Start screen, the Start menu replacement introduced with Windows 8, is one of the most talked about features of Windows 8 operating system. The Start screen has been enhanced in Windows 8.1 by adding support for new tile sizes and more customization options such as the ability to set desktop wallpaper as Start screen background.
Just like the Start screen in Windows 8, the improved Start screen in Windows 8.1 allows you pin web pages, folders, and disk drives to it for easy access. You can right-click on a folder or drive and then click the Pin to Start option to pin a selected folder or drive to the Start screen.
As with the case of Windows 8, Windows 8.1 also doesn’t support pinning all file types to the Start with default settings. For instance, you can’t pin a picture or document to the Start screen with default settings.
Unfortunately, utilities that have been released to pin any file type to Windows 8’s Start screen don’t work in Windows 8.1 due to some restrictions introduced with the latest update.
If you would like to pin your favorite pictures and files to the Start screen in Windows 8.1, you can do so by adding Pin to Start option to the file context menu (right-click menu) of Windows Explorer or File Browser. That is, once you add Pin to Start option to the file context menu, you will be able to pin any file to the Start screen in Windows 8.1 without having to rely on third-party tools.
Follow the given below instructions to add Pin to Start option to the context menu in Windows 8.1:
Step 1: Visit this page and download PinAnyFileWindows81.zip file.
Step 2: Extract the zip file to get Pin to Start.reg file.
Step 3: Double-click on the registry file or right-click on the registry file and click Merge option.
Click on the Run button if you see “The publisher could not be verified” warning dialog.
Step 4: Click on the Yes button when you see the confirmation dialog.
Step 5: Finally, click on the OK button. That’s it! Pin to Start option should now appear when you right-click on a file.
Tip: You can select multiple files, right-click on them, and then click Pin to Start option to quickly pin more than one file to the Start screen.
To remove Pin to Start:
Step 1: Double-click on the Remove Pin to Start.reg file that you have obtained after extracting the downloaded Pin to Start zip file.
Step 2: Click on the Yes button when you see the confirmation dialog.
Step 3: Finally, click Ok button.
How to disable the Windows 8.1 Start screen and how to remove the Start button from Windows 8.1 taskbar guide might also interest you.
