How to Backup Windows Start Menu

MJD

This is my first Windows guide as I have been an Mac user for years and only bought my first Windows PC today (last version of Windows I used was Windows 98). I thought I may as well start adding guides for Windows users too.

I thought I would share this to get my Windows section kicked off. I shall be adding more as I start to get used to Windows and its features.


To do this guide you need access to hidden files on your Windows PC. If you do not and don't know how to to it then you I recommend using this guide. It will show you how to do it on most versions of Windows

As the Lifehacker article states people will spend a lot of time tweaking their Start Menu so it is to their liking and if for some reason something went awry and your menu set back to its default state

How to Backup the Start Menu in Windows

  • Open a new Explorer Window

  • Navigate to C:\Users[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer

  • In there you will find a directory called Database

  • Copy the Database directory and then place the copy in an external location such as Dropbox, OneDrive, your NAS or anywhere you can access whenever you need to restore it
  • To restore your Start Menu layout just go to where you have stored your backup. Go back to the location in the second step C:\Users[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer and place the Database directory in there
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MJD