Am I being an old man by navigating Windows 11 via search? That is, hit the windows key, start typing what I want to open (steam, discord, etc), hit enter. I feel like it's oddly inconsistent, like Windows will go "yeah s-t-e-a? I dunno. I can search the web for it?" so maybe there's another way... - ThreadSky

slowbeef.bsky.social • 70 days ago

Am I being an old man by navigating Windows 11 via search? That is, hit the windows key, start typing what I want to open (steam, discord, etc), hit enter.

I feel like it's oddly inconsistent, like Windows will go "yeah s-t-e-a? I dunno. I can search the web for it?" so maybe there's another way...

Comments

pixelmusement.com•70 days ago

I just upgraded to Windows 11 a number of days ago and it has the WORST Start Menu ever. Back in Win 8/10 I used the Start Screen and had all of my programs arranged into groups and tiles across the entire screen so I could load almost any program I needed in just TWO CLICKS: Windows -> Program! :B

pixelmusement.com•70 days ago

To answer your question though: There's nothing wrong with what you're doing; The best way to do something is what works the fastest for you in terms of brain-to-action.

I just hate that what worked best for me for a full decade is no longer possible. >:(

clyncyerudje.bsky.social•70 days ago

Saaaame, the new start menu design is so awful and user-antagonistic

shadowhog.bsky.social•70 days ago

TBH, I still miss subfolders. Supported all the way from Windows 3.x (maybe earlier, IDK) to Windows 7, only for Windows 10 (maybe 8) to go "nah, everything can go at most one folder down into the tree. Enjoy having all your icons for disparate programs plopped together!"

pixelmusement.com•70 days ago

To be fair, I get that average people just don't have anywhere near as many apps as power users, since so much stuff is handled through the web nowadays and you've got maybe a few programs for specific tasks, but excluding games I have TWENTY EIGHT different programs I use on a regular basis. >_<

spj.bsky.social•70 days ago

I use a program called everything it's a great replacement for the windows search. Especially when trying to find files https://www.voidtools.com/

theflippedsides.bsky.social•70 days ago

I feel infinitely older than I should for using a shell replacement cause why would I want Windows to search the for me when I constantly have a web browser open for when I need to do that.

theflippedsides.bsky.social•70 days ago

*why would I want Windows to search the web
Fat finger typing on my phone. God maybe I am an old man masquerading as a youngster.

slowbeef.bsky.social•70 days ago

The worst is when I search on my phone for something on my computer like I’m too lazy for a second tab/screen, so a whole second device is how I do it

theflippedsides.bsky.social•70 days ago

Now that's true technological progress.

blakeyrat.bsky.social•70 days ago

As far as I know that's still "the way" to do it. The Start menu's a lot more awkward now, and they've been trying to get people to turn off desktop icons too.

clyncyerudje.bsky.social•70 days ago

Win11 has a tendency to hide shit so I'd get a program like Everything for something more like older versions of the search that find everything but yeah, going with search is fine if you disable Windows trying to search the internet (*why* is that default behavior)

taviturnip.bsky.social•70 days ago

The moment I discovered Vista had a search bar I could just tap open with one key, I never went back to browsing by folder or Start Menu for 99% of cases, it was the greatest feature ever ;w;

localpsychic.net•70 days ago

I'm still on Windows 10 and I just pin every program I use regularly to the task bar and use the search for anything else

... There's thirty icons down there...

sir.bsky.social•70 days ago

classicshell/openshell has been a lifesaver on Win10

sir.bsky.social•70 days ago

and got updated to support Win11*
it brings back the Win7 style start menu which I love

cryomancer199x.bsky.social•70 days ago

i like to use the search program "Everything". it is like...scary fast? it shows you everything on your PC that matches your search like instantly. feels illegal. love it.

meowtroidprime.bsky.social•70 days ago

No I do this too,

meowtroidprime.bsky.social•70 days ago

And yes Windows also never knows what I'm looking for

elskwhite.bsky.social•70 days ago

Commenting in the hope a solution is found because ive been navigating windows via search literally my entire life and i do *not* appreciate win11 shoving its internet/ai nonsense into my workflow

slowbeef.bsky.social•70 days ago

someone did - it's through regedit, so it's not one-click but I just did it (took a minute)

elskwhite.bsky.social•70 days ago

🙇‍♂️ for both you and them

bunnlilah.bsky.social•69 days ago

I navigate that way in Windows 10. Stuff like this makes me nervous to switch...I think I'm gonna hang on to Windows 10 as long as I can lol

nickdriver89.bsky.social•70 days ago

There's a registry way to turn off the web search stuff:

https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/disable-windows-web-search

tietuesday.bsky.social•70 days ago

oh my god doing this immediately when I get back home, i was literally typing "lightgun.exe" to run a file i had just launched named "lightgun.exe" on the desktop and it refused to give me anything lol

fallsmyer.bsky.social•70 days ago

If you want an automated way to fix that and some other bits I highly recommend WinUtil (https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil). All you have to do is run the script and then it gives you all the options to customize Windows.

greenintern.bsky.social•70 days ago

Holy shit yes thank you

wobblypython.bsky.social•70 days ago

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

I'm pending the reboot but this is in PLACE!

clericatl.bsky.social•70 days ago

damn, if only I could get my IT folks to allow me to do this on my work laptop too (never gonna happen)

mcthrill.bsky.social•70 days ago

THANK YOU

heygreenguy.bsky.social•70 days ago

Hot diggety! Gonna poke this once I get home.

meowtroidprime.bsky.social•70 days ago

Will be doing this as soon as I get home, holy shit

andyk250.bsky.social•70 days ago

📌

chopman.bsky.social•70 days ago

second this. immensely more usable with web search disabled

lonestartallboi.bsky.social•70 days ago

Holy shit

ecter.bsky.social•70 days ago

Thanks! I had a misfortune of using win11 for two weeks away from home and his crap opened a goddamn edge with bing search on me instead of a program that i wanted D:

sonicsean34.bsky.social•70 days ago

Isn't the old man method navigating folders in the start menu to find the shortcut to launch?

einsynd.pw•70 days ago

It's called search, but the only things that show up in that are things that have shortcuts in your start menu. If something isn't showing up and you use it regularly, throwing a shortcut into All Programs should do it.

kapus.bsky.social•70 days ago

I still use windows key + R to open the run command...

namelesswrench.bsky.social•70 days ago

Is there a different way to navigate it?

slowbeef.bsky.social•70 days ago

I was hoping “there must be some elite pro who’s like ‘just hold down the escape key and think hard’” and I’ll learn a new thing

lrackstraw.bsky.social•70 days ago

That might be worth a try 🤔

jeana-mm.bsky.social•69 days ago

doing it like that feels very much modern i3 dmenu or rofi setup

eclectictastessa.bsky.social•70 days ago

I refuse to give up Windows 10 until end-of-life, because 10 was a huge downgrade from 7 in terms of UX, and 11 looks even worse, and frankly I'd rather still be using XP than any of this crap. How's *that* for being and old man?

(and you better believe I've edited the heck outta my registry)

slowbeef.bsky.social•70 days ago

Tbf I don’t feel a big difference between 10 and 11x or at least anywhere like 7 to 10 or any other Windows upgrades

cherrynasb.com•70 days ago

I'm refusing to upgrade to 11 until the start menu is added back.

The windows 10 start menu is amazing and I refuse to lose it.

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