How to Organize Your Windows 11 Start Menu With Folders

First, you will need to update your Windows 11 PC to version 22H2 if you haven’t already. Go to Settings > Windows Update then click the button to Check for updates. If the 22H2 update is not yet available for your PC and you still want to install it, go to Microsoft’s Windows 11 download website. Here you can snag the update through the Windows 11 setup wizard, through the Windows 11 installation media, or through an ISO file.

Click it Begin button to access the menu. If frequently used apps aren’t on the Start menu, you can pin them first so you can move them to folders. Click it All Apps top button. Right-click on any app you want to pin, then click on the command to Pin to start.

Go back to the Start menu and find the apps you want to put in a folder. Check associated applications, such as Microsoft Office programs, web browsers, photo and video editors, or utilities. Drag and drop one icon on top of another to create a folder.

The two applications below will be placed in a folder with the generic name of Folder. Click on the folder to open it. Click in the Change name field and type a new name for the folder. Then click anywhere outside the folder to close it and confirm the new name.

To add more apps to the folder, drag and drop other related icons to the top of the folder. Continue like this to add more apps to the folder.

Next, find the other apps you want to put in a folder. But here is a challenge. What if the apps are so far apart in the Start menu that it’s too difficult to drag and drop one over the other? No problem, not when you can put them both in the same row. Right click on one of the apps and select Move forward. This moves the icon to the first place in the top row.

Do the same with any other apps you want to move into the same folder so they’re all side by side on the top row. When you’re done, drag the apps on top of each other to create the new folder, then change its name.

Continue this process until you have created the desired folders. Open a folder to view its icons. You can drag and drop the icons to sort them in any order you want. Click once on an application to open it.

Once you’re done, drag and drop the folders onto the Start menu to position them where you want them. You can right-click on a folder and select Move forward to move it to the top row.

Finally, if you decide to remove an app from a folder and place it on its own in the Start menu, simply open the folder and drag the icon outside. If you delete all but one of the apps, the folder itself disappears.