Windows 11 lets users customize the Start menu in several ways. We can change the color of the Start menu, add or remove apps from the Start, and add or remove folders.
PC users who would like to customize the Windows operating system might want to change the default Start button on the taskbar. Many users want to have a custom Start button.
Can we change the Start button icon in Windows 11?
As you might have discovered by now, Windows 11 does not offer an option to change the default Start button icon. So, we will have to use third-party tools to change the Start button. In short, you can change the Windows 11 Start button icon with the help of third-party tools.
We can use the free Open Shell software to replace the default Start button icon with a desired icon. In addition to the Open Shell, which is free, there are a couple of paid utilities like Start11 that can also help you get a custom Start button icon.
In this guide, we are using the free Open Shell software to change the Windows 11 Start button. Here is how.
Steps to set custom Start button icon in Windows 11
IMPORTANT: With default settings, when you install the Open Shell software, it replaces the default Windows 11 Start menu with the old-style Start menu. If you like the Windows 11 Start menu, right-click on the Start button, click Settings to see Open Shell Settings, switch to the Controls tab, and then select Windows Start menu for “Left click opens” and the “Windows key opens” options.
Step 1: Visit this page and download the latest version of the Open Shell. If you do not know, Open Shell is nothing but the popular Classic Shell software.
Step 2: Run the Open Shell installer and follow the directions on the screen to install it.
Step 3: Once installed, right-click on the default Start/Windows logo button on the taskbar and then click Settings to open Open-Shell Settings.
Step 4: Here, under the Start Menu Style tab, select the Replace Start button radio button. Once you select the option, Open Shell will replace the default Windows logo Start button with the Open Shell icon.
Step 5: To set a custom icon as the Start button, select the Custom radio button, click the Pick image button, select the image file that you would like to set as the Start button, and finally, click the Open button to replace the Start button icon with your custom icon.
Note that only BMP and PNG image file types are supported, and they must be 32-bit. To get the perfect Start button, please refer to the directions on the Open-Shell Help page. To access it, right-click on the Start button, click Help, and navigate to Custom Start Buttons Tutorial to read the details on creating a custom Start button.
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