Start may refer to any of the following:
- The Start or Start button was first introduced with the release of Microsoft Windows 95 and is found in all releases of Windows since. Start lets you access your computer programs and configure Microsoft Windows easily by accessing the Start menu.
In the picture are examples of the different Start buttons in Windows. The gray Start at the top was the first Start featured in early versions of Microsoft Windows. In the second picture, this green Start made a brief appearance in Windows XP. Next, the text “Start” was removed and made into the Start Orb, which was used with Windows Vista and Windows 7. In Windows 8.1 and 10, the orb was removed and only shows the updated version of the Windows logo.
If you have an Apple computer with macOS, the Apple menu is Apple’s version of the Windows Start and Start menu.
Where is Start and what does it do?
In Windows 10 and earlier versions, the Windows Start is at the bottom left part of the desktop screen. However, Start can be placed at the top-left or top-right part of the screen by moving the Windows taskbar. In Windows 11, Start is located in the middle of the taskbar. Clicking Start opens the Start menu (except in Windows 8) that gives you access to all the installed programs, and other Windows features. Below is a visual example of the Start button and its location in Windows 7.
In the initial release of Windows 8, the Start button was replaced by the Start Screen. Later versions of Windows 8, more commonly called Windows 8.1, have a Start that opens the Start Screen instead of the Start menu.
To determine what version of Windows is on your computer, see: How to determine the version of Windows on a computer.
Where is Start and what does it do?
Where is Start on a mobile device?
How to click Start with the keyboard.
What happens when you right-click Start?
Why can’t I find Start on my computer?
How to get out of the Start menu.
Should I refer to Start as Start or the Start button?
Related information.
Issues and questions related to the Windows taskbar.
Where is Start on a mobile device?
Mobile devices, like Android smartphones and tablets, iPads, and iPhones, do not have a Start button. Instead, they have special icons on the home screen for accessing apps.
The Start button is only part of the Microsoft Windows operating system and is not found on Apple computers that run macOS or Chromebooks running Chrome OS.
Despite using a Windows-based operating system, Windows mobile devices, like Windows Phone and Windows Mobile smartphones, also do not have a Start button.
How to click Start with the keyboard
Start can also be activated using the Windows key or by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Esc on the keyboard.
What happens when you right-click Start?
In new versions of Windows (Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11), when you right-click Start, it gives you access to the Power User Task Menu.
Why can’t I find Start on my computer?
If you can’t see or find the Start button on your Windows computer, most likely the taskbar (which contains the Start button) is hidden. Move your mouse cursor to the bottom of the Windows desktop screen to see if the taskbar becomes visible. If you see the taskbar, the auto-hide feature is enabled, causing the taskbar to hide until you move the mouse cursor to the bottom of the screen.
- How to toggle the autohide feature for the Windows taskbar.
How to get out of the Start menu
Moving the mouse pointer anywhere outside of the Start menu and clicking closes the Start menu. If you want to use your keyboard, press Esc.
Should I refer to Start as Start or the Start button?
According to the Microsoft Manual of Style, the button should not be called the “Start button” or “Windows Start button.” Instead, when talking about this button, it should only be called “Start.” For example, write “Click Start to open the Start menu.” and not “Click the Start button to open the Start menu.”
- Start is a Windows command line command that enables a user to start a separate window in Windows. See the start command overview for further information.
Related information
- Further information about the Start menu.
- How to get the start button back in Windows 8.
The term start (startup) can also describe when a computer loads a software program or is first booting.
Start in general refers to the beginning of something. For example, if you’re new to computers, Computer Hope is an excellent place to learn more about computers.
Start is also an HTML attribute. It is used to continue a numbered list broken up by other elements or objects, such as an image.
- Introduction to Computer Hope.
- How to learn more about computers.
Apple menu, Button, Operating system terms, Push-button, Start menu, Taskbar
- How to create a bullet and number list in HTML.
