How do I change the location of the shortcuts in the Windows Start menu?

John Savill

October 21, 2001

1 Min Read
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A. Windows typically loads the Start menu shortcuts for the user profile from the %USERPROFILE%Start Menu folder. To modify these shortcuts, perform the following steps:

  1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).

  2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerUser Shell Folders.

  3. Double-click Start Menu.

  4. Change the path to point to the new location of the Start menu shortcuts, and click OK.

  5. Close the registry editor.

  6. Log off and log on for the change to take effect.

You can also use Group Policy in Windows 2000 to accomplish this same change. Go to User Configuration, Windows Settings, Folder Redirection; right-click Start Menu; and enter the new shortcut path.

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