How to pin a folder to the Start Menu in Windows XP

Posted on September 19, 2007 at 8:00 am

If you’re a person who likes shortcuts on your desktop or lots of programs in your quick launch bar, then you’re probably using the Pin to Start Menu feature in Windows XP. If not, I’ll give a quick overview of how you can “pin” a program to your Start Menu, which means it will remain there permanently, unlike the recently used program list right below it.

start menu pinned programs

To pin a program to the Start Menu, simply right-click on the program in the recently used list and click Pin To Start Menu! Pretty simple. You’ll see that the program gets moved to the top, above the separator line.

pin to start menu

Now that feature by itself is great, but you can only pin programs to your Start Menu. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could pin a folder also, say something you access all the time like and MP3 folder or a My Pictures, etc.

Well, there actually is a registry hack out there that will allow you to add the Pin to Start Menu option onto the right-click context menu for a folder. Here’s how:

1. Click Start, and choose Run, and type in regedit, click Ok.

2. Browse down to the following key below:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\

regedit

3. Copy the following line of text into your clipboard by highlighting it and pressing Cntrl + C.

{a2a9545d-a0c2-42b4-9708-a0b2badd77c8}

4. Right-click on ContextMenuHandlers key and choose New and then Key.

add folder to start menu

5. Now you’ll see a new key called New Key #1 where the name of the key is highlighted. Now paste the above line as the name for they key by pressing Cntrl + P.

pin folder

Your new key should now be created as shown below:

registry key

Now go to any folder in Windows XP and press SHIFT and then right-click on it to see the new option! Make sure you hold down the SHIFT key before right-clicking on the folder, otherwise you won’t see the option.

pin to start menu folder

You should now see your folder pinned to the Start Menu! It’s a great way to quickly access folders! Note that you need cannot be running the Class Start menu if you want this to work.

folder pinned to start menu

Enjoy!

[tags]start menu, pin to start menu, pin folder to start menu, windows xp start menu[/tags]

Source: HowToGeek

» Filed Under Windows XP

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Comments

8 Responses to “How to pin a folder to the Start Menu in Windows XP”

  1. DWiner said on : September 20th, 2007 at 4:37 am

    Works perfectly fine Kishore.

    Except that it is Ctrl+V and not Ctrl+P. Thnx.


  2. TiBOT said on : June 3rd, 2008 at 7:10 am

    Hmmm… didn’t work for me. Do I need a reboot?


  3. arun said on : November 12th, 2008 at 12:39 am

    thank u very much dude.. i created folder short cuts in taskbar n was tryin them out.. this is a simple way n pretty cool too.. thnk u..!!


  4. James said on : March 10th, 2009 at 6:20 am

    Doesn’t seem to work for folders on a network :( Any clues?


  5. Richard Burdick said on : August 7th, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    I was able to follow the instructions and see what needed to be done–all the way down through the very last step. But alas–the subject of “CLIPBOARD” in step 3) threw me off! I know how to cut and paste (either with Wordpad or the web) using the CNTRL + C technique, but I have no clue how to access a “CLIPBOARD” itself you refer to–nor could I find any specific, direct-on-point, explanation anywhere on the web!!

    Alternatively, I typed the required key number on a Wordpad document, and cut it, but when I tried to paste it under “New Key,” all I got was a “BLOOP” sound effect (i.e., “error”).

    This is probably something that is simple—so simple that it isn’t explained in any great detail anywhere—but it’s something that I must have obviously missed in 15 years of using computers!

    I would dearly love to have “My Scans” pinned to my START menu so I don’t have to go “fishing” in “My Documents” every time I want to use it!!

    Gee! Can you help!? Where do I find the “CLIPBOARD” you are talking about!!??

    Thanks!
    RICHARD BURDICK


  6. Richard Burdick said on : August 7th, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    DISREGARD MY LAST POST!! I discovered the “cut and paste” problem by reading up on the subject in Wordpad HELP. PROBLEM SOLVED—and thanks for the GREAT TIP!!! I can now go directly to “My Scans” without all the hassle!!!

    RICHARD BURDICK


  7. Tina said on : September 13th, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    This worked beautifully. Thank-you!!


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