Customize how App tiles are displayed on the start menu

In Windows 8, you have lots of options to help you set up the Start screen in a way that's right for you. You can create groups, show updates on tiles, and move tiles around for better access to your favorite people, websites, and more. Or, you can create a simple Start with just a few choices. Take a few minutes to move and resize tiles to see what works best for you.

Apps (also called tiles) displayed on the Start screen can be customized in the following ways:

• Unpin / Pin
• Turn Live Tile On / Off
• Rearrange Tiles
• Resize Tiles
• Group Tiles Together
• Name Groups

UNPIN / PIN

PIN and UNPIN will display (pin) or hide (unpin) the App tile on the Start screen.

UNPIN

1. To UNPIN an App, swipe down on (touch screen) or right-click (mouse) the tile you want to change on the Start screen. This will open the options at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap or click "Unpin from start" to unpin the app.
3. After unpinning, the app will no longer be displayed on the Start screen.
4. To locate the app you can use the search function from the Charms bar or right-click on the Start screen background (using mouse) or touch and drag down from the top of the screen (on touchscreen) to display options at the bottom of the screen and select "All apps" to display all apps, pinned or not pinned.

1. To PIN an App that is not currently visible on the Start screen, locate the app using the search function from the Charms bar or right-click on the Start screen background (using mouse) or touch and drag down from the top of the screen (on touchscreen) to display options at the bottom of the screen and select "All apps" to display all apps, pinned or not pinned.
2. Swipe down on (touch screen) or right-click (mouse) the tile you want to change. This will open the options at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select "Pin to start" to PIN the app.
4. The App will be displayed on the Start screen all the way over to the Right (scroll Start screen to locate). You can change the tiles location by following the instructions under "REARRANGE TILES".

TURN LIVE TILE ON / OFF

Some Apps (tiles) have the ability to stream live information when conmnected to the internet (Weather in this example). This ability can be turned on and off. To turn the live tile feature on or off, perform the following:

1. Swipe down on (touch screen) or right-click (mouse) the tile you want to change.This will open the options at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap or click Turn live tile on or Turn live tile off to change its setting.

REARRANGE TILES

To move tiles to different places on the Start screen, perform the following:

1. Slide the tile you want to change either up or down, and then drag it to a new position (if using a mouse, click and drag the tile in any direction to a new position.)
2. If you want to quickly move it from one end of Start to the other, drag the tile down to the bottom of the screen. This shows all the tiles at once and makes it easy to move tiles longer distances.

RESIZE TILES

To change the size of the tiles, perform the following:

1. Swipe down on (touch screen) or right-click (mouse) the tile you want to change.This will open the options at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap or click Smaller or Larger to change its size. (A tile's color and font can't be changed.)

GROUPS

GROUP TILES TOGETHER

To group specific tiles together, perform the following:

1. To start a new group, drag a tile to an open space using the touch screen or the mouse.
2. When a gray bar appears, release the tile.
   
3. Slide and drag or click and drag more tiles next to the first tile.

NAME GROUPS

To change the name of a group tiles, perform the following:

1. Pinch your fingers together on the Start screen (touch screen) or click the icon in the lower-right corner (mouse) to zoom out and see all the tiles.
2. To rearrange the groups, press and hold or click and drag the group, and then move it to a new position.
3. Tap or right-click the group you want to name, and then tap or click Name group.
4. Enter a name, and then tap or click Name.