One of the new features in Windows 10 is the new Start menu. The all-new Start menu offers the best of Windows 7’s Start menu as well as the features that were introduced with Windows 8.
The left of the Start menu, although it looks slightly different due to colors and new icons, functions similarly to the Start menu in Windows 7. On the right side, with default settings, tens of app tiles appear, but the right side of the Start can be made smaller by unpinning tiles.
Most of Windows 10 users are happy with the new Start menu. For those who aren’t satisfied with the default look and feel, Microsoft has offered several options under the Settings app. You can change the color of the Start menu, remove recently added groups, create app groups and name them, resize tiles, and more.
That said, a small number of users still prefer using Windows 7-style Start menu. As one can easily guess, users who have used Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 for a significant amount of time are satisfied with Windows 10’s Start menu as it’s certainly better than the full-screen Start. It’s users who have upgraded from Windows 7 looking to enable the classic Start menu in Windows 10.
Thanks to Windows enthusiasts and developers, there are a bunch of third-party Start menu programs available for Windows 10. When it comes to the free Start menu, there is nothing better than the famous Classic Shell. But if you don’t mind shelling out a few dollars, there are some paid Start menu software available.
StartIsBack++ for Windows 10
We have already reviewed Star10 from Stardock, a decent alternative to Windows 10’s original Start menu. In this article, we want to share a better Start menu software called StartIsBack++.
As some of you might remember, StartIsBack was first released when Microsoft released Windows 8 to the public. StartIsBack+ was released soon after the launch of Windows 8.1. StartIsBack++ is for Windows 10.
When it comes to looks, StartIsBack++ is undoubtedly better than its competitors as the overall design goes very well with Windows 10’s new taskbar and design language. StartIsBack++ Start menu blends well with Windows 10’s UI, thanks to the use of modern-style icons on the right of the Start.
The ability to use 32×32 icons is one of the highlights of StartIsBack++. The program also allows you to use a large Start button, a very welcome feature as the default Start button is tiny.
As you might be able to make out from the above images, modern blur (just like the original Windows 10 Start menu) is used to make StartIsBack++ elegant.
All-in-all, StartIsBack++ is another helpful program for those who are impressed with the default Start menu in Windows 10. The software is not free, but go for it as it’s not expensive.
The ability to apply skins to the taskbar, an option to center taskbar icons, and replace taskbar jump lists with better ones are some of the newly added features.
Visit the following page to download the latest version of StartIsBack++ for Windows 10. As mentioned before, this is not a free program. A fully functional 30-day trial copy of the software is also available.
Clark Nova says
ClassicShell has been superseded by OpenShell.
github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu
Krelat says
“Stardocs”? How lazy can you be…
CONNIE says
Your program for fixing the size of the icons in windows 10 completely screwed up my computer and my inventory tag printer. YOU COST ME HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS STOP ADVERTISING YOUR PRODUCT
Caleb Sam says
Startisback is really amazing..but..
When i uninstall it the whole taskbar is not working in my windows 10 and i have done all the possibilities like using powershell, deleting titledatalayer…but nothing worked..
Please give me a solution for this problem.
Dave Stewart says
As nice as the live tiles are, Microsoft have crippled the Start Menu by removing the hierarchical list of All Programs.
As such, I’ve just released a Windows 10 skin for Classic Shell that gets as close to the look of Windows 10 as possible, whilst maintaining the functionality of previous Windows Start Menus that we’ve all come to rely on:
Alan Wade says
If I had to choose then it would be Start10 from Stardock. To be totally honest I think Microsoft has this version just right and therefore dosnt need a win 7 or 8 subsitute Start Menu, but thats just my opinion.
admin says
@ Alan
We have mentioned about Classic Shell in the article. Yes, it’s definitely good but it doesn’t offer many customization options at this point. That said, apart from Start menu, Classic Shell brings tens of classic features and there is no software for that.
Alan says
Actually the free Classic Shell is better than paid alternatives. Check the list of features for yourself: hxtp://www.classicshell.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2399