are now in the same folder. To access one of the applications, simply click on the folder to open and display its shortcuts. Then select the application you want to run. If you need to add another tile to the folder, just drag it. Continue this process until you drag all the related applications. Then you can rename the folder.

Ban update tiles

Live tiles can be very convenient because they show the latest news and other updated information. To turn off their animation, right-click a live tile, for example, News, Weather, or Calendar. In the pop-up menu, hover the mouse over the Advanced option and click Disable Live Tiles. Animation will be disabled.

Customize the colors of the Start menu

To customize the color scheme, click "Start" and select "Settings." In the "Personalization" on the left, the item "Colors". A menu opens with a choice of background color for the tiles. The function “Automatic selection of the main background color” will select the tint suitable for the wallpaper color scheme itself.

Additional design options are also available here. The transparency effects switch makes the taskbar and start menu background a bit transparent. The selected color can also be automatically duplicated to other interface elements — to the taskbar, to the notification center, and to the window headers. If you turn off this feature, the Start menu background, the taskbar, and the active window titles will turn dark gray.

Return to Metro menu

The owners of gadgets and PCs running Windows 8 have already become accustomed to the full-screen design in the style of Metro. Start in Windows 10 combines old and new design elements. How to disable tiles in Windows 10? To go to the usual full-size display, click "Start" and select "Settings." In the "Personalization" section, go to the "Start" section, find here the option "Open the Start menu in full screen mode" and turn it on. After that, when you open the Start menu, you will see the standard Metro design, which occupies the entire desktop screen.

How to remove tiles from the Start menu in Windows 10

Removing the tiles may take some time, since it will have to be done for each label separately. Select any tile with the right mouse button and click "Unpin from the initial screen". After that, the tile will disappear, but the program in the Start list will still remain. How to remove live tiles? In order for Start to become as close as possible to the design of Windows 7, you need to remove all the tiles and manually resize the panel. After removing the shortcuts, “grab” the right side of the Start menu with the mouse and drag it to the left as possible.

Classic interface reset

The method described above will not return a full menu from the seven, but will only make it a bit like. To get a full-fledged familiar list of programs without cluttering up the desktop, you will have to use third-party software. Classic Shell is the perfect solution for people who are concerned about the new features of Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. The program is a powerful tool that contains many options for returning to the old, good solutions known from earlier versions of Microsoft. The program allows you to recover:

  • classic start menu;
  • Classic view of Internet Explorer 9;
  • classic view of windows explorer.

Using the wide settings, you can select the Start menu view (Windows Classic, Windows XP, Windows 7), change settings, general behavior, menu appearance, or search actions. In addition, you can edit sounds, context menus, the appearance of the Start button, etc. Classic Shell also allows you to create backup copies of saved settings.

Similarly, you can change the appearance settings of Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer. You can even add a classic toolbar in Windows Explorer. In addition, skins created by other users, and even the editor of their own are available. The number of options offered by Classic Shell is constantly increasing, and, most importantly, the program is available absolutely free. The software has a huge number of additional options, thanks to which the appearance of individual elements in Windows 8 and 10 is customized. The application is no longer updated. The manufacturer launched a new project - Classic Start.

Classic Start is a new utility that allows you to return to “Start” its previous appearance. The software is based on the popular Classic Shell application. Thus, the developer continues his old project, offering new features and additional functionality.

StartIsBack ++ is a small extension that restores the Start menu in Windows 10. The application restores the Start menu along with all the functions and tools, keeping the same look as in previous Windows 7/8 systems. StartIsBack improves desktop functionality and the use of the most important tools. The application starts automatically with the operating system. It restores the original Start menu with all the most important functions - search, linking the most frequently used applications to the left window, as well as parameters with which we can disable, restart or put the computer into standby mode.

StartIsBack restores a list of recently opened documents, a catalog of games, music and images, as well as a functional control panel. It is also worth mentioning the menu with the installed printer and other connected external devices.