How to Use the Windows 11 Start Menu

If your computer recently updated to Windows 11 — or if you bought a new PC that came with it — you may have noticed that things look quite different from Windows 10. The biggest change is the Start button and Start Menu, which moved from the lower-left corner of the screen to the center. This trips up a lot of people who have been clicking the bottom-left corner for years. The good news: everything still works the same way, it is just in a different spot.

To open the Start Menu, click the Windows logo (the four-square icon) in the middle-bottom of your screen. A panel pops up showing your pinned apps at the top and recently used files below. To find an app that is not shown, click the "All apps" button in the top right of the Start Menu — this gives you a full list, just like the old Windows 10 Start Menu. You can also type any program's name directly after opening Start — the search bar is automatic. If you miss having the Start button on the left, you can move it back: right-click an empty spot on the taskbar, click "Taskbar settings," scroll to "Taskbar behaviors," and change "Taskbar alignment" from "Center" to "Left."

Another helpful tip: the Settings app (where you control things like Wi-Fi, display brightness, and printers) is now a gear icon inside the Start Menu or can be reached by pressing the Windows key and the letter "I" at the same time. Windows 11 also has a new search bar built into the taskbar — click it and type whatever you are looking for, whether it is a file, a website, or a program.