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Deploy Windows 11 without all the pinned apps?

Rikk 11 Reputation points
2021-09-03T23:06:10.04+00:00

In Windows 10, LayoutModification.xml can totally wipe all of the Start tiles, allowing me to have just the few specific to our users. Windows 11 switches to LayoutModification.json, which is fine, but it doesn't seem to let me wipe all the Pinned apps. How can I "clean slate" the Pinned apps and put my own choices there, preferably without having to sysprep? (these are all pre-existing Windows things)

Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
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  1. Limitless Technology 39,511 Reputation points
    2021-09-06T11:32:42.753+00:00

    Hello

    You can find the information of customization of Pinned Apps in Windows 11 here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/customize/desktop/customize-the-windows-11-taskbar

    However, it seems that many users have posted that at the moment is not recognizing more than 3 pinned app, and will ignore further ones, which hopefully will be fixed in the upcoming updates.

    Hope this helps!
    Best regards,

  2. tnicolas02 1 Reputation point
    2021-09-07T12:32:20.42+00:00

    Same problem here.
    With Windows 10, the layout deployed by GPO was so great, we could pin all apps that we wanted.
    With Windows 11, the GPO doesn't seem to work anymore? Whether with JSON file like XML file.
    In addition, despite a GPO copy of the LayoutModification.json file in C: \Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\ and C: \%Username%\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\

    I only have the icons from the secondaryOEMPins. And again, only in newly created sessions, not in already created sessions. And I have in all cases the advertising icons Spotify, Netflix, To Do, Picasrts, Twitter, Intragram, Photoshop Express ...

    Great for corporate deployed PCs! A horror ! Hope this will be resolved in the final build!

  3. tnicolas02 1 Reputation point
    2021-09-14T07:51:09.76+00:00

    I have seen this : https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:DbJAyys3e2gJ:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/use-json-customize-start-menu-windows+&cd=1&hl=fr&ct=clnk&gl=fr

    The doc has been withdrawn by MS recently.

    It appears that we must use MS Intune to deploy the JSON file and the policy. It's a joke ? It's not possible by GPO ? We must buy this ?!

  4. Daniel Sharp 1 Reputation point
    2021-09-16T19:48:44.407+00:00

    The json file (in 11 replaces the xml file) and xml file (for weblinks if needed) work together and both go in C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
    I'm still learning what I can do with this combo.

  5. tnicolas02 1 Reputation point
    2021-09-21T12:20:07.317+00:00

    Finally, as Microsoft no longer allows the deployment of start menu templates without paying, I found how to block the download of non-productive applications (netflix, spotify etc ...). It therefore remains in the start menu only Microsoft applications :

    Deploy this with GPO :

    133968-png.png

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