Windows 11 Taskbar / Startmenu

[tangotech]

How you do you tackle the Windows 11 taskbar / start menu?

 

I've found it impossible to get a working script to set out a layout for the start menu / taskbar. Windows 10 was simple with an XML file via GPO by Windows 11 won't play.... what do you all do?

[Chclark]

How you do you tackle the Windows 11 taskbar / start menu?

 

I've found it impossible to get a working script to set out a layout for the start menu / taskbar. Windows 10 was simple with an XML file via GPO by Windows 11 won't play.... what do you all do?

 

We only use the old win10 XML to set the taskbar now the startmemu as far as I know is only configurable with intune but we haven't had a need to customise it really task bar covers us for edge and file explorer only.

[michaeljbrewis97]

Yeah the startmenu appears to only be configurable via Intune which is really annoying. Thankfully by default Office apps are pined but that doesnt help if we want to add Google Chrome and SIMS etc. Microsoft are basically forcing businesses to use Intune.

[clareq]

A colleague of mine has written this blog - it works here:

https://markhardisty.wordpress.com/2022/06/07/customising-windows-11-pinned-apps-menu-for-education-users/

[tangotech]

It worked!! Thank you so much, what a fantastic little hack.

[toffee_paul]

The blog mentions that the hack will only likely work until 22H2 and it's hoped MS will introduce GPs to manage the start menu but with that now out the only change to GPs related to the start menu seem to be the "Remove Recommended section from Start Menu". Not sure if the hack still works on 22H2 as we haven't tried it but MS really should be adding GPs for this instead of forcing Intune. Too much too soon again from MS.

[tangotech]

I can confirm the hack works with Windows 11 Education 22H2

[mjhardisty]

Yes, it still works with 22H2!