It’s safe to say that Microsoft’s goal to revamp Windows in Windows 8 ended in a colossal failure. Microsoft seems to have largely addressed this in Windows 10, that seems to combine some aspects of older Windows’ design and some of the newer design elements from Windows 8, namely in the Start Menu.
In case you did not know, Windows 10 gives users the option of choose from a more classic-looking Start Menu, to a full screen Start Menu that has some trace design elements from Windows 8’s Metro UI. The goal of this full screen Start Menu gives users more space to place apps so that they can see it all at a glance.
It is also ideal for touchscreen devices like tablets or laptops with touchscreen displays as the full screen Start Menu is bigger and easier to see and interact with. That being said, if you are fiddling around with customization options for Windows 10 and would like to give this feature a go, here’s how.
- Click the Start Menu
- Click on Settings (the gear icon)
- Select Personalization
- Choose Start from the navigation bar on the left
- Look for “Use Start full screen” and toggle it on. What happens when you toggle it on is that your Start Menu becomes a full screen experience where you’ll be able to see more apps and shortcuts than before. If you have a lot of apps you want to quickly access or to be able to see at a glance, this is one way to go about it.
- Repeat the steps above if you wish to turn it off
If one of the reasons why you want a full screen Start Menu is because you want to add more shortcuts or apps, an alternative method would be to simply drag the UI of the non-full screen Start Menu to make it bigger or smaller.
All you’ll need to do is open the Start Menu, move your move to the edges of the Start Menu and your mouse cursor should change to the resizing cursor, then you drag it to the left, right, upwards, downwards, or diagonally to change it to a size that suits you. This is a slightly less invasive method compared to having a full screen Start Menu each and every time you launch it.
Filed in . Read more about Microsoft, Windows and Windows 10.