Organize Tiles in Windows 8 Metro Start Screen

Organizing Tiles on the Windows 8 Metro Start Screen

The Windows 8 Store offers a vast selection of applications, and users often install numerous programs. Pinning these applications to the Metro Start screen can quickly lead to a cluttered and disorganized interface.

Fortunately, Windows 8 provides a built-in feature to group tiles on the Metro Start screen, allowing for better organization and labeling of these groups.

Initial Screen Appearance

Following software installations, the Metro Start screen can appear quite chaotic. A multitude of programs are displayed, and this disarray will likely increase with further installations.

While some semblance of grouping may be visible, it doesn’t necessarily align with a user’s preferred organizational scheme.

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Creating New Groups

To categorize a tile, simply drag it to an empty area between existing groups. A gray bar will appear, indicating a valid drop zone.

Releasing the mouse button at this point will create a new group containing the moved tile. Additional tiles can be added to this group by dragging them onto the existing tiles within it.

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Naming Your Groups

Once tiles are arranged into desired groups, assigning names to these groups enhances organization. This is achieved by clicking the minus sign button located in the lower-right corner of the Metro screen.

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This action zooms out the Metro screen, providing a view where entire groups can be selected and manipulated. To rename a group, a right-click is required; a left-click will simply zoom in again.

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With a group selected, the "Name group" option will become available at the screen's bottom. Selecting this option initiates the renaming process.

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Completing the Renaming Process

A dialog box will appear, prompting you to enter a name for the group. Type the desired name into the provided edit box and then click "Name".

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The newly assigned name will then be displayed above the group, remaining visible even in the zoomed-out view.

Rearranging Groups

While in the zoomed-out view, groups can be repositioned as needed. For example, moving frequently used groups to the left side of the screen can reduce scrolling.

To move a group, left-click and hold on it, then drag it to the desired location.

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Clicking anywhere on the Metro screen will zoom back in, restoring the tiles to their full size.

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Therefore, even without the traditional Start menu, Windows 8 allows for effective program organization, preventing a disorganized and cluttered screen.