Windows 8: How to bring back the classic Start menu [Trick]

Windows 8 – Classic Start menu

By now many users have downloaded and tested Windows 8 Developer Preview and we all are getting used to the new graphical users interface (GUI) — Metro style.

What a lot of users are now wondering is: How do I bring back the classic Start menu? Where is it? -Well, apparently the classic Start menu in the developer preview didn’t go away, it is still there. In the case that you want to test the Windows 8 Developer Preview without the new Start screen, follow the steps below to bring back the good old Start menu:

Instructions

1.  In the new Windows 8 Start screen bring typing regedit and click on it to open.

2.  Now in the regedit navigate: 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Look for RPEnabled, double-click it and change the value from 1 to 0

Close regedit and without restarting you can click the Start button and the classic Start menu will be display. The problem is that by doing this the new Metro UI will be disabled — in the test I was able to click the Windows key in keyboard and see the new Start screen but none of the tiles worked –. To enable once again the Metro UI, just revert the process by changing the value back to 1.

Warning: Make sure you understand that modifying Windows’ registry is always risky, you should always make a backup of your computer and/or registry, but if you have the guts, go ahead.

So far what we know is that Microsoft didn’t get rid off the classic Start menu completely, which can make us speculate that the software maker might bring it back in later releases. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.