I just started using Windows 8 and one of the things that hit me was the Start menu, Programs sub menu is gone. It is replaced by the Start Screen but I wanted to just save a text file and I wanted to use notepad. SO where had notepad gone.
Well I could and did use the command prompt. But ot get to it I did the one thing I knew would work, started task manager, then run the command prompt from there. Then just type notepad at the prompt. The other way I got it to run was using Windows Explorer, navigated to the Windows Directory, system32 and double click it. (While in Explorer I set show hidden and show extensions.)
So now I found another and probably the proper way to find a program on the start menu. Move your mouse over the start button and then into the bottom left corner. This brings up the new short menu. It has from top down, Settings, Devices, Share, Search; Click Search, which moves a new search, um, bar?
Lovely isn’t it? OK click the Apps button at the bottom and you get a list of all installed apps and applications in alphabetical order. And look what do you know, there’s notepad. Once you have found it you can start it or pin it to the start page, or pin it to your task bar.
So there you have it the obscure list of all apps you want to use is still there, just a link at the bottom of the search menu.
Related articles
- How to Exit a Metro-Style App in Windows 8 (helpdeskgeek.com)
Borg or No (S31) 
thank you.
thank you
If you put mouse in upper right corner, once chimes appear, just click search, all apps will be visible. This seems much easier
what if you are blind and using jaws i
I can’t see a touch ui being much use to a blind person but I am sure that Microsoft has put what they can in there for you. I will research this and see if I can find you an answer.
very fast thank you
You just type notepad into the start screen, without going to any search bar or anything. In fact, that’s how you search for anything. In the metro/Win 8 start page with all the live tiles, you type in what you want. Not into a search bar or something. Just type.
Yes this also works and is probably the fastest way, thanks for replying.
thanks, i did not know that. been a little confused with Windows 8, but everything makes more sense now.
Are you saying that the start screen has an input field somewhere?
Yes when you start typing in the start screen an input box and selection list pop up for you to use.
THANK YOU!!!
How exactly do you type in to the start menu? Can you give a step by step process for this?
To type in the start menu/ start page just start typing. When you type something (say notepad) as you start to type the search box will pop up on the right hand side of the page and you can then either continue to type or just pick the application from the results. You can change what to serach by clicking the where indicator (defaults to everywhere.)
Hope that helps,
just press ctrl+escape and you can type in every app’s names. Goes very fast.
Yes, I missed this one, excellent suggestion.
it really helped me . Thanks and there is even a step recorder ( Screen recorder)
Thanks man. THis worked for me. I am still getting used to Windows 8. I’m not liking it too much Windows 7 is awesome.
Remember that where you might swipe with a touch device on a mouse/keyboard desktop the mouse scroll wheel often scrolls the screen sideways like in the start screen.
Also remember the alt key codes, alt f4 closes programs, alt tab switches programs etc.
this simply doesn’t work as described. there is no start button. however if you move to lower left an click right mouse button a menu appears, but it looks nothing like the one in this article. alternately you can right click elsewhere in metro and select all apps at the bottom. What a mess MS has made of this interface.
There is no start button but there is a button on the task bar at the same spot we are still calling the start button as it takes you to the start screen.
OK, you are correct, nothing works in _MY_ Windows 8.1 as described here. That is, there is no popup menu when taking the cursor to the lower left, AND there is no showing of all apps when the cursor is taken to the upper right and clicking on Search after the charms appear.
HOWEVER, on the Metro screen, with all the APPS on it, there is a little downarrow underneath my Desktop Icon in the extreme lower left, but still above the bar along the bottom of the screen, and above where the start button should be, that when clicked, the APPS all scroll up and there are all the programs installed on the machine in a new page of icons that scrolls up from the bottom of the screen. Notpad is there. So’s Paint, Wordpad, Calculator, Sticky Notes, Magnifier, etc. etc. All the Microsoft utilities that were on the previous computers are there, although you might have to slide the new screen to the left as it is wider than the display.
Boy, they sure don’t make it easy.
The search option in the side menu worked great, THANK YOU!
Thanks buddy that works……
It said how to go to the start at the beginning if you got the laptop new.
Am I the only one that hates Windows 8?
Sorry late reply. No you are not the only one who hates WIndows 8. But people will use it and we have to know how to make it work for them.
Hi,,
The same question I ask for first time using windows 8. hehe.. because notepad is the most important for me than any office program like microsoft word.
This is all very helpful. Why did MS dumb it all down and hide everything like this?
Menus/directory trees worked great. This search approach requires that one know the name of the app or program. When that is not remembered, the user is screwed.
WHAT A PIECE OF %$#$#@#@ micro soft has made of this there head was dif in the wrong place it must have been quite smeally
Thanks for the guide. Haha I was scratching my head trying to find Notepad. now back to exploring Windows 8.
I’ve used Windows my whole life. There have been previous editions that had very big flaws, but I must say that Windows 8 is the one that frustrates me the most.
It might work fine on a tablet or Phone, but on a desktop it’s terrible.
Does the notepad have languages support, like Chinese or Japanese?
Notepad, as always will work with whatever language your font/keyboard are set to.
Pretty ridiculous that we have to type in the name of the app we want instead of pointing and clicking…
Yes.
Windows 8 Sucks…!
Thank you.. Really help me as the new user for windows 8
Save a blank Notepad document onto your Desktop. Click on it when you want to open a new Notepad document. Use ‘Save As’ to preserve the new document and to keep the Notepad shortcut available on the Desktop for the next time you want to use it.
Go to your Start screen and type “Notepad”. Right-click the program box. At the bottom of the screen click on the far-right option “See program location”, On the next window right-click the highlighted program name “Notepad”. Select “Send to desktop”. You can also select “Pin to taskbar” to make it really quick and easy.
Thank u. Had been looking for ages for the notepad.
Just wanted to say I found Wordpad the same way too.. I have Windows 7 its just getting used to Windows 8 (daughters new laptop from Santa)
I have notepad icon in my task bar on bottom now. How did I do it? Hhahahaha! don’t remember.
ok I remember now. go to start window, the ugly big screen with all the big icons. start typing notepad. when notepad icon shows up in the upper left corner, right click on it and you will have options to attach to taskbar.
Thanks!!
Thank you!! @Baeker and @Echlinm