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How to Pin a Website or Folder to the Windows 11 Start Menu

Pin folders from File Explorer or websites from Microsoft Edge to Windows 11 Start. See how Edge app installs, Start folders, and desktop shortcuts differ.
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In Windows 11, pin a folder from File Explorer by right-clicking it and choosing Pin to Start. To pin a website, open it in Microsoft Edge and choose More options (…) > More tools > Pin to Start. The website steps are specific to Edge’s documented menu; they do not establish the same option in other browsers.

Pin a folder to Start

  1. Open File Explorer and locate the folder you want to access.
  2. Right-click the folder and select Pin to Start.
  3. Open Start and look for the folder among the pinned items.

Microsoft documents this as a direct File Explorer action; you do not need to create a desktop shortcut first. Microsoft’s Start menu guidance

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Pin a website to Start from Edge

  1. Open the website in Microsoft Edge.
  2. Select More options (…) > More tools > Pin to Start.
  3. Open Start to launch the website from its new pin.

This is Microsoft’s documented website-to-Start route, using Edge’s menu. Microsoft’s Start menu guidance

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Choose between a website pin and an Edge app

A direct website pin is the simpler choice when you want to launch the site from Start. If you would rather open it in a dedicated, app-like window, Edge offers a separate install workflow:

  1. In Edge, select Settings and more (…) > More tools > Apps > Install this site as an app.
  2. To manage the installed entry, open edge://apps in Edge.
  3. On the app card, select Details, then choose Pin to Start.

Installing a site as an Edge app does not by itself mean the site is a progressive web app (PWA). Microsoft distinguishes sites installed as apps from PWAs, which can offer additional capabilities when supported by the site. Microsoft’s Edge app instructions and Microsoft’s explanation of apps and widgets that depend on Edge

Remove or group Start pins

Remove a pin

Right-click the item in Start and select Unpin from Start. This removes the pin; it is not an instruction to delete the underlying folder or website.

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Group pins in a Start folder

Drag one pinned item onto another to create a folder of Start pins, then drag more pins into that group. A Start folder is an organizer for pinned items, not the same thing as a File Explorer folder. Microsoft says the Start folder disappears when only one pin remains. Microsoft’s Start menu guidance

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Make a desktop shortcut to a folder instead

If you want the folder on the desktop rather than in Start, right-click the file or folder and choose Show more options > Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). This creates desktop access; it does not pin the item to Start. Microsoft’s desktop shortcut instructions

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Which route should you use?

What you want Route What it does
A real folder accessible from Start File Explorer: right-click > Pin to Start Pins the folder directly.
A website accessible from Start Edge: More options (…) > More tools > Pin to Start Adds a website pin.
A site in a dedicated window Install it as an Edge app, then pin it from edge://apps Creates a separate app entry; this does not establish that it is a PWA.
A folder accessible from the desktop Right-click > Show more options > Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) Creates a desktop shortcut, not a Start pin.

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