Pin to Start Files in Windows 8

How to Add or Remove Pin to Start Context Menu for Files in Windows 8 and 8.1

information   Information
By default, Windows 8 will let you Pin to Start apps , folders, drives, libraries, management consoles (.msc files), and shortcuts to any of these.

This tutorial will let you add or remove "Pin to Start" from the context menu of all files for all users to be able to pin any file to their Start screen and not just the default ones listed above in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.


EXAMPLE: "Pin to Start" for All Files
Pin_to_Start_Files.jpg





OPTION ONE

Add or Remove "Pin to Start" in Windows 8 and Windows RT


1. Do step 2, 3 or 4 below for what you would like to do.​
2. To Add "Pin to Start" to Context Menu of All Files in Windows 8/RT
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Add_8_Pin_to_Start_to_Files_Context_Menu.reg
download


3. To Remove "Pin to Start" from Context Menu of All Files
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Remove_Pin_to_Start_from_Files_Context_Menu.reg
download

4. To Restore Default "Pin to Start" Context Menu in Windows 8/RT
NOTE: This is the default setting.​
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Restore_8_Default_Pin-to_Start.reg
download

5. Save the .reg file to your Desktop.​
6. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.​
7. Click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted to approve merging the .reg file.​
8. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​







OPTION TWO

Add or Remove "Pin to Start" in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1



NOTE: This includes Windows 8.1 Update as well.
1. Do step 2, 3 or 4 below for what you would like to do.​
2. To Add "Pin to Start" to Context Menu of All Files in Windows 8.1/RT 8.1
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Add_8-1_Pin_to_Start_to_Files_Context_Menu.reg
download


3. To Remove "Pin to Start" from Context Menu of All Files
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Remove_Pin_to_Start_from_Files_Context_Menu.reg
download

4. To Restore Default "Pin to Start" Context Menu in Windows 8.1/RT 8.1
NOTE: This is the default setting.​
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Restore_8-1_Default_Pin-to_Start.reg
download

5. Save the .reg file to your Desktop.​
6. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.​
7. Click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted to approve merging the .reg file.​
8. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​



That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Remove_Pin_to_Start_from_Files_Context_Menu..reg
    1.5 KB · Views: 4,344
  • Add_8-1_Pin_to_Start_to_Files_Context_Menu.reg
    1 KB · Views: 2,336
  • Add_8_Pin_to_Start_to_Files_Context_Menu.reg
    3.8 KB · Views: 2,533
  • Restore_8-1_Default_Pin_to_Start_to_Files_Context_Menu.reg
    1.7 KB · Views: 1,591
  • Restore_8_Default_Pin-to_Start.reg
    4.6 KB · Views: 1,546
  • Pin-to-Start.png
    Pin-to-Start.png
    1.7 KB · Views: 344
Last edited by a moderator:
No option appears , I'm on windows 8.1 update 1 x64,,,, I searched around internet and merged a registry file then the option came up to pin to start any .exe file etc... but then it gives error that it can't be ????

ehhh. edit : the easiest way is to create a shortcut to the desktop then pin it to start then delete it from desktop :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4430 @ 3.0 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Asus H87-PLUS
    Memory
    8 GB GDDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus R9 270 OC 2 GB
    Sound Card
    Builtin AMD Hight Defination Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS MS228H 21.5" Wide LED Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SATA Seagate
    PSU
    Seasonic 500w PSU
    Case
    Orange
    Cooling
    None
    Keyboard
    A4Tech Usb
    Mouse
    A4Tech Usb
    Internet Speed
    3G via Smartphone (Mobilink)
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Internet Security 2015
Hello Evil Nemesis,

OPTION ONE will not work in 8.1. Did you use OPTION TWO for 8.1? ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Wowww, My bad how could I miss that :( I didn't look at option 2 at all... I just tried it and it works... How can M$ do this to the very latest os hehehe...

Anyway thanks alot mate , just curious though what difference the step 3 and 4 have ? (restore, remove) reg files....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4430 @ 3.0 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Asus H87-PLUS
    Memory
    8 GB GDDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus R9 270 OC 2 GB
    Sound Card
    Builtin AMD Hight Defination Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS MS228H 21.5" Wide LED Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SATA Seagate
    PSU
    Seasonic 500w PSU
    Case
    Orange
    Cooling
    None
    Keyboard
    A4Tech Usb
    Mouse
    A4Tech Usb
    Internet Speed
    3G via Smartphone (Mobilink)
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Internet Security 2015
LOL, no worries mate. I'm just glad to hear it's working for you now. :)

It was changed how "Pin to Start" was referenced in the registry for 8 vs 8.1. If you like, you could edit the restore .reg files for each to be able to compare the differences in more detail.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
A while ago, on my desktop PC I found a similar registry file that I merged and that worked prefectly for me. But now I have bought a Surface Pro 2 and for the life of me I couldn't find it again. I came across this thread on this forum and did the merge with you reg file and it works just fine. Thanks a lot!

One thing is missing however. I have a lot of saved RDP files and when I right click on a RDP file, I don't get the option to pin it to my start.

Is this by design or a bug / oversight?

Thanks for the great work so far,
Dave
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hello Dave, and welcome to Eight Forums. :)

You should have a "Pin to Start" for .rdp files as well after using step 1 in OPTION TWO like below.

RDP.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello Brink, thanks for the reply. Yes, PDF files work fine. And Yes, I did choose option two and the merge went fine too. It's RDP files that are the problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I accidentally noticed something... The RDP files are on my OneDrive and the PDF file I tried was on my C: drive. After I copied one of the RDP files to my local drive it worked.

Then I tried other types of files that are on my OneDrive, such als Excel, Word and PDF files. When they are on my OneDrive it doesn't work. When they are on the C: drive it works.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Yeah, it'll only work in File Explorer. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Naturally. I am doing this in the file explorer and not in the web browser. I have OneDrive in my file explorer....

WP_20140429_002.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
And this one is with a view with the RDP file on the deskop (also in file explorer :) )

By the way, "Pin to start" = "Vastmaken aan Start" in Dutch...

WP_20140429_003.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
You're most welcome. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Haha. My right click on file, Pin to Start, just randomly stopped working today out of nowhere :what:I had to use:

4.
To Restore Default "Pin to Start" Context Menu in Windows 8.1/RT 8.1
to restore it.

Usually a restart fixes stuff like that but, not today. Thanks man. I bookmarked this along with other tutorials in fear that I may one day need it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 64-bit
I'm glad it was able to help you Casey. :party:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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