Finding All the Apps in Windows 8.1

Not all of the apps and software in Windows 8.1 will appear on the Start screen. For example, you may have chosen to hide a Tile to keep your Start screen tidy, or perhaps you don’t use it regularly. Also, newly installed apps and programs won’t appear on the Start screen, so if you want to pin them there you will need to do so from within the All Apps view.

You can see all of the apps that are installed in Windows 8.1, including Windows desktop programs. When you move your mouse around your screen, a small down arrow will appear near the bottom left corner. You can click this to open the All Apps view. If you are using touch, swipe upward on the Start screen to open the All Apps view.

Note: You can return to the Start screen by swiping downward in the All Apps view with your finger, clicking the small up arrow near the bottom left of your screen, or pressing the Windows key.

In the All Apps view , you will see every app and all of the desktop software that is installed on the computer. The apps that appear on the left of the screen, and the desktop software on the right, are organized into clearly labelled categories to make things easy to find. You can move left and right in the All Apps view as you would on the Start screen. You can change how your apps and programs are arranged in the All Apps view by clicking the by Name link in the top left of the screen.

Note: If you want to pin an app or program back on the Start screen, right-click (touch and hold) it and select Pin to Start from the App Bar.