For Windows 11 please check out this post
It’s been a long while since I last posted about how to customise the Windows 10 Start Menu and Taskbar for new users when deploying images, so it’s time to fix that!
The first thing we need to do is setup what we want our Start Menu to look like and export it.
Log on to a Windows 10 machine that has all of the software you want to be pinned on the Start Menu layout and customise the Start Menu as you want it.
Once you have it how you want, run the following command in an elevated PowerShell session:
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Export-StartLayout -UseDesktopApplicationID -Path C:\StartMenuLayout.xml
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Here is an example StartMenuLayout.xml for reference:
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LayoutModificationTemplate xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" Version="1">
<LayoutOptions StartTileGroupCellWidth="6" StartTileGroupsColumnCount="1" />
<DefaultLayoutOverride>
<StartLayoutCollection>
<defaultlayout:StartLayout GroupCellWidth="6" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout">
<start:Group Name="Web Browsers" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout">
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="0" Row="0" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Internet Explorer.lnk" />
<start:Tile Size="2x2" Column="4" Row="0" AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" />
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="2" Row="0" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Google Chrome.lnk" />
</start:Group>
<start:Group Name="Microsoft Office" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout">
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="2" Row="0" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Word.lnk" />
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="4" Row="2" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Publisher.lnk" />
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="0" Row="2" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PowerPoint.lnk" />
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="0" Row="0" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook.lnk" />
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="4" Row="0" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Excel.lnk" />
<start:DesktopApplicationTile Size="2x2" Column="2" Row="2" DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Access.lnk" />
</start:Group>
</defaultlayout:StartLayout>
</StartLayoutCollection>
</DefaultLayoutOverride>
</LayoutModificationTemplate>
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If all you wish to do is have a custom default Start Menu in place for all users of a computer, then you can run the following PowerShell command to set the layout as the default:
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Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath "C:\StartMenuLayout.xml" -MountPath $env:SystemDrive\
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However if you want to add a custom taskbar to it as well, then you must edit the XML file and add some additional code below the line
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</DefaultLayoutOverride>
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</LayoutModificationTemplate>
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Below is an example Taskbar customisation XML snippet.
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<CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection PinListPlacement="Replace">
<defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
<taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
<taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Google Chrome.lnk" />
<taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" />
</taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
</defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
</CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>
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Please note: It is essential that the syntax of the XML file is correct, and that everything is formatted correctly. I have put my example StartMenuLayout file on my GitHub, please feel free to copy it should you experience any problems.
Another important note: When pinning items to the Start Menu or Taskbar the icon must be in a location accessible to all users, so keep in mind that you may need to copy icons to somewhere inside "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" so the icons are on the custom Start Menu and/or Taskbar. Once you’ve added the Taskbar configuration, you can import the XML file as above and the default Start Menu and Taskbar for all users of a computer will be as configured.
If you would like to support me, please check out the link below.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.
-Mike