How to Restore Classic Start Menu in Windows 11 and Get Back Live Tiles

If you, like millions of other Windows 10 users, have been patiently waiting for a new update to the old Start Menu to come along, you’ll be happy to know that Microsoft has just released the first update for the Fall Creators Update, which includes a new Start Menu.

Windows 10 is Microsoft’s latest operating system, it’s essentially a rebranded version of Windows 8.1. One of the new features that Windows 10 has is that it comes with a new Start Menu; it’s similar to the Start Menu that’s featured in Windows 7. The Start Menu in Windows 10 is a lot sleeker and has live tiles that show you the information and updates that you have.

In Windows 11, you can bring back the classic Start menu, which will resemble the good old Windows 10 start menu with live tiles and a list of apps. Windows 11 has a revamped centralized taskbar and a brand new Start menu. It is no longer possible to pin live tiles, and the list of applications is now hidden behind the button dedicated to all applications. Not all users are happy with these changes. If you just upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and aren’t impressed with the new taskbar changes, here’s how to restore the old classic Start menu in Windows 11. Note that this is the only way to enable Live Tiles in Windows 11. Unlike the centered taskbar, which is easy to disable, Microsoft is not yet offering an easy way to restore the classic Start menu in Windows 11. To undo this rather controversial change, you need to make a registry change with a few entries. alt=Classic Start Menu in Windows 11 width=750 height=421 data-ezsrc=http://server.digimetriq.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/How-to-Restore-Classic-Start-Menu-in-Windows-11-and.png /> In this article, we’ll show you how to restore the classic Windows 11 Start menu and restore support for Live Tiles.

Restoring the classic Start menu in Windows 11

  1. Start the registry editor by pressing Win + R and typing regedit in the output box.
  2. Go to the next key: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvancedStartMode. You can copy and paste this path into the address bar of the registry editor.
  3. On the right side of the window, right click on an empty field and select New > DWORD (32-bit value). alt=Create a new 32-bit keyword width=750 height=384 data-ezsrc=http://server.digimetriq.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1623964098_511_How-to-Restore-Classic-Start-Menu-in-Windows-11-and.png />
  4. Rename the new value to Start_ShowClassicMode. alt=Start_ShowClassicMode Value width=750 height=384 data-ezsrc=http://server.digimetriq.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1623964098_318_How-to-Restore-Classic-Start-Menu-in-Windows-11-and.png />
  5. Double-click it and set the date value to 1. alt=Restore the classic Start menu in Windows 11 width=440 height=245 data-ezsrc=http://server.digimetriq.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1623964098_723_How-to-Restore-Classic-Start-Menu-in-Windows-11-and.png />
  6. Save the changes and restart the computer. You can also restart Explorer by selecting explorer.exe in Task Manager and clicking Restart. alt=Start Explorer to activate the classic Start menu width=750 height=667 data-ezsrc=http://server.digimetriq.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1623964099_664_How-to-Restore-Classic-Start-Menu-in-Windows-11-and.png />

Learn how to restore the Start menu with tiles, as in Windows 10, in Windows 11. We don’t know how long this change will work. For now, you can enjoy the classic look if you’re not impressed with what Microsoft has done in its latest operating system.

Ready-made registration files

If you are not familiar with the Windows registry jungle, we have prepared a set of REG files to enable and disable the old Start menu in Windows 11 with one click.

  1. Download this ZIP archive.
  2. Unzip the files into any folder.
  3. Double-click the file Restore the classic Start menu in Windows 11.reg and confirm the UAC prompt to merge the registry changes.
  4. Restart the computer or log off.

You’re done. By the way, you will find two files in the archive. The above option allows you to use the old classic Start menu with tiles as in Windows 10, while the other option, Restore Default Start Menu of Windows 11.reg, restores the default Start menu of Windows 11.

Manually enabling the default Windows 11 Start menu

Here’s how to undo these changes and restore the default modern Start menu in Windows 11. In short, you need to remove that one value from the registry. To restore the default Windows 11 Start menu, do the following

  1. Open the Windows Registry Editor (via Search or Win + R – regedit).
  2. Open the HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvancedStartMode key.
  3. Find the DWORD value Start_ShowClassicMode.
  4. Right-click on it and select Uninstall. alt=Restore the default Windows 11 Start menu width=750 height=384 data-ezsrc=http://server.digimetriq.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1623964099_693_How-to-Restore-Classic-Start-Menu-in-Windows-11-and.png />
  5. Restart your computer, log off or restart Windows Explorer for the changes to take effect.

Learn how to restore the default Start menu in Windows 11. Finally, once you download the preset registry files, you can restore them with one click and return the Start Menu to its default state. Just double-click the file Restore the default Start menu in Windows 11.reg to disable the tile menu as in Windows 10 and confirm the UAC prompt. Now you know how to switch from one Start menu style to another in Windows 11. Please support us. Winaero is really counting on your support. You can help the site continue to provide you with interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get my tiles back on the Start menu?

The Start menu is one of the most beloved features of Windows, and in recent years, it has become a staple in Windows 10. But if you’ve ever had experience with Windows 10, you know that the Start menu can be a bit crampy and limited. As it turns out, the Start menu in Windows 10 does not function in the same way as previous Windows versions. Windows 10 doesn’t have a Start button by default, but if you want it back, there are several ways to do so, including using a free add-on app.

How do I go back to classic view in Windows?

How do you go back to the classic Start Menu in Windows 11? If you have upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8 or Windows 7, the Start Menu in Windows 10 is the default view, and you can’t use classic view (e.g. the Start Menu from Windows 7 or Windows 8). Up until recently, users were able to customize their Windows desktops to save space, while still having access to all of the programs, folders, and files they wanted. This is no longer the case.

How do I reset my Start menu to default?

Without the Start menu you can no longer access Windows features such as the taskbar, the Start menu, the new Windows 8.1 start screen, the new Windows 10 start menu, switch between multiple desktops and windows, and more. If you want to get the Start menu back, follow the instructions below: If you’re a long time user of Windows, you’re likely fed up with the “modern” Start Menu that Microsoft has been trying to push for a long time now. The true Start Menu of Windows 7 is back, and it’s finally good news for users, as Windows 8 and 10 still have the Start Menu that puts all the programs on one, small screen. If you’re looking to restore the classic Start Menu and get back live tiles, you’re in luck!

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Greg Baskerville
Greg Baskerville
Gaming Blogger & Musician. Playing games since the Amiga days in the 1980's, and a handy guitarist.

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