How to add Files and Folders to Windows 10’s Start Menu

Matthew April 15, 2016

This TechJunkie guide covered how you can customize Windows 10’s Start menu. Aside from adding new tiles to it, you can also add new folder and file shortcuts to the All apps list on the menu. This is how you can add new file and folder shortcuts to the Windows 10 Start menu.

How to add Files and Folders to Windows 10's Start Menu

First, open File Explorer. Then browse to the following folder path, or location: C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms. That will open the Start menu Programs folder in File Explorer as below.

To add a folder to Start menu, you should right-click the desktop and select New > Shortcut. That will then open the window in the shot directly below. Select Browse, choose a folder to add to Start menu, press Next and then Finish.

Now you should drag the folder shortcut on the desktop into the Start menu Programs folder (not a subfolder in the folder) open in File Explorer by selecting it and holding the left mouse button. Then you might get a Destination Access Folder Denied window. If that is the case, press Continue on that window to move the folder into Start menu.

Then when you click the Start menu and All apps, you should find the folder listed on the index. It will have New beside it to further highlight it’s a new Start menu entry.

To add a new file, or document, shortcut to the Start menu, you should right-click a file in File Explorer to open its context menu. Then select Copy from the menu. Open the C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms folder again, and press the Paste shortcut option on the toolbar.

When you press that, it might state, “Windows can’t create a shortcut here.” If that is so, press the Yes button to place the shortcut on the desktop instead. Then drag that shortcut from the desktop into the Start menu Programs folder in File Explorer. That adds a new document shortcut to Start menu as below.

So that’s how you can add new folder and file shortcuts to the All apps list on the Start menu. Then you can quickly open your most essential folders and files from the Start menu instead of File Explorer.