# Can you manually highlight objects in the XP Start Menu?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-manually-highlight-objects-in-the-xp-start-menu/323379>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 25, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-manually-highlight-objects-in-the-xp-start-menu/323379 "2005-09-25T21:51:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-manually-highlight-objects-in-the-xp-start-menu/323379/1 "2005-09-25T21:51:41Z")

</div>

I often use customized icons for the folders in the XP Start Menu. This sometimes makes it difficult to quickly discern a folder from some other item.

Can you have Windows highlight certain items in the Start menu as it does with newly installed programs?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-manually-highlight-objects-in-the-xp-start-menu/323379/2 "2005-09-27T18:38:26Z")

</div>

Bump.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-manually-highlight-objects-in-the-xp-start-menu/323379/3 "2005-09-28T19:04:35Z")

</div>

So no one knows?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8797f3/32.png) [@Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ins_Outs_What-have-yous)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-manually-highlight-objects-in-the-xp-start-menu/323379/4 "2005-09-29T00:20:35Z")

</div>

When you say ‘manually,’ do you mean using keyboard instead of a mouse?

Press Ctrl + Esc to engage Windows start menu, then use the arrow keys to navigate. Perhaps this is the information you seek.

AC

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-manually-highlight-objects-in-the-xp-start-menu/323379/5 "2005-09-29T00:27:01Z")

</div>

> [@ArchitectChore](#):
>
> When you say ‘manually,’ do you mean using keyboard instead of a mouse?
> 
> Press Ctrl + Esc to engage Windows start menu, then use the arrow keys to navigate. Perhaps this is the information you seek.
> 
> AC

No, I think he means he wants some method, like a configuration tool or Registry hack, to control which items in the Start menu are highlighted - as he says, like when you install a new application and for the first few invocations, the app is highlighted. As far as I know, there’s no way of doing this. I’ve searched MSDN and I don’t see any clever registry hacks or programmatic ways of doing it even, let alone an admin tool.