Power User Tasks Menu - Open in Windows 8

How to Open Win+X Power User Tasks Menu in Windows 8 and 8.1​


information   Information
This will show you how to open the Power User Tasks Menu with quick links to some common administrative and power user tasks in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1,and Windows RT 8.1.

You'll notice that Windows Explorer is now called File Explorer in Windows 8.

Note   Note
In Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1, a Shut Down menu has been added to the Power User Tasks Menu that can include the Sign out, Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down, and Restart options.

If you shut down from the WIN+X menu in Windows 8.1, it will perform a full shutdown instead of a hybrid shutdown even if you have Fast Startup turned on.


EXAMPLE: Power User Tasks Menu
​
Power_User_Menu_Windows_8.jpg power_user_menu_windows_8_1.jpg​






Here's How:


1. Do step 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 below for how you would like to open the Power User Tasks Menu.

2. Press the :winkey: + X keys and release.
NOTE: Using this option will allow you to see the available underlined (letter) keyboard shortcuts to press for each menu item to open with.
​
Win+X_underline.jpg​



3. In Windows 8 or Windows RT, move the pointer all the way to the lower left corner of any connected display screen until you see the Start button display, then right click on the Start button.
​
start.jpg​

4. On your desktop in Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, right click on the Start button on the taskbar of any connected display.
​
Windows_8.1_Start_Button.jpg​

5. On your Start screen in Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, move the pointer all the way to the lower left corner of any connected display screen until you see the Start button display, then right click on the Start button.

6. On a touchscreen while on your desktop, press and hold on the Start button on the taskbar until you see the faded white rectangle appear on it, then release.
NOTE: It's important to not move your finger whole pressing and holding.

7. On a touchscreen while on your desktop, press and hold using a stylus pen on the Start button on the taskbar until you see the round circle appear on it, then release.
NOTE: It's important to not move the stylus pen whole pressing and holding.


Tip   Tip
If the Power User Tasks Menu doesn't open with either step above, then it means that you haven't opened anything yet from the Start screen. Going to the desktop will allow the Power User Tasks Menu to open afterwards from any location in Windows 8.





That's it,
Shawn



Related Tutorials

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Click to expand...
You'll have blisters on your fingers before you finish EVERY tutorial needed for Metro :)
Just a note to let you know your efforts are appreciated, and those of all who offer tips, tricks and tidbits.

I knew about Winkey + X. Only because many times I had inadvertently hit it while opening the Apps Bar
while in Metro. Winkey + Z and Winkey + X are so darn close. Thanks for the mouse tip.

I tried to manually add System Information for Group3 to no avail.
I found the folder and added the .lnk to it but it didn't 'take'.

c:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\Group3\11 - System Information.lnk

So I entered the registry and had the paste all set to go, but didn't have permission to enter the new Key.

F00E6525EF31101D_10_-_System_Information_lnk_amd64.lnk
C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX\Group3\11 - System Information.lnk

Can't figure WHY they wouldn't let you easily add something to anyone of those Groups, but I'll just
get use to type/search and let the mouse rest for a while.

Here's a snip of the registry.
Again thanks
Windunce


Service Profiles.PNG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7-8 Dual Boot on a Commodore 64
Hello Windunce,

LOL, I hear that. Hopefully there will be a way figured out to add items to this before to long. :)
 

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,
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    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

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Arch Linux/Debian 7/Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP 4520s
    CPU
    i3
    Motherboard
    HP 4520s OEM
    Memory
    4 GB
Last edited:

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,
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    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 are welcome!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Arch Linux/Debian 7/Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP 4520s
    CPU
    i3
    Motherboard
    HP 4520s OEM
    Memory
    4 GB
This is a fine example of something that is much easier on a normal desktop (mouse + keyboard) and almost impossible on a tablet!!

Well , impossible on my tablet anyway!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 64bit SP1
Hello Pikey,

I don't have a touchscreen to play with to know for sure, but are you able to touch the corner to have the Start button pop-up, then press and hold until the Power User menu opens?
 

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,
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    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
Hi Brink!

It's a bit hit and miss , I can't get to the new start button by touching the bottom corner of the 'old style' desktop , I have to have an app running in the background (Calendar or Weather for example) .. drag it in from the left hand side , then slide it back again slowly till it 'snaps' in and brings up the left hand 'charm' area .. with the black background! Then I can see the new Start button , but I can't get the right hand button manouvre to work in this instance!

I'm using an Acer Iconia Tab W500 though , and I suspect this is because it's resolution is 1280 x 800 and not the required 1366 x xxx (?) ... the proper Win 8 Snap feature also doesn't work because of this!

This tablet is still a bit new to me so I'm going to keep experimenting , very nice to use though I have to say!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 64bit SP1
The snap feature needs a minimum of 1366 x 768, but the power user task menu is not screen resolution limited and works at 1280 x 800 when I tested it on my system at that resolution.
 

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,
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    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
Ah , found some more information on my travels!

Here is a handy 'cheat' sheet that details all the keyboard, mouse and touch shortcuts for Win 8 CP ... Windows 8 Cheat Sheet: Get Started Easily! - Dr. Doris Chen's Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

According to this the Power Tasks Menu has no touch shortcut! No wonder I can't get it going!

Of course we are still in beta so things like this are still being worked on ... this is a handy little chart though , worthy of a sticky possibly?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 64bit SP1
Well, that explains that then. :(

Nice find though. Thank you for sharing it.
 

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,
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    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
Tutorial updated with steps 6 and 7 for how to open the WIN+X power users task menu on a touchscreen. :)
 

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,
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    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
Is there a way to create a shortcut or pin one to the start menu for Power User Tasks Menu instead of using windows key +X ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hello Mrdreamers,

If you like, you could just right click on the Start button to also open it. :)
 

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,
    1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2,
    6TB WD Black WD6001FZWX
    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
Brink said:
Hello Mrdreamers,

If you like, you could just right click on the Start button to also open it. :)
Click to expand...
well i bought the startisback start button and now i do not have that option i only know to use the keyboard to do it and sometimes i forget when it comes to hotkeys so that why i was wondering if i can make a shortcut for it is it possible?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
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