Prevent Microsoft Office from auto-populating Start Menu
So I'm new to Windows 10, and I'm using Classic Shell (which latches onto the Windows-native Start Menu infrastructure) in order to be able to have an old-style Start Menu which I find much more usable than Windows 10's default.
What I'm trying to do is get my Office 365 software into a Start Menu folder, because I really have no desire to have them cluttering up my Start Menu, particularly as I have the 5 Office programs I use most often set up on my task bar, anyway.
My initial solution was to create a subfolder from within the Start Menu and moving the Start Menu shortcuts there.
My custom folders are located in C:~AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
The default Office shortcuts are in C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
Here's the rub: It turns out if you remove the default Office shortcuts, MS Office will helpfully re-add them there the next time you start it. So while I now have a subfolder, every time I start office the non-nested shortcuts come back, somewhat defeating the point of the exercise.
Is there any way to suppress this behaviour? Some setting, registry key, or other workaround? (short of brute removing write permissions from SYSTEM, which would probably create more problems than it solves)
windows-10 microsoft-office start-menu classic-shell
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
add a comment |
So I'm new to Windows 10, and I'm using Classic Shell (which latches onto the Windows-native Start Menu infrastructure) in order to be able to have an old-style Start Menu which I find much more usable than Windows 10's default.
What I'm trying to do is get my Office 365 software into a Start Menu folder, because I really have no desire to have them cluttering up my Start Menu, particularly as I have the 5 Office programs I use most often set up on my task bar, anyway.
My initial solution was to create a subfolder from within the Start Menu and moving the Start Menu shortcuts there.
My custom folders are located in C:~AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
The default Office shortcuts are in C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
Here's the rub: It turns out if you remove the default Office shortcuts, MS Office will helpfully re-add them there the next time you start it. So while I now have a subfolder, every time I start office the non-nested shortcuts come back, somewhat defeating the point of the exercise.
Is there any way to suppress this behaviour? Some setting, registry key, or other workaround? (short of brute removing write permissions from SYSTEM, which would probably create more problems than it solves)
windows-10 microsoft-office start-menu classic-shell
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
Please add a couple of screenshots to illustrate this behaviour.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 7:28
@simlev I mean, I don't know how that's meant to clarify anything. I delete shortcuts, they reappear. But, if you insist: imgur.com/gallery/4635WCu
– Frederic Bayer
Sep 17 '18 at 7:48
I see, try setting them as hidden. This way, they should not appear in ClassicShell and will hopefully not be overwritten by Office365.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 8:15
For Office 365 ProPlus, there is only a PinIconsToTaskBar property in Configuration.xml file to control whether shortcut icons for Office products are added to the Windows taskbar. No setting to control the Start menu.
– WinniL
Sep 19 '18 at 10:05
add a comment |
So I'm new to Windows 10, and I'm using Classic Shell (which latches onto the Windows-native Start Menu infrastructure) in order to be able to have an old-style Start Menu which I find much more usable than Windows 10's default.
What I'm trying to do is get my Office 365 software into a Start Menu folder, because I really have no desire to have them cluttering up my Start Menu, particularly as I have the 5 Office programs I use most often set up on my task bar, anyway.
My initial solution was to create a subfolder from within the Start Menu and moving the Start Menu shortcuts there.
My custom folders are located in C:~AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
The default Office shortcuts are in C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
Here's the rub: It turns out if you remove the default Office shortcuts, MS Office will helpfully re-add them there the next time you start it. So while I now have a subfolder, every time I start office the non-nested shortcuts come back, somewhat defeating the point of the exercise.
Is there any way to suppress this behaviour? Some setting, registry key, or other workaround? (short of brute removing write permissions from SYSTEM, which would probably create more problems than it solves)
windows-10 microsoft-office start-menu classic-shell
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
So I'm new to Windows 10, and I'm using Classic Shell (which latches onto the Windows-native Start Menu infrastructure) in order to be able to have an old-style Start Menu which I find much more usable than Windows 10's default.
What I'm trying to do is get my Office 365 software into a Start Menu folder, because I really have no desire to have them cluttering up my Start Menu, particularly as I have the 5 Office programs I use most often set up on my task bar, anyway.
My initial solution was to create a subfolder from within the Start Menu and moving the Start Menu shortcuts there.
My custom folders are located in C:~AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
The default Office shortcuts are in C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms
Here's the rub: It turns out if you remove the default Office shortcuts, MS Office will helpfully re-add them there the next time you start it. So while I now have a subfolder, every time I start office the non-nested shortcuts come back, somewhat defeating the point of the exercise.
Is there any way to suppress this behaviour? Some setting, registry key, or other workaround? (short of brute removing write permissions from SYSTEM, which would probably create more problems than it solves)
windows-10 microsoft-office start-menu classic-shell
windows-10 microsoft-office start-menu classic-shell
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
asked Sep 17 '18 at 7:22
Frederic BayerFrederic Bayer
262
262
Please add a couple of screenshots to illustrate this behaviour.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 7:28
@simlev I mean, I don't know how that's meant to clarify anything. I delete shortcuts, they reappear. But, if you insist: imgur.com/gallery/4635WCu
– Frederic Bayer
Sep 17 '18 at 7:48
I see, try setting them as hidden. This way, they should not appear in ClassicShell and will hopefully not be overwritten by Office365.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 8:15
For Office 365 ProPlus, there is only a PinIconsToTaskBar property in Configuration.xml file to control whether shortcut icons for Office products are added to the Windows taskbar. No setting to control the Start menu.
– WinniL
Sep 19 '18 at 10:05
add a comment |
Please add a couple of screenshots to illustrate this behaviour.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 7:28
@simlev I mean, I don't know how that's meant to clarify anything. I delete shortcuts, they reappear. But, if you insist: imgur.com/gallery/4635WCu
– Frederic Bayer
Sep 17 '18 at 7:48
I see, try setting them as hidden. This way, they should not appear in ClassicShell and will hopefully not be overwritten by Office365.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 8:15
For Office 365 ProPlus, there is only a PinIconsToTaskBar property in Configuration.xml file to control whether shortcut icons for Office products are added to the Windows taskbar. No setting to control the Start menu.
– WinniL
Sep 19 '18 at 10:05
Please add a couple of screenshots to illustrate this behaviour.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 7:28
Please add a couple of screenshots to illustrate this behaviour.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 7:28
@simlev I mean, I don't know how that's meant to clarify anything. I delete shortcuts, they reappear. But, if you insist: imgur.com/gallery/4635WCu
– Frederic Bayer
Sep 17 '18 at 7:48
@simlev I mean, I don't know how that's meant to clarify anything. I delete shortcuts, they reappear. But, if you insist: imgur.com/gallery/4635WCu
– Frederic Bayer
Sep 17 '18 at 7:48
I see, try setting them as hidden. This way, they should not appear in ClassicShell and will hopefully not be overwritten by Office365.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 8:15
I see, try setting them as hidden. This way, they should not appear in ClassicShell and will hopefully not be overwritten by Office365.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 8:15
For Office 365 ProPlus, there is only a PinIconsToTaskBar property in Configuration.xml file to control whether shortcut icons for Office products are added to the Windows taskbar. No setting to control the Start menu.
– WinniL
Sep 19 '18 at 10:05
For Office 365 ProPlus, there is only a PinIconsToTaskBar property in Configuration.xml file to control whether shortcut icons for Office products are added to the Windows taskbar. No setting to control the Start menu.
– WinniL
Sep 19 '18 at 10:05
add a comment |
2 Answers
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Yep. That is so infuriating. As suggested above, I essentially abandoned the start menu for my own separate menus. I keep an "all" with everything I have, a "primary" folder for most commonly-used apps, and additional menus focused on particular activities. Windows is much more pleasant now.
My Primary Menu with my choice of shortcuts untouched by MS or any vendor
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
add a comment |
Sorry, but that is not possible. Instead, you could come to the regular start menu, and then put all your programs into a folder.
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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active
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votes
Yep. That is so infuriating. As suggested above, I essentially abandoned the start menu for my own separate menus. I keep an "all" with everything I have, a "primary" folder for most commonly-used apps, and additional menus focused on particular activities. Windows is much more pleasant now.
My Primary Menu with my choice of shortcuts untouched by MS or any vendor
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
add a comment |
Yep. That is so infuriating. As suggested above, I essentially abandoned the start menu for my own separate menus. I keep an "all" with everything I have, a "primary" folder for most commonly-used apps, and additional menus focused on particular activities. Windows is much more pleasant now.
My Primary Menu with my choice of shortcuts untouched by MS or any vendor
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
add a comment |
Yep. That is so infuriating. As suggested above, I essentially abandoned the start menu for my own separate menus. I keep an "all" with everything I have, a "primary" folder for most commonly-used apps, and additional menus focused on particular activities. Windows is much more pleasant now.
My Primary Menu with my choice of shortcuts untouched by MS or any vendor
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
Yep. That is so infuriating. As suggested above, I essentially abandoned the start menu for my own separate menus. I keep an "all" with everything I have, a "primary" folder for most commonly-used apps, and additional menus focused on particular activities. Windows is much more pleasant now.
My Primary Menu with my choice of shortcuts untouched by MS or any vendor
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
answered Jan 14 at 20:22
Michael MorlanMichael Morlan
1
1
add a comment |
add a comment |
Sorry, but that is not possible. Instead, you could come to the regular start menu, and then put all your programs into a folder.
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
add a comment |
Sorry, but that is not possible. Instead, you could come to the regular start menu, and then put all your programs into a folder.
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
add a comment |
Sorry, but that is not possible. Instead, you could come to the regular start menu, and then put all your programs into a folder.
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
Sorry, but that is not possible. Instead, you could come to the regular start menu, and then put all your programs into a folder.
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
answered Sep 17 '18 at 7:29
THEBESTTHEBEST
1
1
add a comment |
add a comment |
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Please add a couple of screenshots to illustrate this behaviour.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 7:28
@simlev I mean, I don't know how that's meant to clarify anything. I delete shortcuts, they reappear. But, if you insist: imgur.com/gallery/4635WCu
– Frederic Bayer
Sep 17 '18 at 7:48
I see, try setting them as hidden. This way, they should not appear in ClassicShell and will hopefully not be overwritten by Office365.
– simlev
Sep 17 '18 at 8:15
For Office 365 ProPlus, there is only a PinIconsToTaskBar property in Configuration.xml file to control whether shortcut icons for Office products are added to the Windows taskbar. No setting to control the Start menu.
– WinniL
Sep 19 '18 at 10:05