You can change how the Windows 11 Start menu displays All apps, but Microsoft’s documented controls do not let an end user assign an individual app to a different category. To make your own group, use folders in the pinned area instead.
Can you change an app’s category in All apps?
No user-facing setting documented by Microsoft lets you move one app into a different category in Start > All apps. Microsoft describes All apps as a list of installed apps that users and OEMs cannot customize. The category assigned to an app is therefore not something you can edit from the Start menu.
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There is a separate route for app publishers in the EU: Microsoft says publishers can onboard an app to Microsoft Store and specify a category, or contact App Categorization Support with the app name, executable name, and requested category. That is a publisher process, not a setting for Windows users. Microsoft Learn: App categories
Change the way All apps is displayed
If the Category view is hard to use, choose another available presentation. Microsoft Support lists Category, Grid, and List views, and says Start remembers the last selection. These views change how the app list is presented; they do not reassign an app’s category. Microsoft Support: Customize the Start menu in Windows 11
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Open Start.
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Go to All apps.
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Choose Grid or List instead of Category, if those options appear on your device.
Start-menu features can change with Windows updates, and Microsoft’s reviewed guidance does not provide a build-by-build availability list. If you do not see one of these view choices, use the options shown on your device.
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Create a personal group with pinned folders
For a group of apps you want to keep together, use folders in the pinned area. A pinned folder is your own quick-access group; it is separate from the automatic categories in All apps. Microsoft Support: Customize the Start menu in Windows 11
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Open Start and locate the apps in the pinned area. Pin an app first if it is not already there.
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Drag one pinned app onto another to create a folder.
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Open the folder to rename it, then drag other pinned apps into it.
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Which option should you use?
| Option | What it changes | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automatically groups the All apps list. | Browsing apps by their assigned category. |
| Grid or List | Changes the All apps presentation, not an individual app’s category. | Viewing the installed-app list in another format. |
| Pinned folder | Creates a personal group in the pinned area; it does not change All apps categories. | Keeping frequently used apps together for quick access. |
The reviewed Microsoft guidance does not document registry edits or third-party customization tools as supported ways to change an individual app’s All apps category.
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