Windows 11 Start menu layout via GPO

[EeboBebo]

Has anyone managed to successfully deploy a start layout to users on Windows 11 21H2 using Group Policy? Im trying to follow guides i have googled but with no success so if anyone know any good guides to get it working, that would be amazing!

 

Thanks

[thimon]

Has anyone managed to successfully deploy a start layout to users on Windows 11 21H2 using Group Policy? Im trying to follow guides i have googled but with no success so if anyone know any good guides to get it working, that would be amazing!

 

Thanks

 

Yup, got a standard layout deployed to all users no problem. Create the start menu how you like it, then grab the start2.bin file at %LocalAppdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState deploy this via GPO to the same user location to all users. I’ve set it to Replace, but tick the box to only apply once, that way it won’t keep overwriting the layout when users modify it themselves. Happy days.

[EeboBebo]

Yup, got a standard layout deployed to all users no problem. Create the start menu how you like it, then grab the start2.bin file at %LocalAppdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState deploy this via GPO to the same user location to all users. I’ve set it to Replace, but tick the box to only apply once, that way it won’t keep overwriting the layout when users modify it themselves. Happy days.

 

Cool thanks. Which GPO setting did you use and was it a computer or User GPO?

[thimon]

Follow the guide at https://woshub.com/copy-files-on-all-computers-group-policy/ for how to replace a file, remembering to tick “Apply once and do not reapply”. Put it under user setting, as the file location is in the user’s appdata folder.

[thimon]

This is what I’ve deployed as the default layout, for all users. They can change it if they wish.

[EeboBebo]

This is what I’ve deployed as the default layout, for all users. They can change it if they wish. [ATTACH]69014[/ATTACH]

 

Awesome thank. Just out of curiosity, how do you create the Pinned apps for the extend/ duplicate desktop and wirelessly project etc?

[ThatBoringBloke]

In the age of search I've given up trying to customise the start menu.

I did at first, then realised that all of the users I witnessed just started typing the name of the program they wanted to use in anyway.

[thimon]

They're all shortcuts with run the below commands.

 

Extend screen command:

 

C:\Windows\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /extend

 

Duplicate screen command:

 

C:\Windows\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /clone

 

Wirelessly connect:

 

%windir%\explorer.exe ms-settings-connectabledevices:devicediscovery

[mdrabble]

How do you have you sharepoint drives shortcut?

[EeboBebo]

Follow the guide at https://woshub.com/copy-files-on-all-computers-group-policy/ for how to replace a file, remembering to tick “Apply once and do not reapply”. Put it under user setting, as the file location is in the user’s appdata folder.

 

Im getting the error below in eventviewer when the .bin is trying to be copied into the %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState directory:

 

"Group Policy Object did not apply because it failed with error code '0x80070005 Access is denied.' This error was suppressed"

 

Ive store the start.bin file in the Netlogon folder and ive also checked the directory paths in the GPO to make sure they are correct. Any ideas?

[thimon]

Try C:\Users\%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState instead

 

Edit: I've looked at our GPO setting for this file, it places the file at %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\start2.bin so perhaps it works fine via GPO, however not manually on the computer? The folders in the Packages folder have odd permissions, so at the computer you cannot access a lot of them.

Edited May 25, 2023 by thimon

[thimon]

How do you have you sharepoint drives shortcut?

That's a pinned Edge shortcut, pointing to our main SharePoint site.

[mjhardisty]

I produced this guide on changing the Pinned Apps for Windows 11 via GPO:

 

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

[thimon]

@mjhardisty Is there a reason you use a user logon script instead of copying the file via Group Policy? I've been taught that many logon scripts are bad, delaying logging in, etc.

[mjhardisty]

You could try it via GPO and copying the file .... not sure whether the same environment variables for the user are available. There are plenty of ways to skin a cat as they say. The script should be lightweight ... it doesn't do much, but give it a test!

[tri_94]

Just looking into this

 

Logged on as one user and added items to the pinned apps and then copied the start2.bin to a fileshare and i'm using a powershell script to copy the start2.bin from the fileshare to %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMen uExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\start2.bin and the file is copying however the pinned apps are not the same as the ones i created. Am i missing something?

 

Thanks

[BOOT]

Seems risky to me. What happens when Microsoft change the format of the start2.bin file and suddenly no users can get a start menu or taskbar because the app has crashed?

[thimon]

Just looking into this

 

Logged on as one user and added items to the pinned apps and then copied the start2.bin to a fileshare and i'm using a powershell script to copy the start2.bin from the fileshare to %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMen uExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\start2.bin and the file is copying however the pinned apps are not the same as the ones i created. Am i missing something?

 

Thanks

 

Via GPO, I’ve got the users original file to be deleted as a one time process, the then desired file deployed as a one time process afterwards. This means the user can customise it themselves if needed, it doesn’t keep getting overwritten.

[tri_94]

Are you using roaming profiles?

[thimon]

Are you using roaming profiles?

 

Local.

[tri_94]

They're all shortcuts with run the below commands.

 

Extend screen command:

 

C:\Windows\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /extend

 

Duplicate screen command:

 

C:\Windows\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /clone

 

Wirelessly connect:

 

%windir%\explorer.exe ms-settings-connectabledevices:devicediscovery

 

Hi there, just wondering how to make these appear as i've added a couple of them and a log off one to my user and then copied the Start2.bin and the other user gets all the others apart from this as they disappear

 

Thanks

[thimon]

Hi there, just wondering how to make these appear as i've added a couple of them and a log off one to my user and then copied the Start2.bin and the other user gets all the others apart from this as they disappear

 

Thanks

 

I copy them via GPO to the programdata start menu folder, so all users have access to the shortcuts. I’m back in work next week so can have a look.

[tri_94]

Hi there, did you ever get chance to have a look, as i'm just revisiting this and updating our pinned and would like to try and get these to appear.

 

Many thanks

[Warwick_Tech]

Hi All,

 

Trying this myself and like tri_94 I'm getting mixed results;

 

Do you have to delete the start2.bin file then apply the new one? I've just got it set to 'replace'

 

 

Wierdly it's just the MS Office apps that refuse to apply, my batch commands and URL's work fine

[old_n07]

We copy ours into the default profile via a PowerShell script during build so that any new users get the layout applied, you have to create the folder structure as it isn't present by default.

 

$startmenuTemplate = "\start2.bin"

# Default profile path
$defaultProfile = "C:\Users\default\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState"

# Create folder if it doesn't exist
if(-not(Test-Path $defaultProfile)) {
  new-item $defaultProfile -ItemType Directory -Force
}

# Copy file
Copy-Item -Path $startmenuTemplate -Destination $defaultProfile -Force