Customize the Start Menu

You can choose several options to customize your Start menu including selecting large icons and specifying the number of programs you want to display on your Start menu. The size of icons and number of items on the Start menu can benefit people with vision impairments and cognitive/learning disorders. This procedure tells you how to customize the Start menu through Taskbar and Start Menu Properties in Control Panel.

Mouse actions

Keyboard actions

On the Start menu:

Select Control Panel

Display the Start menu by pressing CTRL+ESC (or the Windows logo key ).

Select Control Panel by pressing C.

In Control Panel:

Be sure you are in Classic View (all Control Panel icons are showing).
If not, under Control Panel in the left pane, select Switch to Classic View.
Select Taskbar and Start Menu.

In Control Panel:

Be sure you are in Classic View (all Control Panel icons are showing).
If not, under Control Panel in the left pane, select Switch to Classic View by pressing TAB.
Press ENTER.
Move to Taskbar and Start Menu by pressing the arrow keys.
Press ENTER.

In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box:

Select the Start Menu tab.

In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box:

Select the Start Menu tab by pressing CTRL+TAB.

On the Start Menu tab:

Select Start Menu.
Select the Customize button.

On the Start Menu tab:

Select Start Menu by pressing S.
Select the Customize button by pressing C.
Press ENTER.

In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, on the General tab:
Under Select an icon size for programs, choose:

Large icons, or
Small icons.
Under Programs:
Choose the number of programs you want to appear on the Start menu.
Under Show on Start menu:
Select an Internet program from the list of installed programs.
Select an E–mail program from the list of installed programs.
Select OK twice.

In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, on the General tab:
Under Select an icon size for programs, choose:

Large icons by pressing L, or
Small icons by pressing S.
Under Programs:
Select Number of programs on Start menu by pressing N.
Choose the number of programs you want to appear on the Start menu by pressing the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW key.
Under Show on Start menu:
Select an Internet program by pressing ALT+I, and then pressing the arrow keys to select from the list of installed programs.
Select an E–mail program by pressing ALT+E, and then pressing the arrow keys to select from the list of installed programs.
Press ENTER.
Press TAB to move to the OK button.
Press ENTER twice.

To close Control Panel:

Select the Close button.

To close Control Panel:

Press ALT+F, C.

Control Panel: Taskbar and Start Menu: Start Menu tab: Customize button

Control Panel: Taskbar and Start Menu: Taskbar tab: Show Quick Launch