Hide the Most Used Apps List in the Windows 10 Start Menu

Last Updated on November 9, 2020

Permanently removing the Most Used Apps list from the Start menu is possible as part of Privacy options in Windows 10. Here’s how.

The Windows 10 Start menu contains a lot of data by default. Namely the top left-hand column where it shows recently used apps and apps you frequently use. But all of that can lead to a bloated Start menu. If you think that section of the Start menu takes up too much real estate, you are in luck because you can remove the Most Used Apps list. Here’s how.

This is what the Most Used section looks like on the Windows 10 Start menu:

Hide Most Used Apps from Windows 10 Start

To get started the first thing you want to do is open Settings. You can do that from the Start menu itself or if you practice keyboard kung fu, hit the Windows Key + I keyboard combo.

When the Settings app opens up select Personalization from the list.

Next, in the Personalization section of the Settings app click on Start from the left-hand list. Then toggle off the “Show most used apps” switch.

That’s all there is to it. Now the next time you launch the Start menu, there will no longer be a list of Most Used apps at the top of the menu.

It is also worth noting that you can permanently turn off the Most Used list from the Start menu as part of the Windows privacy options. To turn it off launch the Settings app and select Privacy from the list.

Next, under the General list turn off the “Let Windows track app launches to improve Start and search results” toggle switch. Then close out of Settings.

With that privacy option turned off, if you were to go to Personalization > Start – the “Show most used apps” option would already be turned off and it would also be grayed out.

While you are at it there are other Start menu customizations you can do like remove recently added apps or check out any of the following articles: