Free Start Menus for Windows 8

Start Menu Software/Replacements for Windows 8

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Free Start Menu Replacements/Software for Windows 8

With Microsoft's attempt to move Windows away from being a desktop operating system into one focused on tablet users (or so it seems to me), it removed the Start Menu from Windows 8, replacing it with something that is more suitable for the tablet. This is turn spawned an entirely new software industry overnight, with a multitude of software developers, both commercial vendors and hobbyist programmers, writing Start Menu replacements to fill one of the usability holes vacated by Microsoft.

The freeware and/or open source software listed below will add a Start button and its associated menu to your Windows 8 system. You can then invoke the menu to see a list of programs installed on your system, run them, customise (or "customize" in US English) the list, pin programs to the menu, or even search for a program by using the built-in search field. Depending on the program you download, the start menu may take on the appearance of the built-in ones that come with previous Windows version or have its own unique design. There is even one that looks very Windows-8-ish (in terms of visual appearance).

A side benefit of using the Start Menu is that most (if not all) of the software will also allow you to boot directly to the Windows 8 desktop, instead of letting you be forced into the tablet interface (or the "Metro" interface, as it is commonly referred to) and then having to waste time manually switching to the desktop. Another benefit is that some of them also place a "Shut down" button on the menu, so that you can actually turn off your Windows 8 computer without jumping through hoops.

Incidentally, if you are using a computer bought from one of the well-known computer brands, you also may want to explore the free start menu software that those companies provide their customers. (Yes, the big-name computer manufacturers provide their own start menu replacements too! As I said, it's now an industry. Before Windows 8, there were probably only two or so programs that replaced your start menu. Now, we have zillions.) Unfortunately, the start menus from the hardware companies tend to work only on their computers, and are thus not listed below. They also have varying levels of capability (and not all of them can skip to the desktop). Anyway, for the sake of those who own such computers, but cannot find the software, the ones I know about can be found here (in no particular order): HP, Lenovo and Toshiba. But I'm sure there are many more.

Note: I know there are lots of other free start menu software around that are not listed here. It takes a while for me to weed out those that are just scams/fakes that put some malware on your system, crippleware (of a commercial version where the free version is crippled so much that it's really useless for the normal user), and repackaging of an open source menu under another name. If I wait until I sort everything out, this page will never be published, since there are so many, with probably a lot more on the way. However, if you know of any not listed, don't let that stop you from letting me know, just in case I really don't know about that program. And, as usual, if you spot any listed software that have turned bad (eg, now contains malware, or the website now redirects to some irrelevant site), please let me know too (urgently, in this case).

On a separate note, since you are using Windows 8, you may also be interested in free DVD player software, since the bundled Windows Media Player no longer handles DVDs.