Why isn’t an App in the Start Menu App list?

Topic

New Reply

[WCHS]

I am Win10/Pro, 22H2 and up-to-date as of the March 14 patches

I have several folders whose tiles are showing up on the Windows 10 Start Menu. Clicking on the tile will take me to the folder (i.e., the folder has been pinned to Start). I have also placed a shortcut to the folder in C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. This should be make the foldername appear in the Start Menu’s App list (left panel in the Start Menu). But, it isn’t listed there. However, when I do a Taskbar Search for the foldername, the foldername will appear as an App; I can click on it and the contents of the folder will appear in File Explorer. So, the system is recognizing the folder as an ‘App’.

What more can I do to get the foldername listed in the App list?

I’ve tried reversing the process by unpinning the folder from the Start Menu, removing the shortcut to the folder in …Start Menu\Programs, and restarting, then doing the process again, but still the ‘App’ doesn’t appear in the App list.

On the other hand, I also have lots of folders whose tiles are showing up on Start Menu, folder shortcuts are also in the …Start Menu\Programs folder, the foldernames will turn up in a Taskbar search, and the foldernames appear in the Start Menu’s App list. In other words, things are working fine, in this case.

So. what might be keeping some foldername ‘Apps’ from appearing in the Start Menu’s App list?

• This topic was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by WCHS.

Reply | Quote

Replies

Many of the items on the Start Menu are located in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs instead of your individual profile.

Give that other location a look and you’ll probably find several of the items you’re looking for.

BTW, the folder for program data is deliberately named “ProgramData” with no spaces and the d capitalized. Also, the “ProgramData” folder is hidden by default.

Several of the items you’ll find in there are there by default, and Windows only knows to look for them in that exact place. If you go moving them to your individual profile folder, you may very well run into problems with items like the Settings area (among other Windows items) not working properly, so it’s probably a good idea to leave well enough alone with what’s in there. This is probably a good reason why this folder is hidden by default.

Reply | Quote