If you perform a clean install of Windows, the Start menu is uncluttered and organized. As you start to add applications, however, you can quickly end up with a bloated menu that’s no longer sorted in alphabetical order. As more items are added, it becomes more difficult to find the menu or command you need.

Fortunately, it’s easy to reorganize the Start menu. First, you’ll probably want to re-sort the menu so it’s back in alphabetical order. To do so:

1. Right-click the taskbar, and choose Properties.
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Re-sort.
3. Next, you might want to move things around within the menu or remove items altogether. To remove an item, right-click it, and choose Delete.

Note that Windows removes only the item’s name and icon from the Start menu; the application itself remains loaded. So if you delete a menu item for a seldom-used application, only the shortcut to the application is deleted, not the application itself.

You also can drag items within the menu to reorder them. Open the Start menu, and then click and drag the item you want to relocate to its new position. If you have trouble getting the item to move, click it and hold the pointer still for a few seconds until a ghost image appears. Then drag the item wherever you want it.