Add More Tiles to Windows 10 Start Menu?
Yes, you can add more tiles to the Windows 10 Start menu, but the number of tiles you can pin is limited by the size of the menu and your screen resolution. This guide explains how to add, resize, and organize tiles, and why you might run out of space.
Background: How the Start Menu Tiles Work
Windows 10’s Start menu combines a traditional app list on the left with a customizable tile area on the right. Tiles are live shortcuts that can show dynamic content (like weather or news) and can be resized to four different sizes: small, medium, wide, and large. The tile area is a grid where each tile occupies a certain number of cells. The grid’s total size is fixed by your screen resolution and Windows display scaling settings, so the number of tiles you can fit depends on the size of each tile and the available grid space.
How to Add Tiles to the Start Menu
Adding a tile is straightforward, but the exact steps depend on what you want to pin.
- From the app list: Click the Start button, then find the app in the alphabetical list on the left. Right-click the app and choose “Pin to Start.�
- From the desktop or File Explorer: Right-click a shortcut, folder, or file and select “Pin to Start.�
- From the Microsoft Store: Some apps have a “Pin to Start� option in their store page or after installation.
- From a web browser: In Microsoft Edge, open the menu (three dots) and select “Pin this page to Start.� Other browsers may offer similar options.
Once pinned, you can drag the tile to reposition it anywhere in the tile area. You can also right-click a tile to resize it or unpin it.
How Many Tiles Can You Fit?
There is no hard-coded limit like “50 tiles,� but the practical limit is the grid size. On a typical 1080p screen with 100% scaling, the tile area might be 4 columns wide and 6–7 rows tall, allowing roughly 24–28 small tiles. However, if you use medium or large tiles, you’ll fit fewer. The grid can also scroll vertically, so you can have more tiles than fit on one screen—you just scroll down. The real constraint is that the Start menu’s height is capped by your screen resolution, so on a small laptop screen you’ll have less room than on a large monitor.
How to Choose Tile Sizes and Organize Groups
To make the most of your tile space, you can resize tiles and group them.
- Resize a tile: Right-click the tile, select “Resize,â€� and choose Small, Medium, Wide, or Large. Small tiles are 1×1 grid cells, medium are 2×2, wide are 2×1 (or 1×2 depending on orientation), and large are 4×2.
- Create groups: Drag a tile to the bottom of the tile area until a gray bar appears, then drop it. This creates a new group. You can name the group by clicking the “Name group� button that appears.
- Move tiles between groups: Drag a tile to another group’s header area.
Using small tiles for apps you rarely open and wide tiles for apps you use often can help you fit more tiles and keep important ones visible.
Common Problems and Fixes
If you can’t add more tiles or the Start menu isn’t working correctly, try these solutions.
- “Pin to Start� is grayed out: Some system apps (like Settings) cannot be unpinned, but most can be pinned. If the option is grayed out, the item might be a system component that isn’t pinnable.
- No space for new tiles: The Start menu automatically scrolls, so you should always be able to add a tile—it just goes to the bottom. If you can’t drag it to the bottom, try resizing the Start menu by dragging its top or right edge to make it larger.
- Tiles not updating (live tiles): Right-click the tile, select “More,� and choose “Turn live tile off� then on again. If that fails, restart the app or your PC.
- Start menu crashes or doesn’t open: Restart Windows Explorer via Task Manager, or run the Start menu troubleshooter in Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
Alternatives to the Start Menu Tiles
If you find the Start menu tile area too limited, you have other options.
- Desktop shortcuts: Create shortcuts on the desktop for quick access. This bypasses the Start menu entirely.
- Taskbar pinning: Pin frequently used apps to the taskbar. The taskbar can hold many icons, and you can combine multiple windows.
- Third-party launchers: Tools like Classic Shell or Start11 offer more customization, but they are not built into Windows and may require a purchase.
- Windows 11 Start menu: If you upgrade to Windows 11, the Start menu uses a different layout with a “Pinned� section that has a fixed number of slots (about 18 by default), but you can still scroll through all your apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add more tiles than the screen shows?
Yes, the Start menu scrolls vertically, so you can pin as many tiles as you want—they will appear below the fold. However, if you have a very large number of tiles, it becomes impractical to scroll through them all, so you might want to organize them into groups.
Why can’t I resize a tile to “Large�?
Not all apps support all tile sizes. The “Large� option is only available for apps that provide a wide tile layout. If the option is missing, the app doesn’t support that size.
How do I remove a tile?
Right-click the tile and select “Unpin from Start.� This removes the tile but does not uninstall the app.
Can I add a folder or a file to the Start menu as a tile?
Yes, you can pin folders and certain files (like a document or a shortcut) to Start. Right-click the item in File Explorer and choose “Pin to Start.� The tile will open that item when clicked.
Does adding more tiles slow down my PC?
No, adding tiles does not significantly affect performance. Live tiles that update frequently (like news or weather) may use a small amount of background data and CPU, but the impact is minimal.
Can I change the Start menu size to fit more tiles?
Yes, you can resize the Start menu by dragging its top or right edge. On larger screens, you can make the menu wider and taller, which increases the tile grid area. You can also change the display scaling in Settings > System > Display, but that affects the whole screen.
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