Windows 10 hides a secret Start menu that can be activated with a precise key combination. Here's what they are
The Start menu remains the central hub of the Windows 10 operating system. Despite the many changes made by Microsoft in recent years, with the Start menu that has completely changed its face (and will also do so shortly thanks to the new interface on which the Redmond company is working), its role is still prominent. The arrival of Live Tiles and Cortana have done nothing but make the Start menu even more important and useful to users.
What few people know, however, is that Windows 10 actually hides a secret Start menu that is activated using a precise combination of buttons: Win+X. Pressing these two keys at the same time will show you a reduced version of the menu with all the most useful and important functions, such as applications, the PowerShell or the Task Manager. The secret Start menu in Windows 10 is not so much sponsored by Microsoft, but it can prove very useful when you need to quickly access a very specific function on your PC. Here's everything you need to know about the secret Start menu.
How to access Windows 10 secret Start menu
Almost no one knows this, but there are two Windows 10 Start menus available for users. The second one is a "light" version of the first one without the Live Tiles and without the app list, but with all the shortcuts to the most important PC features. To activate it, just press the Win+X keys simultaneously. The shortcut brings up a menu of about fifteen shortcuts on the left side of the screen.
What are we finding inside? For example, "Apps and Features" takes us directly to the PC's Settings showing all the most used and running programs. "Event Viewer", on the other hand, takes us directly to the computer's console, which is very useful if you notice any strange behavior from our machine. The Windows PowerShell item, on the other hand, is for accessing the PC's command line.
In the lower part of the Windows 10 Secret Start menu, instead, there are very useful shortcuts: Task Manager, Settings, Windows Explorer, Search and Run. Finally, you can't miss the "Ask and Disconnect" item.
This is certainly not a feature that changes the use of your PC, but quickly accessing this second Start menu allows you to speed up the opening of some Windows 10 tools that can prove very useful.