What is a Start overlay and how do I customize it in Windows 8?

Start overlay is a menu that provides quick access on the tools and system settings you usually use in your system. These include Program and Features, Network Connections, Power Options, Event Viewer, System, device Manager, Disk Management and a lot more.

You can access the Start overlay in two ways:

• Place your mouse on the lower-left corner of the screen and right-click on the Start or Display screen preview overlay that appears.
• Use keyboard shortcut <Windows key> + X.

The start overlay menu is customizable in such a way that you can modify which items are to be displayed in the menu. To customize it, follow the steps below:

• From the explorer window, access the location: LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\WinX.

Note: Make sure hidden items are shown for you to see the AppData folder.

• Modify the contents inside by placing the shortcuts of the items you want to display in the Start Overlay menu into the folder. Groups 1, 2 and 3 folders are group divisions you see in the menu separated by a horizontal line divider.