The Start button may have made a comeback in Microsoft’s recent update to Windows 8, but the familiar old Start menu—the one with the handy “Programs” shortcut for all your apps—appears to be gone for good.
In its place is the new Start screen, an eye-catching patchwork of multicolored “live” tiles that you can arrange any which way.
The Start screen is sure impressive, and if you’re willing to invest the time, you can always go through and “pin” your favorite apps next to your other Start screen tiles.
You can sort the apps on the All Apps screen by name, date installed, category, or most used.
But what if you want to just view a big list of all your apps at once, just like you could by clicking the Programs shortcut in the old Start menu?
Well, good news: thanks to the just-released Windows 8.1 update, a new “all apps” view is just a swipe, a click, or a two-button keyboard combo away.
If you’re using Windows 8.1 on a standard desktop PC, try this: from the Start screen, press CONTROL + TAB, or click the downward arrow in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
On a Windows 8.1 tablet or touchscreen PC, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
When you do, a new Apps screen will slide into view, complete with clickable and tappable icons for all your Windows 8 and “standard” Windows apps and programs.
Want to search for a specific app? Just start typing its name, and search results will appear as you type.
Even better, you can sort the list of apps by clicking the drop-down menu at the top of the screen. You can sort by name, date installed, category, or (my favorite) most used.
Ready to go back to the Start screen? Click the arrow in the bottom-corner of the screen, press CONTROL + TAB again, or (on a touchscreen) swipe down from the top of the display.
Nice.
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