How to add the Start Menu back in Windows 8

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People have asked for a while, how to put the Start Menu from Windows 7 back in to Windows 8. Now, if all you’re looking for is a “button” – you’re in luck. There are quite a few rumors that Microsoft’s Windows Blue will bring back the Start Button. But that button simply brings up the Start Screen, not the Start Menu. At least, that’s the going theory right now.

The idea seems to be that people can’t figure out how to get back to the tiles once they’re in the desktop, and finding the desktop in the first place can be kind of difficult. I can attest to that based on the number of searches and reads I get on articles on my website. Even simple things like Shutting Down Windows 8 actually get more than a few reads!

So, what if you want something like the Windows 7 Start Menu? I’ve avoided writing this article for a long time, because I like to force myself to get used to things I don’t like. In the early days of Windows XP, when I still preferred Windows 2000, I famously called the colorful Start Button Windows Crayola Edition. But eventually I get used to each interface. But for those of you who just won’t adjust to Windows 8, there are options. Start 8 from Stardock is an inexpensive ($5.00) program which gives you a full blown Start Menu and the ability to use apps in Windows, etc… Classic Shell by Ivo Beltchev is free, and offers the return of the classic Start Menu, the Windows XP Start Menu, or the Windows 7 Start Menu, as well as other “explorer” features, like showing the full folder path in the Windows Explorer address bar, etc…

I encourage you to check both out and see if something works for you. But me? I’ll be here… using the Start Screen, and waiting to see what Microsoft does with Windows 8.1.