Classic Shell: Forum

From some recent version, every newly installed program appears at the bottom, like the old programs are on top and it created a new section for new programs (new programs are sorted, but it's a mess now).
How to reset the sorting so that everything is in alphabetical order? I cannot find anything in the settings.

Right click any item inside All Programs and choose "Auto Arrange" to keep them always sorted by name. Or choose "Sort By Name" to sort them once but subsequent programs will be added to the end in that case.

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Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Ah.. that was so easy... Thank you!
It should be mentioned more prominently

Thanks for the tip; it solved my problem.

This technique is counterintuitive however. I would expect "Auto Arrange" to apply to the item/folder that you right click on and not all items at that are in the current folder/level. I spent a lot of time looking for some way to sort the "All Programs" link at the very top level since that is much more intuitive. As you can see from the attached screenshot, there are only "Open", Open All Users" and "Properties" options available when right-clicking the "All Programs" link. Is there a way to add "Auto Arrange"/"Sort By Name" at this level in future versions?

I also went through the "Settings" dialog and found the "Sort the main menu only the first time" option under the "Main Menu" tab. Selecting this didn't appear to have any effect and it's unclear what "only the first time" means (e.g. when Windows first starts?) and what exactly is being sorted (e.g. recently used programs on the "main menu"?). I went through the help system and the online FAQs and couldn't find any reference to this. Similarly, I couldn't find any references to the "Sort the main menu in Z->A order" option under that same settings tab. Does this imply that the "main menu" (whatever that may be) is being sorted in ascending alphabetical order automatically if this option is not checked?

Overall I'm very pleased with the product so I don't want to give the impression that I'm complaining or being nitpicky but rather just asking for clarification and pointing out a couple of minor details that you possibly may want to take into consideration to add a little extra polish to an already excellent product.

Thanks again

P.S. I'm using Classic Shell Version 4.1.0 – general release.

The reason the sort commands apply to the current level and not the next is for compatibility with the classic styles. In the classic menu there is no top level to click on to sort the main menu. The behavior is consistent with the classic menu in older version of Windows.

Sorting the first time means the order of the menu items will be captured the first time you open that menu. It applies for the items in the main menu (the pinned items).

@GDW, thank you for the suggestions. We appreciate such feedback.

As Ivo said, the auto arrange menu item does not exist in the right click menu of the parent item because the top-most level of the menu (where you pin your programs) must also have Sort By Name and Auto Arrange ability.
I agree that the option "Sort the main menu only the first time" can be described with more clear text. It could say "Sort the pinned items only the first time the Start Menu opens".

"Sort the main menu in Z-> A order" also means that the pinned items will be sorted in reverse alphabetical order when Auto Arrange is on or
when "Sort By Name" is used. The main menu is that part of the Start Menu that shows when you click the Start button. The rest of the flyout/cascading menus are "submenus".

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

BTW, you can hover over each setting to get a tooltip. For example "The main menu will be sorted the first time it is opened. Any items added later will be at the bottom".