Windows 11 introduces a new Start menu with a more straightforward interface that opens above the round taskbar containing traditional icons, recent documents and folders. The Windows 11 menu has a unique design, but most installers prefer the classic Windows 10 Start menu, which appears on the left side of the screen and includes live tiles. If you’re the type of user who likes the classic menu, you can bring it back to Windows 11 by editing the operating system registry.
Enable Windows 10 Classic Start Menu in Windows 11
Developer Rafael Rivera posted a registry key on Twitter that can be used to bring back the original Windows 10 start menu. We can create a new entry Start_ShowClassicMode (Dword 32-bit) with the path HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced \ Start_ShowClassicMode with Regedit and set this value to 1. After a restart, the classic menu is displayed again.
Windows 11 tip: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvancedStart_ShowClassicMode DWORD=0x1 to enable classic Start pic.twitter.com/xIfyCw68z9
— Rafael Rivera (@WithinRafael) June 15, 2021
Steps to activate Windows 10 Classic Start Menu in Windows 11
- You need first to open the Windows 11 search and type “Regedit” to open the system registry.
- Specify the path in the top line: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Advanced
- Right-click the “Advanced” section, select “New”, and click “DWORD (32-bit) Value”.
- Name the key ‘Start_ShowClassicMode ‘ and press Enter.
- Double-click on the newly created DWORD parameter and change its value from 0 to 1.
- Click the “OK” button and Restart your computer.
- The classic Start menu with Live Tiles will be available again in Windows 11.
Note: If you want to undo your changes, you can always follow the exact instructions. You need to Delete the DWORD with “Start_ShowClassicMode” and the “Delete” button.
