How to Add or Remove All Apps List in Start Menu on Windows?

Start Menu in Windows has been updated with every version of the Windows operating system. In Windows 10, Start Menu has more options for customization for the users. On the left side of the Start Menu, users can view the list of all applications. The list is pretty useful for accessing the applications easily from the Start Menu. Users can hide or show the app list according to their needs. By default, the list will be enabled in the Start Menu, but we will show you methods through which you can remove the apps list in the Start Menu.

Removing All Apps List through the Settings App

All apps list in the Start Menu can be removed through the Settings app. There is a toggle option in the Settings app that can enable and disable the apps list. This is the default method for removing all apps list from your system’s Start Menu. However, if this toggle option is grayed out, then check the below methods.

1. Hold the Windows key and press I to open the Setting app on your system. Now head over to the Personalization.

   

2. Choose the Start from the left pane and toggle Off the “Show app list in Start Menu” option. This will disable the apps list from the Start Menu.

   

3. To enable it back, you just need to turn On the toggle for the same option.

Removing All Apps List through the Local Group Policy Editor

Another way to disable this list of applications in the Start Menu is by using the Local Group Policy Editor. This setting will have three different options that the user can choose from. Each one of them works differently, so choose the one that you want for your system. The information for each option can be found in the details of the setting.

However, the Local Group Policy is only available for the Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Ultimate versions. Skip this method, if you are using the Windows Home operating system.

Note: The setting is available for both the Computer Configuration and the User Configuration. The path is similar for both, only the category will be different.

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R buttons together. Now type “gpedit.msc” in the box and press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor window.

   

2. Navigate to the following category path in the Local Group Policy Editor:

   User Configuration\ Administrative Templates\ Start Menu and Taskbar\

   

   Note: We are using the setting that is available in the Computer Configuration. You can also use the setting that is in User Configuration.

3. Double-click on the setting named “Remove All Programs list from the Start menu” and it will open up in another window. Now change the toggle option from Not Configured to Enabled.

   

4. To apply the changes, click on the Apply or Ok button. This will disable the apps list from Start Menu.
5. To enable the apps list again, you need to change the toggle option back to Not Configured or Disabled in step 3.

Removing All Apps List through the Registry Editor

If you do not have the Local Group Policy Editor on your system, then you can achieve the same result by using the Registry Editor. It just requires a few technical steps from the users for configuring this setting. We always recommend users to create a backup before making any changes in the Registry. By following the below steps, you can easily remove the list of applications from the Start Menu.

Note: The value can be set in both the Current Users and the Local Machine hives. The path will be the same, but only the hive will be different.

1. Open a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R buttons on your keyboard. Now type “regedit” and press the Enter key to open the Registry Editor. If prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), then click on the Yes button.

   

2. Navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor window:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

   Note: We are using the Local Machine hive in this method, but you can also use the Current User hive if you are setting it for a specific user.

3. Right-click on the right pane and choose the New > DWORD (32-bit) Value option. Name this newly created value as “NoStartMenuMorePrograms“.

   

4. To set this value as a “Collapse” option, double-click on it and set the value data to 3.

   

5. If you want to set the “Collapse and disable setting” option, then set the value data of this value to 2.

   

6. For the third option “Remove and disable setting“, set the value data for this value as 1.

   

7. After choosing one of the settings, make sure to restart your system to apply the changes. This will disable the apps list according to your setting.
8. You can always enable it back by change the value data to 0 or removing this value from the Registry Editor.