Remove All Apps from Start Menu: Full Guide

This guide shows you how to clear every app icon from the Windows Start menu, leaving a clean, minimal layout with only your tiles or a blank grid. You’ll need a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC and a few minutes; no special tools are required.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer with administrator access (recommended, though not always necessary).
• Patience – unpinning apps one by one can take a while if you have many.

Step-by-Step

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard or clicking the Start button (Windows logo) in the taskbar.
2. Identify the apps you want to remove. In Windows 10, apps appear as tiles on the right side of the Start menu. In Windows 11, they appear as a grid of icons in the “Pinned” section.
3. Right-click on an app icon or tile. A context menu will appear.
4. Select “Unpin from Start” (Windows 10) or “Unpin from Start” (Windows 11). The app will immediately disappear from the Start menu. Repeat this for every app you want to remove.
5. For Windows 10, also unpin the live tiles (like News, Weather, or Mail). Right-click each tile and choose “Unpin from Start.” If you see a tile that cannot be unpinned (like the Store in some versions), you can resize it to a small square or move it to the bottom, but you cannot remove it entirely via this method.
6. For Windows 11, use the “All apps” list. Click the “All apps” button (usually at the top right of the Start menu). This shows every installed app. Right-click any app and select “Unpin from Start.” This only removes the shortcut from the Start menu; it does not uninstall the app.
7. Remove the entire Pinned section (Windows 11 only). If you want to hide the whole “Pinned” area, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and toggle off “Show recently added apps,” “Show most used apps,” and “Show suggestions.” This will not remove all pinned apps, but it will clear the clutter. To actually remove every pinned app, you must unpin them one by one as described.
8. For a completely blank Start menu (Windows 10), after unpinning all tiles, you can also disable the app list on the left by going to Settings > Personalization > Start and turning off “Show app list in Start menu.” This hides the alphabetical list, leaving only the blank tile area.
9. Restart your PC to ensure all changes take effect. Your Start menu should now show no apps (or only a few system-required tiles).

Common Mistakes

• Uninstalling instead of unpinning: Right-clicking and choosing “Uninstall” removes the app from your PC, not just from Start. Always look for “Unpin from Start” first.
• Forgetting the “All apps” list in Windows 11: Some apps only appear in the “All apps” list, not in the initial Pinned grid. You must open that list to unpin them.
• Thinking you can delete the Start menu folder: The Start menu shortcuts are stored in a system folder (like %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu). Deleting files there can break apps or cause errors. Use the built-in unpin method only.
• Not checking for multiple instances: Some apps (like Microsoft Store or Settings) may have both a tile and a list entry. Unpin both separately.

Tips

• Use a script (advanced): If you have many apps, you can use a PowerShell command to unpin all apps at once. Open PowerShell as administrator and run: Get-StartApps | ForEach-Object { Unpin-StartApp -Identity $_.AppID }. This will remove all pinned apps from Start. Be careful – this is irreversible, but you can re-pin apps later.
• Create a clean layout first: If you plan to re-pin a few apps, do that after clearing, then you can export the layout using Export-StartLayout and Import-StartLayout for future use.
• Use Group Policy (Windows Pro/Enterprise): You can set a policy to prevent users from pinning apps, but this is more for IT admins.
• Keep system apps: Windows will always show some system icons (like Settings or File Explorer) in the recommended or power user menu, but you can hide them in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.

Troubleshooting

• App won’t unpin: Some apps (like Cortana or the Windows Store) are protected. Try right-clicking and see if “Unpin” is grayed out. If so, you cannot remove them via the normal method. You can hide them by resizing to a small tile or moving them to a corner, but they will remain.
• Apps reappear after restart: This can happen if an app update or a system policy re-pins it. Check if you have any third-party software that manages Start layout. Also, make sure you are not signed in with a temporary profile.
• PowerShell command fails: If the script returns an error, ensure you are running PowerShell as administrator and that you have the correct module (usually built-in). Try running Get-StartApps first to see if it lists apps. If not, your system may have a different configuration.
• Start menu is blank but you still see the app list: In Windows 10, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off “Show app list in Start menu.” In Windows 11, you can’t hide the All apps button, but you can collapse the Pinned area by unpinning everything – the section will still show a small “Pinned” header but no icons.
• After unpinning, the Start menu is slow: This is usually temporary. Reboot your PC. If it persists, run the Windows Start Menu troubleshooter (Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Start Menu).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does unpinning an app uninstall it?

No. Unpinning only removes the shortcut from the Start menu. The app remains installed and can be found in the All apps list or by searching.

Can I remove the entire Start menu grid?

In Windows 10, you can hide the app list and have a blank tile area. In Windows 11, you cannot remove the Pinned section entirely, but you can unpin all apps so it appears empty (though the header remains).

Why do some apps refuse to unpin?

Certain system apps (like Settings, File Explorer, or Microsoft Store) are pinned by default and cannot be unpinned via the context menu. This is by design to ensure core functionality is accessible.

Will this affect my desktop shortcuts?

No. Desktop shortcuts are separate. Unpinning from Start does not delete desktop icons.

Can I restore the default Start layout later?

Yes. You can re-pin apps manually, or use the PowerShell script to re-pin default apps (though there is no built-in “restore defaults” button). You can also create a new local user account to get a fresh Start menu.

Is there a way to remove all apps at once without PowerShell?

No. The built-in interface only allows one-by-one unpinning. The PowerShell script is the only batch method that works reliably.

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