We're currently rolling out Windows 10, and trying to configure GPOs for ease of use for student accounts. As part of that, we're looking at forcing users to save to their Home Folders (H: drives).
We're able to remove the Libraries, Quick Access and the Documents folders from under This PC. They've been removed as Folder Redirection has caused issues in the past with Adobe CC.
The last part we'd like to configure is the "Choose which folders appear on Start" area, on the left hand side. We'd like to have only File Explorer, Settings and Personal Folder, but I can't find which GPO or registry key to configure to set it. We already set the tiles and program list via GPO.
Additionally, we would want to configure where Personal Folder goes. It currently goes to C:\Users[username] – redirecting to H:\ would be preferred.
Student accounts are set up with a mandatory profile, so changing the settings on that is also an option.
Many thanks.
Best Answer
There is no such policy that will configure Start at once, moreover, it's not possible. First, you need to remove unwanted items from
%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. This refers only to the Win32 desktop apps.Secondly, you need to uninstall and de-provision ModernApps (like Xbox, etc.) that are installed in the system. There is no way to remove them from the menu like .lnk file. They are added automatically to the Start menu if they are registered in the system. You can remove them using Powershell (run elevated Powershell window): e.g. For delete Maps you can use:
To remove provisioned WindowsApps from user accounts:
Read more here and there.
Finally, you can configure tiles in the Start menu to display only required items. Here you can use one of 2 options:
The first two do not allow to modify layout items, while the last one applies the default layout to the user profile allowing him to change it.
To prepare XL file you need to use Powershell:
All three options are well described in Microsoft Docs.