Design Your Windows 8 Start Menu with a Personalized Toolbar

Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Menu with a Custom Toolbar

Hey there! Have you ever wanted to customize your Windows 8 Start Menu to reflect your unique style and preferences? Well, I’ve got some great news for you: it’s totally possible! In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of creating your very own custom toolbar that will revolutionize how you interact with your computer.

First things first, let’s talk about why you would want to do this. The default Windows 8 Start Menu is functional, but it may not always meet your specific needs. By designing your own customized toolbar, you can have quick access to the programs and files that matter most to you, right at your fingertips. No more wasting time searching through a sea of applications – everything you need will be just a click away!

Now, you might be wondering how to get started. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. All you need to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Right-click on your taskbar and select “Toolbars” from the context menu.
2. Click on “New toolbar…” and choose a location for your toolbar.
3. Next, navigate to the folder that contains the shortcuts to the programs and files you want to include in your toolbar.
4. Select the folder and click on the “Select Folder” button.
5. Voila! Your custom toolbar will now appear on your taskbar, ready to be filled with your favorite shortcuts.

Isn’t it amazing how simple it is to create your own personalized Start Menu? Now you can access all your most-used programs and files with just a glance. Say goodbye to endless scrolling and hello to efficiency!

If you ever want to make changes to your custom toolbar, it’s as easy as can be. Just right-click on the taskbar, go to “Toolbars,” and select “Customize.” From there, you can add or remove shortcuts, rearrange the icons, and fine-tune your toolbar until it’s absolutely perfect.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and unleash your creativity by designing your own Windows 8 Start Menu with a personalized toolbar. It’s time to take control of your computer and make it truly yours!

So, we all know that Windows 8 got rid of the Start Menu, but don’t worry, because Windows 10 will bring it back next year. But if you can’t wait for Windows 10, there’s a way to create your own Start Menu in Windows 8 using Taskbar toolbars. Let me show you how.

First, go to the Desktop in Windows 8 or 8.1 and right-click on an empty spot on the Taskbar. Choose Toolbars > New Toolbar. Now, you have a decision to make: you can either navigate to a custom folder or go to the original hidden Start Menu folder in Windows 8.

The first option is easy. Just create a folder anywhere on your computer, and in the New Toolbar window, select that folder by clicking Select Folder. As for the second option, the Start Menu folder still exists in Windows 8, but it’s kind of hidden. Ever wonder where shortcuts go when you install an older application that asks if you want to “Create a shortcut in the Start Menu?” Well, in Windows 8 and 8.1, they end up in this location:

C:Users[user]AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart Menu

Hey there! So, I wanted to let you in on a little secret. You might need to do a bit of tinkering to find the AppData folder and its hidden files and folders. Don’t fret, though! I’ll walk you through it.

First, open up a new File Explorer window and click on the “View” option in the toolbar. Easy peasy! Now, in the “Show/Hide” section, just check the box that says “Hidden items”. Voila! Now you can see all those hidden treasures in the AppData folder and its subdirectories. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, here’s where things get a bit trickier. The Start Menu folder might look different for you depending on your software and if you upgraded from an older version of Windows. It might be mostly empty, with just a few folders hangin’ out. No worries, though! Follow me, and I’ll show you what to do next.

We need to navigate to the Start Menu folder using that New Toolbar process I mentioned earlier, then just click “Select Folder”. Easy peasy!

Alright, so now you should see a new section on the right side of your Desktop taskbar. But we’re not done yet! Drag that resize bar next to the new toolbar all the way to the right. Why, you ask? Well, that way you can see two small arrows pointing to the right. Cool, right? Now you can click on those arrows and navigate through the linked folder with a pop-up menu. It’s kind of like a rough version of the good ol’ Windows 8 Start Menu. But be careful! If you drag the resize bar to the left and the name of the linked folder becomes visible, clicking on it will just open a new Explorer window. That’s not what we want!

Now, initially, your Start Menu folder (or whatever custom folder you’re using) might be pretty empty. But fear not! You can personalize it by adding all your favorite applications and shortcuts. Just find the original paths to those apps, folders, and documents, create shortcuts, and move ’em on over to the linked folder we talked about earlier. In my example, I’ve added some shortcuts to my user Documents folder and a few of my most-used Office apps. Super handy!

Now, I’ll be honest with you. This custom toolbar isn’t a complete replacement for the traditional Start Menu. Sadly, it’s missing some key features like the Run command, system power options, and Windows Search. But for most folks, the Start Menu is all about quick access to common programs and apps. And trust me, this custom Taskbar toolbar we just set up can give you a lot of the same functionality without having to resort to any fancy third-party software.

But hey, if you decide you don’t fancy your new Windows 8 Start Menu, no worries! Just right-click in an empty section of the Taskbar, hover over “Toolbars,” and uncheck your new toolbar from the list. Poof! It’ll disappear from your Desktop Taskbar. But don’t worry, your original folder and its contents will stay put unless you manually delete ’em.

Now, I know folks are excited about the upcoming Windows 10 release, and it seems like the revamped Start Menu is gonna make a lot of folks happy. But until that day arrives, a custom toolbar just might be the next best thing for creating your very own Windows 8 Start Menu. Pretty nifty, huh?