How to Show or Hide the Windows 8.1 Update 1 Start Screen Power Button

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Windows 8.1 Update 1 brought many new features and changes to Microsoft’s latest operating system, but one of the biggest areas of focus for the update was to make the operating system easier to navigate for those using traditional desktops with mice and keyboards. This included the addition of new power and search buttons on the Start Screen, giving users another way to access these features aside from the Charms bar.

But Microsoft made the odd decision to limit the new power button to non-touch devices. By default, you won’t see this new power button if you’re using Windows 8.1 Update 1 on a Surface tablet, for example.

Thankfully, this is still Windows, which means that almost every feature can be configured via the Registry, and Microsoft-focused journalist Paul Thurrott was one of many Windows users to quickly find the correct setting. Here’s how to enable (or disable) the Start Screen power button in Windows 8.1 Update 1.

First, launch the Windows Registry Editor by searching for regedit on the Start Screen. Once launched, navigate to the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell

Right-click on ImmersiveShell and choose New > Key. Name this new key Launcher and select it. With the Launcher key selected, right-click on the empty right side of the window and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it Launcher_ShowPowerButtonOnStartScreen.

By default, this new DWORD will have a value of 0, which will disable the Windows 8.1 Update 1 Start Screen Power Button. If the power button was already enabled and your goal was to disable it, you’re all done. Simply reboot your PC or device and the button will no longer appear when you log back in to Windows.

If, however, you’re using a tablet and you want to enable the power button, double-click on the new DWORD and give it a value of 1. As above, simply reboot your device to see the power button appear on your Start Screen when you log in to your user account.

Although this may change in future updates or versions of Windows, there’s currently nothing permanent about this setting. Therefore, feel free to return to this location in the registry and toggle the Windows 8.1 Update 1 Start Screen Power Button on and off as desired. Just remember to reboot each time in order to see the change.

Microsoft Details New Features with Windows 8.1 Update 1 Power User Guide

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Coinciding with today’s end of support for Windows XP is the next stage of development for Windows 8. Windows 8.1 Update 1 is now available to all users of Windows 8.1, and brings a number of new features and changes aimed primarily at assuaging the concerns of Windows users with traditional keyboard and mouse interfaces.

While Microsoft hopes its continued refinement of the Windows 8 platform will encourage those on older versions of the operating system to upgrade, the company also knows that millions of users are already accustomed to an existing version of Windows 8, and it has therefore released a “Power User Guide” outlining the changes in Update 1.

The 20-page PDF highlights key changes, such as new right-click context menus, the ability to pin Windows Store apps to the Desktop taskbar, and new integration and syncing features with OneDrive. Also included is a list of common keyboard shortcuts and tips for touch and mouse input. Although targeted primarily at business users, the guide is a handy reference for consumers as well.

You can pick up the free Windows 8.1 Power User Guide at Microsoft’s Download Center now, and those looking to upgrade to Windows 8.1 Update 1 can find it via Windows Update.

Leaked Build Reveals Expected Interface Tweaks for Windows 8.1 Update 1

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While big changes to Windows are scheduled for next year’s “Threshold” (Windows 9) update, Microsoft is getting set to release a relatively minor update to its desktop operating system. “Windows 8.1 Update 1” is set for release this spring and a recently leaked build reveals the changes that users can expect.

Boot to Desktop by Default: Microsoft already introduced a boot-to-desktop option with last year’s Windows 8.1, but starting with Update 1, users on traditional non-touch PCs will see the option enabled by default. Those running the operating system on touch screen devices will still be brought to the familiar Start Screen by default, but both categories of users can change the setting manually if desired.

Metro App Title Bars: For Windows 8-Style apps (a.k.a. “Metro”), users with mouse and keyboard configurations will see a new title bar at the top of these formerly seamless full-screen experiences. Visible briefly upon launch and again when the mouse cursor is hovered near the top of the screen, these title bars give desktop Windows users quick access to quit, minimize, and split functions. The bar also acts as a visible “grab” area for users still learning the touch-centric Windows 8 interface.

Start Screen Buttons: New power and search buttons are visible on the Start Screen next to a more prominently displayed user name. These allow mouse and keyboard users to quickly find and select search functions or trigger a power action such as a shutdown or restart. While things could change before a final release, the current build only displays the power button for non-touchscreen devices, while the new search button is visible for all devices.

Pin Metro Apps to the Desktop Taskbar: This is the first step to enabling Metro apps to run windowed on the Desktop, something that is scheduled for the “Threshold” Windows 9 update. While you can’t run those Metro apps on the desktop yet, you can pin them to the Desktop Taskbar, making it easy for users still transitioning to the new user interface. Users can access this functionality by right-clicking on a Start Screen live tile and selecting “Pin to Taskbar.” Any Metro apps that are currently running will also appear in the Taskbar when the user switches back to the Desktop.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 Pin Metro Apps Desktop Taskbar

Right-Click Menus on Start Screen: The same right-click menu that lets you pin an app to the Taskbar, mentioned above, also now lets users resize tiles, pin tiles to the Start Screen, and perform other context-aware functions. These functions were all available in previous versions of Windows 8, but through the touch interface and charms bar. Incorporating them into a mouse and keyboard-centric control method is yet another way Microsoft is trying to ease the fears of longtime Windows users.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 Right Click Menu Start Screen

And that last sentence is really the point of all of this. With the death of Windows XP looming, Microsoft is faced with literally hundreds of millions of customers still reluctant to update to its latest operating system. Many of these customers are businesses, replete with employees trained exclusively to use the traditional Windows interface. The radical changes brought by the original version of Windows 8 in late 2012 proved to be too much for many of these users, and so Microsoft has been scrambling to accommodate traditional user expectations while at the same time paving the way for the future of the operating system.

Final judgement on whether this accommodating strategy will prove to be successful will have to wait until Windows 9 next year, but many longtime Microsoft watchers aren’t optimistic.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 will be a free update for all Windows 8.1 users. It’s expected to be released to the public in April following Microsoft’s BUILD conference, where we’ll also likely get more details about Windows 9.