How to boot to the desktop in Windows 8

Updated: 05/21/2018 by Computer Hope
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By default, Windows 8 boots to the Windows Start screen instead of the desktop. To boot to the desktop instead of the Start screen, follow the steps below.

  1. If you haven't already done so, download and install Windows 8.1.
Note

If you have a Start menu in Windows 8, this update has already been installed.

  1. Right-click an empty spot of the Taskbar and select Properties.
  2. In the Taskbar and Navigation properties window, click the Navigation tab.
  3. In the Navigation tab, check When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start.

Windows 8 boot to desktop

  1. Click OK.