The Cluttered Start Menu
By default, the Windows 10 Start Menu is divided into three distinct vertical sections. On the far left is a narrow strip of icons for Settings, Pictures, and Power. On the right is the wide “Live Tiles” area. In the middle, Windows displays a massive, vertically scrolling alphabetical list of every single application installed on your computer.
For many users, this alphabetical list is completely redundant. If you want to open an app, it is almost always faster to simply press the Windows key and type the first three letters of the app’s name, or to click a shortcut you have pinned to the Live Tiles area. The middle “All Apps” list takes up a significant amount of screen real estate and makes the Start Menu look cluttered and intimidating. If you prefer a minimalist interface containing only your pinned tiles, you can completely hide the alphabetical app list.
How to Hide the All Apps List
You can remove the middle column via the Personalization settings.
- Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press
Windows Key + I). - In the Settings menu, click on Personalization.
- In the left-hand navigation pane, select Start.
- Look down the right-hand pane for the toggle switch labelled Show app list in Start menu.
- Toggle the switch to the Off position.
When you open your Start Menu now, the massive alphabetical list will be gone, leaving only your pinned tiles. If you ever do need to browse the full list, you can click the small “All apps” icon (which looks like four horizontal lines) that appears in the narrow left-hand strip.