Windows makes it easy to pin your frequently used items, such as files, folders, and apps, to the Start Menu. If you like the way your pinned items are set up, you might want to keep a backup of them so you can restore them in case something happens.

Here’s how to back up and restore your pinned Start menu apps on Windows.

How to Back Up Items You’ve Pinned on the Start Menu

Backing up the items you’ve pinned on your Start Menu is relatively easy. You just need to make a copy of one specific file. To do that, follow the steps below:

  1. Press Win + R to open Windows Run.
  2. Copy and paste the below text in the Run dialog box and hit the Enter key: 
            %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState
  3. In the LocalState folder that opens up, you’ll see a file named start.bin. That file contains information about the items you’ve pinned on the Start Menu. Copy and paste the file somewhere else on your computer, an external storage drive, or on the cloud.
    the localstate folder on windows 11
  4. If there’s a start2.bin, start3.bin, and so on, back up those files as well. And if you’re going to store backed-up files in the cloud, there are plenty of reasons why you should use Microsoft OneDrive.

How to Restore Your Pinned Start Menu Items on Windows

Now that you have a copy of your pinned Start Menu items, you can return them to where they belong. However, make sure the files, folders, apps, and other resources associated with the backed-up pinned items exist on your computer. Then, follow the steps below:

  1. Press Win + R to open Windows Run.
  2. Copy and paste the below text in the Run dialog box and hit the Enter key: 
            %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState
  3. Go to where you’re keeping the backup of start.bin (as well as any similar file you backed up), copy it, and paste it into the LocalState folder on your computer.
  4. Windows will tell you that the folder already contains a file with the same name, so click Replace the file in the destination.
    the replace the file in the destination prompt on windows 11
  5. Restart your Windows computer so the OS can re-pin the items to the Start Menu again.

Never Lose Your Pinned Start Menu Items

If something ever happens to ruin the way you’ve pinned items to the Start Menu, there’s no need to panic. As long as you've created a backup, you can restore them whenever the need arises. That way, you don’t have to scratch your head trying to remember how you set them up in the first place.