Tip #37: Quickly find your apps and programs in Windows 8

The Start button is back!

Windows 8.1 has just been released a few days ago. If you have upgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, you would have noticed that the Start button is now back in the taskbar. Yay!

But when you click on it, you still don't get the good ol' Start menu. D'oh!

What you may not know... is that you don't really need the Start menu. Instead of scanning thru the All Programs list of folders of programs, you can actually search for what you want by typing the name of the app or program on your keyboard. Here's how:

1. Press the Start key on your keyboard, or click on the Start button.
2. Type the name of the app or program you're looking for, e.g. "calc" for Calculator. You don't need to type it in full - Windows will start showing a list of matching apps and programs as you type.

The new Start screen shows results for apps as you type.

3. Choose the app/program that you want to open it.

This works in both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, although the search results look slightly different in Windows 8.

In fact, in Windows 7 (and even Windows Vista), the Start menu has a search feature as well. You can follow the exact steps listed above in Windows 7 to find the app you're looking for.

So you don't really need a Start menu in Windows 8, but if you really miss it/need it there are third-party add-ons you can install to bring back a simulated Start menu.