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StartAllBack

A shell customiser that gives back the taskbar and start menu behaviour later Windows releases removed, including ungrouped buttons, a movable taskbar, and full context menus everywhere.

Version 3.9.24.5378 9 MB Windows 11 / 10 (64-bit) Updated 5 days ago

Overview

What this release is

The complaints about the modern Windows shell are always the same. The taskbar cannot move, buttons cannot be ungrouped, labels are gone, the context menu hides half its entries behind an extra click, and the start menu lost the structure people had built their muscle memory around. StartAllBack addresses every one of those in a single small utility that loads with the shell rather than sitting in the tray as a separate program.

The taskbar work is the part most users install it for. Buttons can be ungrouped with text labels, the bar can be moved to any screen edge, the system tray behaves like it used to, and the whole thing can be sized properly instead of being locked to one height. Multi monitor handling is corrected as well, so each display gets a taskbar that shows only its own windows if that is what you want.

The start menu offers several presets ranging from a faithful classic layout to a lightly modernised version that keeps the current visual style but restores nested folders, proper sorting, and a search box that finds programs rather than opening a web page. Pinned items behave like shortcuts again and can be organised into folders without fighting the tile grid.

Everything is applied through the shell itself, which means there is no additional process running in the background consuming memory. Explorer keeps its own appearance settings, the utility restores the classic ribbon or command bar as preferred, and the whole configuration lives in one settings window with sensible defaults for anyone who does not want to tune every option.

Feature set

What you get

Taskbar restored

Ungrouped buttons with text labels, any screen edge, adjustable height, and a tray that behaves the way it used to.

Start menu presets

Several layouts from fully classic to a modernised version keeping nested folders, proper sorting, and useful local search.

Context menus

Full menus everywhere without the extra click, with the modern entries still present for anyone who wants both.

Explorer appearance

Classic ribbon or command bar, restored navigation pane behaviour, and details view defaults that persist.

No background process

Loads with the shell rather than running as a separate tray application, so idle memory use is effectively zero.

Per monitor control

Independent taskbar behaviour across displays, including which windows appear on which bar.

Changes in this build

What changed

Compatibility updated for the current Windows 11 feature release
Taskbar label rendering sharpened at fractional display scaling
Start menu search now indexes portable applications in user folders
New option to keep the modern context menu available as a submenu
Fixed the explorer restart loop triggered by certain third party shell extensions

Installation

How to install it

Close any open explorer windows before installing, since the shell restarts during setup.
Extract the archive and run the installer as administrator.
Choose the install for this user or for all users option on the first screen depending on the machine.
The taskbar will flicker once as the shell reloads. That is expected and takes a couple of seconds.
Open the settings window from the tray or the control panel entry to pick a start menu preset. No key is required.

Hardware

System requirements

Processor	Any 64-bit processor supported by Windows
Memory	As required by the operating system
Graphics	Any adapter with the standard Windows driver
Storage	50 MB free space
Display	Any resolution, fractional scaling supported
System	Windows 11 recommended, Windows 10 version 21H2 or newer supported

Package

Release information

Title	StartAllBack
Version	3.9.24.5378
Developer	Startis
Category	System Utilities
Platform	Windows 11 / 10 (64-bit)
Package size	9 MB
Interface languages	Multilingual (18 interface languages)
Release identifier	BS-03902401
Listed	2 years ago
Last rebuilt	5 days ago
Total downloads	155,391

Questions

Before you start

Does it survive a Windows feature update?

Usually yes, though a major update sometimes resets the shell. Running the installer again and choosing repair restores everything.

Is a background process left running?

No. It hooks into the shell itself, so there is no separate resident program in the task list.

Can the changes be undone?

Yes. Uninstalling returns the shell to its stock behaviour with no leftover configuration.

Does it conflict with other shell utilities?

It can. Running two start menu replacements at once causes explorer restarts, so pick one.