File Explorer Missing on Start Menu

[newpersn]

Does anyone know where the group policy be for showing the file explorer on the start menu is?

 

I got a feeling i've hidden it and cant find it again..

[Tefters]

You mean the the icon on the left hand side of the start menu or when you type and search for it on the start menu?

[newpersn]

You mean the the icon on the left hand side of the start menu or when you type and search for it on the start menu?

 

That would be the one

[Tefters]

Err which one? Lol

[newpersn]

opps.. On the left side of the start menu

[Tefters]

That's a pinned icon through start menu customisation, did you make changes on an original install and then copy to the default profile and recapture the WIM as that's what I did

[newpersn]

That's a pinned icon through start menu customisation, did you make changes on an original install and then copy to the default profile and recapture the WIM as that's what I did

 

On the left hand side where the power, settings and profile image is.

[FragglePete]

Completely bonkers isn't it! ?

 

You can't centrally turned on this 'pinned folder' and by default it is switched off. The only way to turn it on is to go into the immersive control panel > Personalisation > Start > Choose which folders appear on Start > File Explorer > On. Not exactly straight forward. Problem is we actually block the Immersive Control panel for Students using AppLocker because they can Fubar a machine by doing a recovery on it from within!!!! There appears to be no GPP, GPO or Registry Tweak to turn this on.

 

I had to stand in front of the entire school faculty this morning and explain how to gain access to File Explorer as a number of teachers couldn't find their stuff!!!

 

Pete

[Arthur]

You can't centrally turned on this 'pinned folder' and by default it is switched off.

You can pin it to the taskbar through Group Policy.

[FragglePete]

You can pin it to the taskbar through Group Policy.

 

It's something I've turned off also for Students; pinning programs on the Task Bar. We have reasons for doing this.

 

Pete

[Tefters]

I created a desktop shortcut to file explorer.

I haven't tried but can't you do a regshot before (without the folder icon on the left) and then after (with it in place) and see what's changed and make a custom GPO on this?

[newpersn]

OR does anyone know how i can keep it pinned on the start menu?

[tmoon-mint]

I did it using this method:

 

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/configure-windows-10-taskbar

 

Edit: Sorry misread your post. This is to pin it to the taskbar.

[thimon]

OR does anyone know how i can keep it pinned on the start menu?

 

Why do you need it pinned to the Start Menu? By default for us File Explorer is on the Taskbar and to the left of the tiles in the Start Menu.

 

[Boredguy]

@thimon you appear to be using the previous version of Windows 10. Anniversary edition moved the Explorer icon from the start menu on fresh installs.

[thimon]

@thimon you appear to be using the previous version of Windows 10. Anniversary edition moved the Explorer icon from the start menu on fresh installs.

 

We've decided to stay away from the Anniversary edition for now.

[vizubeat]

@newpersn did you get anywhere with this? we're on 1607 education and can't get file explorer to show up in the start menu unless you do it manually...and as mentioned above immersive control panel is disabled for obvious reasons.

[newpersn]

Nope. I gave up with it and added a shortcut to file explorer in the start menu.

[DJ-1701]

I just basically manually made the change on one account, then took a copy of the C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database folder onto our network, and in the build process told it to copy to C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database... that way any new logins get the icon by default.

[vizubeat]

what a load of nonsense. thanks folks. fortunately a colleague has written a 'start menu shortcut spinner' which will add stuff to the start menu for us, but it really shouldn't be this tricky to set things up. GPO and registry has worked pretty well until now, right? why break it?