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windows-itpro-docs/windows/manage/customize-and-export-start-layout.md
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2016-08-08 07:49:31 -07:00

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Customize and export Start layout (Windows 10) The easiest method for creating a customized Start layout is to set up the Start screen and export the layout. CA8DF327-5DD4-452F-9FE5-F17C514B6236
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Customize and export Start layout

Applies to

  • Windows 10

Looking for consumer information?

The easiest method for creating a customized Start layout to apply to other Windows 10 devices is to set up the Start screen on a test computer and then export the layout.

After you export the layout, decide whether you want to apply a full Start layout or a partial Start layout.

When a full Start layout is applied, the users cannot pin, unpin, or uninstall apps from Start. Users can view and open all apps in the All Apps view, but they cannot pin any apps to Start.

When a partial Start layout is applied, the contents of the specified tile groups cannot be changed, but users can move those groups, and can also create and customize their own groups.

Note  Partial Start layout is only supported on Windows 10, version 1511 and later.

 

You can deploy the resulting .xml file to devices using one of the following methods:

Customize the Start screen on your test computer

To prepare a Start layout for export, you simply customize the Start layout on a test computer.

To prepare a test computer

  1. Set up a test computer on which to customize the Start layout. Your test computer should have the operating system that is installed on the users’ computers (Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education). Install all apps and services that the Start layout should display.

  2. Create a new user account that you will use to customize the Start layout.

To customize Start

  1. Sign in to your test computer with the user account that you created.

  2. Customize the Start layout as you want users to see it by using the following techniques:

    • Pin apps to Start. From Start, type the name of the app. When the app appears in the search results, right-click the app, and then click Pin to Start.

      To view all apps, click All apps in the bottom-left corner of Start. Right-click any app, and pin or unpin it from Start.

    • Unpin apps that you don’t want to display. To unpin an app, right-click the app, and then click Unpin from Start.

    • Drag tiles on Start to reorder or group apps.

    • Resize tiles. To resize tiles, right-click the tile and then click Resize.

    • Create your own app groups. Drag the apps to an empty area. To name a group, click above the group of tiles and then type the name in the Name group field that appears above the group.

Export the Start layout

When you have the Start layout that you want your users to see, use the Export-StartLayout cmdlet in Windows PowerShell to export the Start layout to an .xml file.

To export the Start layout to an .xml file

  1. From Start, open Windows PowerShell.

  2. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, enter the following command:

    export-startlayout –path <path><file name>.xml

    In the previous command, -path is a required parameter that specifies the path and file name for the export file. You can specify a local path or a UNC path (for example, \\FileServer01\StartLayouts\StartLayoutMarketing.xml).

    Use a file name of your choice—for example, StartLayoutMarketing.xml. Include the .xml file name extension. The Export-StartLayout cmdlet does not append the file name extension, and the policy settings require the extension.

    Example of a layout file produced by Export-StartLayout:

    XML 
    <LayoutModificationTemplate Version="1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification">
  <DefaultLayoutOverride>
    <StartLayoutCollection>
      <defaultlayout:StartLayout GroupCellWidth="6" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout">
        <start:Group Name="Life at a glance" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout">
          <start:Tile Size="2x2" Column="0" Row="0" AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" />
          <start:Tile Size="2x2" Column="4" Row="0" AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy!CortanaUI" />
          <start:Tile Size="2x2" Column="2" Row="0" AppUserModelID="Microsoft.BingWeather_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App" />
        </start:Group>        
      </defaultlayout:StartLayout>
    </StartLayoutCollection>
  </DefaultLayoutOverride>
</LayoutModificationTemplate>

Configure a partial Start layout

A partial Start layout enables you to add one or more customized tile groups to users' Start screens or menus, while still allowing users to make changes to other parts of the Start layout. All groups that you add are locked, meaning users cannot change the contents of those tile groups, however users can change the location of those groups. Locked groups are identified with an icon, as shown in the following image.

locked tile group

When a partial Start layout is applied for the first time, the new groups are added to the users' existing Start layouts. If an app tile is in both an existing group and in a new locked group, the duplicate app tile is removed from the existing (unlocked) group.

When a partial Start layout is applied to a device that already has a StartLayout.xml applied, groups that were added previously are removed and the groups in the new layout are added.

If the Start layout is applied by Group Policy or MDM, and the policy is removed, the groups remain on the devices but become unlocked.

To configure a partial Start screen layout

  1. Customize the Start layout.

  2. Export the Start layout.

  3. Open the layout .xml file. There is a <DefaultLayoutOverride> element. Add LayoutCustomizationRestrictionType="OnlySpecifiedGroups" to the DefaultLayoutOverride element as follows:

    <DefaultLayoutOverride LayoutCustomizationRestrictionType="OnlySpecifiedGroups">

  4. Save the file and apply using any of the deployment methods.

Related topics

Manage Windows 10 Start layout options

Configure Windows 10 taskbar

Customize Windows 10 Start and taskbar with Group Policy

Customize Windows 10 Start and taskbar with ICD and provisioning packages

Customize Windows 10 Start with mobile device management (MDM)

Changes to Group Policy settings for Windows 10 Start