Unclutter Your Start Menu: Top Handy Start Menu Alternatives
Are you tired of endlessly scrolling through a cluttered Start menu, struggling to find the applications you need? The original Handy Start Menu aimed to solve this by automatically grouping your programs and making access easier. While it offered a valuable solution for many, you might be looking for fresh takes or more advanced features to truly streamline your workflow. Whether you seek greater customization, lightning-fast search, or a return to classic layouts, exploring a Handy Start Menu alternative can significantly enhance your Windows experience.
Top Handy Start Menu Alternatives
If you're ready to declutter your desktop, abandon your reliance on Quick Launch bar shortcuts, and discover a more efficient way to access your applications, these alternatives offer powerful solutions that go beyond basic grouping. From lightning-fast launchers to robust Start menu replacements, there's an option here to fit every user's needs.
Keypirinha
Keypirinha is a lightning-fast and flexible keystroke launcher for Windows, making it an excellent Handy Start Menu alternative for users who prioritize speed and efficiency. It's free and portable, meaning no installation is required, and it's extensible with Python3 plugins, offering features like program launching, file searching, calculus solving, and web searching. Its customizable and lightweight nature allows for a truly personalized and quick application access experience.
Listary
Listary is a revolutionary search utility for Windows that makes finding files and launching applications blazing fast, suitable for both casual and power users. As a Freemium Handy Start Menu alternative available on Windows, it boasts deep integration with Windows Explorer, offering features like fast file and folder search, content searching, fuzzy finder, and quick switch capabilities. Its seamless integration and powerful search functionalities set it apart.
Classic Shell
Classic Shell is a free and open-source software for Windows that brings back the beloved Windows 7 Start menu experience to Windows 10. For those who miss the familiar layout and functionality of older Windows versions, Classic Shell serves as a perfect Handy Start Menu alternative, offering extensive customization options, the ability to change the Start Button, and support for multiple languages, along with system tweaking capabilities.
Open Shell
Open Shell is an active fork of the Classic Shell project, continuing to provide the classic Start menu for modern versions of Microsoft Windows. As a free and open-source Handy Start Menu alternative, it offers similar benefits to Classic Shell, including the ability to change the Start Button, extensive system tweaking, and support for themes, making it ideal for users who prefer the traditional Windows Start menu interface.
FastKeys
FastKeys is a comprehensive commercial utility for Windows that goes beyond a simple Start menu, offering a text expander, shortcuts, auto complete, mouse gestures, macro recorder, and clipboard manager. It's a powerful Handy Start Menu alternative for power users seeking an all-in-one solution for automation and quick access, featuring hotkeys, macros, and the ability to run Windows software.
PStart
PStart is a simple, free tray tool for Windows designed to start user-defined applications, particularly useful for portable applications. As a straightforward Handy Start Menu alternative, PStart excels in its portability and efficiency, allowing users to launch anything runnable from USB key devices or removable storage, making it perfect for on-the-go professionals.
ASuite
ASuite is a simple, free, and open-source application launcher for Windows that manages an unlimited number of files, folders, and webpages for quick access. Designed to work seamlessly with removable storage, ASuite is an excellent portable Handy Start Menu alternative, offering a convenient way to organize and launch your applications from any device.
Start10
Start10, a commercial product for Windows, brings the familiar Windows 7 Start menu experience back to Windows 10. For users seeking a customizable and highly integrated Handy Start Menu alternative that restores a beloved interface, Start10 offers a polished and feature-rich solution specifically tailored for Windows 10 users.
dmenu
dmenu is a free and open-source dynamic menu for X, originally designed for dwm, that efficiently manages large numbers of user-defined menu items. While primarily for Linux, dmenu is an incredibly lightweight and fast program launcher that serves as a powerful Handy Start Menu alternative for users in the Linux ecosystem who prioritize minimalist design and keyboard-driven workflows.
StartIsBack
StartIsBack is a commercial application for Windows that returns a real, fully featured Start menu and Start button to Windows 8, behaving exactly like the ones in Windows 7. As a robust Handy Start Menu alternative for Windows 8 users, StartIsBack radically improves the desktop experience by bringing back familiar navigation and functionality.
Choosing the right Handy Start Menu alternative depends on your specific needs: whether you prioritize speed, customization, a classic look, or advanced automation features. Explore these options to find the perfect fit and reclaim control over your application launching experience, making your daily computing more efficient and enjoyable.