Grouping Tiles on the Start Screen

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 1, 2018)

The Start screen is what you see when you first log into Windows. It is the place where your tiles are displayed and you can quickly start the apps associated with those tiles. The Start screen functions as a sort of "dashboard" for your most commonly performed Windows tasks, and over time you can collect quite a few tiles on the screen.

As you add more and more tiles, you may want to group tiles together so that they are organized in accordance with how you like to do your work. Grouping tiles is rather easy. If you are moving tiles from one existing group to another, just click and drag the tile you want to move (if using the mouse) or tap it and drag it using your finger on a touch screen. Move the tile to the group where you want it; as you do so, the existing tiles in the group shuffle about a bit to make room for the newcomer. When satisfied with the position, just drop the tile.

If you want to create a new group for tiles, drag the first tile you want in the new group from the group in which it currently is located. (Again, you can drag by using your finger if on a touch screen or by clicking and dragging if using a mouse.) You want to drag it left or right; as you do so, you'll pass over a "no man's land" that exists between existing groups. Doing so causes a vertical bar to appear on the screen as the tile is within this special area.

When you see the vertical bar, drop the tile. The existing groups on either side of that area move over to make way for a brand new group that has just the single tile in it. You can then drag other tiles into the new group, if desired.

 This tip (12907) applies to Windows 8.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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