Microsoft allows you to import a Start Menu layout from one of their Windows 11/10 computer and export it to another. This can be done to maintain uniformity and ensures that you don’t always have to customize your Start Menu from scratch. In this post, we will discuss how you can import and export Start Menu layout in Windows 11/10 using PowerShell.
Import and export the Start Menu layout in Windows 11/10 using PowerShell
In our quest to import and export the Start Menu layout, we are going to follow the following order.
- Export a Start Menu layout
- Import a Start Menu layout
Let us see how to do the same.
1] Export a Start Menu layout
Open the ‘System32’ folder located in the ‘Windows’ directory. Now click on ‘File’, then click on ‘Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator’.
To export, you need to run the following commands for exporting the Start Menu layout:
export-startlayout –path <path><file name>.xml
example:
export-startlayout –path C:\layout.xml
The layout will be exported to an XML file and will be saved at the specified path.
We will use this file again while importing this start menu layout so that you may preserve the file for future use.
2] Import a Start Menu Layout
To import the customized layout into the system, run the following command in an elevated PowerShell window:
Import-StartLayout –LayoutPath <path><file name>.xml –MountPath %systemdrive%
You can import a Start Menu layout using Group Policy Editor (gpedit). After importing the layout it will be fixed, that is you will not be able to change that layout by moving the tiles around. But you can easily undo changes and again make the Start Menu customizable by following the steps given below.
To apply the Start layout to users in a domain, create a Group Policy Object. Press ‘Win + R’ on your keyboard and then type ‘gpedit’ and hit enter.
Once the Group Policy Editor is up and running, navigate to ‘User Configuration’ then to ‘Administrative Templates’, and then to ‘Start Menu and Taskbar’.
Now locate ‘Start Layout’ in the right pane and open the setting.
Click on the ‘Enable’ radio button and then in the Start Layout File textbox, type in the path to the file that we exported earlier. (C:\layout.xml)
Click ‘Apply’ and close everything. Sign Out of your account and then Sign In again.
Now you will not be able to edit the start menu layout as it will be fixed and will not allow any changes. You can make the start menu editable once again by disabling the ‘Start Layout’ setting that we’ve enabled in Step 4.
To apply these changes to all users on a computer, you need to repeat all the steps but in Step 2, navigate to ‘Computer Configuration’ instead of ‘User Configuration’.
If you want to update the fixed Start Menu layout, you just need to update the XML file that we exported earlier. You can replace it with another XML file but make sure the file name and path remain the same.
TIP: You can also Backup Start Menu Layout using this free software.
If you have any questions or if you are not able to understand any of the steps, feel free to comment down below. You might also want to learn how to Backup, Restore, and Reset the Start Menu Layout in Windows 11/10
How to Import start layout windows 11?
To import Start Layout in Windows 11, you need to run Import-StartLayout –LayoutPath <path><file name>.xml –MountPath %systemdrive%. If you want to know how to run it and want to after running it, check out the Import section mentioned earlier.
Read: How to pin Windows Update to Start Menu or Taskbar in Windows 11/10
How do I change the layout of Windows 11?
To change the Start Menu layout in Windows 11 or make any other customization to your Start Menu, you need to visit Settings > Personalization > Start. Here, you can make all sorts of changes as per your will.
Also Read: Best free Start Menu Alternatives for Windows 11.
