How to Rename App Folders in Windows 11 Start Menu

Start Menu App Grouping vs. File System Folders

They are not the program files on your drive. Renaming a folder, moving apps in or out of it, or deleting it does not uninstall anything or touch the program itself.

Folders in the pinned area are also stored with your user account, so a rename affects only you and not other people who use the PC.

Why do this?

Labeled folders keep your workspace clean and help you launch your favorite tools faster. “Work”, “Games” or “Creative” says more than a default name or an empty label, especially once you have several folders pinned.

What happens when done?

A well-sorted Start menu ⊞ lets you group apps by task or by type, which makes it much easier to move around. You pick the groups. Common choices are one folder per project, one per kind of tool (browsers, editors, utilities), or one per person if the PC is shared.

How to Rename App Folders in 🪟 Windows 11 Start Menu

To rename an app folder, open the Start menu ⊞, click the folder you want to change, and click the Edit name text box at the top of the open folder. Type your new label and press Enter. The steps below walk through it, with a few notes on what you should see at each point.

Windows creates a folder holding both. This feature needs Windows 11 version 22H2 or later. To check your version, go to Settings › System › About and look under Windows specifications. It works the same in Home and Pro.

1. Open your Start menu.
2. Create a folder by dragging one app icon on top of another.
3. Click on the folder to open it.
4. Click the "Edit name" button.

Once Edit name is clicked, a text box appears at the top of the folder. The current name is usually selected, so anything you type replaces it. If it is not selected, press Ctrl+A first to clear the old name, then type the new one.

5. Type your preferred name into the box.
6. Press the Enter key on your keyboard to save the new name.

When you are done, the new name should show at the top of the open folder. To change it again later, repeat the same steps. There is no separate undo, so just rename the folder back to what it was.

Advanced Management: Shell:AppsFolder

If you want to see every installed application shortcut in one place, there is a special directory for it. You can open it from the Run box:

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type Shell:AppsFolder in the Open box.
3. Press Enter. A File Explorer window opens listing every installed app shortcut in one location.

This view is useful when an app is missing from your Start menu and you want to find it, or pin it again. It is only a list of shortcuts, and it does not rename your Start menu folders.

Troubleshooting and Permissions

If folder renaming fails, first check that you are on Windows 11 version 22H2 or later, since older builds do not have this feature. Install any pending updates from Settings › Windows Update and restart. Folders you create yourself in the pinned area should rename fine with a normal account. If the folder you are trying to rename sits in a protected system location, you likely lack the administrative rights needed to modify it. Sign in with an administrator account and try again.

Summary

Sorting apps into renamed Start menu folders speeds up your daily workflow, and it does not alter any underlying computer files. If you later change your mind about a layout, you can rename or remove a folder at any time and your apps stay installed.