Pin Programs to the Start Menu

The Windows XP Start Menu has an area at the top left that allows you to permanently store shortcuts to commonly used programs. A few programs, such as your web browser and email client, may already be included in this section of the Start Menu by default. However, you can easily add shortcuts to other applications by "pinning" them to this section.

To pin a program:

1. Click "Start", then "All Programs".

2. Find the name of the program that you want to pin and right click it to access the context menu.

3. In the context menu, click "Pin to Start menu".

A shortcut for that program should then appear in the top left section of the Start menu and will stay there permanently. Once pinned, the program will be immediately accessible from the first portion of the Start menu and you will never have to search through "All Programs" to find it again.

If you decide that you no longer want the program shortcut displayed in the "pinned section", simply right-click on the shortcut name and choose "Unpin from Start menu" from the context menu.

Context menu showing Pin to Start menu option

Context menu showing pin option

XP Tips - Computer Tips for Windows XP