How to Add a Folder to Start Menu

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Windows' Start menu organizes all of your frequently used programs and well-loved folders into a convenient, easily accessed location. Since a prompt to complete this task doesn't appear in a right-click drop down menu or under any of the Windows Explorer menu bar options, many users don't know how to add a folder to the Start menu.

Steps

Add a Folder to the Start Menu in Any Windows Operating System

1. 1
   Open the folder you want to add to the Start menu. If you don't know its location, click on the "Start" button at the bottom of your desktop screen to open the Start menu. In XP or earlier operating systems, look in the right pane of the Start menu to find the search function. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, a search box appears at the bottom of the Start menu's left pane. Search for your file, and open it when you find it.

   
   
2. 2
   Click on the "View" tab at the top of the open window. Hover your mouse arrow over "Go To" from the resulting dropdown menu, and select "Up One Level." You can now see your folder's icon on your screen, because you're inside the folder that contains it.
3. 3
   Click on the folder's icon to highlight it, and then drag-and-drop it onto to the Start menu icon.
   • Open the Start menu to see your folder in the top section of the Start menu's right pane.

Pin to Start Menu

1. 1
   Open the Start menu, select "Run" and enter "regedit.exe" into the field. You can also type "regedit" into the Start menu search box. When its icon appears, click on it.
2. 2
   Click once on the entry that reads "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Folder \ shellex \ ContextMenuHandlers" and click on "File" at the top menu bar.
   • Hit "Export" to back up the registry key before you add a subkey.
   • Create a name you'll remember, and then click "Save."
3. 3
   Right click in the open field on the right. Select "New," and then "Key." Enter "{a2a9545d-a0c2-42b4-9708-a0b2badd77c8}" into the resulting field.
4. 4
   Close your registry. You can now select "Pin to Start menu" for any folder, not just program files.

   
   

Tips

• In Windows 7 and Vista, you can quickly find a folder without adding it to the Start menu. Click on the Start button and type the folder's name into the Start menu search box. A clickable icon for the folder you're looking for will probably appear before you finish typing the folder's name.
• To "pin" a program, which are usually .EXE files, to your Start menu, right click on the program file. When the new menu appears, select "Pin to Start menu." The next time you access your Start menu, the pinned program will appear in its list.

Warnings

• Exercise caution when making changes to the registry. Never edit or delete any entry unless you know exactly what it does. Making the wrong registry changes can cause serious problems for your operating system. If you encounter a problem, restore your computer's registry by double clicking the backup file you made.

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