Skip to main content

Windows 10 will put Start Screen Sync and App Sync to the axe

windows 10 will put start screen sync and app to the axe win10startscreen
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Connectivity is a central theme of Windows 10. It’s more deeply integrated with OneDrive than any previous version of Windows, and is linked with each user’s Microsoft Account. This ensures your preferences, settings and files can easily span numerous devices.

It turns out there’s one sync feature that won’t make the leap from 8.1 to 10, however; Start Screen and App sync. In Windows 8.1, apps downloaded from the Windows store automatically appeared in the All Apps list on other owned devices (they didn’t auto-install, but tapping them began the download). Windows 8.1 also remembered each user’s preferred Start Screen arrangement, including Live Tile position and size, and could sync that between PCs.

Recommended Videos

Paul Thurrott of Windows Super Site noticed this was no longer working in Windows 10 Insider, and asked Microsoft about it. The company’s official response confirmed the feature’s demise, stating “we found customers typically want to personalize the Start layout to match the device they are using.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

While removing a feature is rarely seen as a positive, Microsoft does have a point. A layout that looks great on the desktop may not look good on a 10-inch Surface 3 tablet. The new Start Screen would worsen the problem because it is not separate from the new Start Screen – it’s just a smaller version of it. If Start preferences did sync, the result might look quite ridiculous for users who own both a small 2-in-1 and a giant, 27-inch desktop monitor.

The death of app sync is not quite as logical. Having a purchased app appear on every device does make sense, and help users remember what they’ve acquired. However, it could also result in an absurdly long app list after a few years of using Windows. Microsoft seems to be playing it safe.

I think the best solution to this problem would be a new setting that lets users turn sync on and off, though that would raise the question of how users would know the setting exists. Perhaps we’ll see such a feature in a future build of Windows 10 – though Microsoft has no plans as such at this time.

Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
Windows 11 vs. Windows 10: Is it finally time to update?
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 sitting on a table.

Windows 11 is the newest version of Windows, and it's one of the best Windows versions ever released. It draws on its predecessors, like Windows 10, but today it's very much its own operating system, with a unique look, advanced features, and the most secure and stable platform for modern Windows application.

If you've been holding out on upgrading, or aren't running the latest version, we have everything you need to know about the most recent version of Windows 11.
Windows 11 2024 update (24H2)
The latest version of Windows 11, is the 2024 update known as 24H2. It initially rolled out to Windows Insiders in February 2024, but has since been released to the wider Windows user base starting October 1. It introduced a number of new and enhanced features to Windows, improving its fundamentals, as well as adding new capabilities, especially those running it on Copilot+ PCs and laptops.

Read more
How the Blue Screen of Death became your PC’s grim reaper
The Blue Screen of Death seen on a laptop.

There's nothing more startling than your PC suddenly locking up and crashing to a Blue Screen of Death. Otherwise known as a Blue Screen, BSOD, or within the walls of Microsoft, a bug check screen, the Blue Screen of Death is as iconic as it is infamous. Blue Screen of Death is not a proper noun, but I'm going to treat it like one. It's what you were met with during crashes on Intel's 14th-gen CPUs, and it littered airport terminals during the recent CrowdStrike outage.

Everyone knows that a Blue Screen is bad news -- tack on "of Death" to that, and the point is only clearer. It's a sign that something catastrophic has happened, so much so that the operating system can't recover, and it needs to reboot your PC in order to save it. The Blue Screen of Death we know today, fit with its frowning emoticon, is a relatively new development in the history of Windows.

Read more
You have one year to safely use Windows 10 before you’ll need to pay
Windows 11 logo on a laptop.

Microsoft will be allowing consumers to join its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for the first time next year, and it announced the program pricing today in a blog post. The official end-of-service date for Windows 10 is October 14, 2025, but by paying $30 to join the ESU program, you can receive an extra year of security updates. This will allow you to continue safely using Windows 10 until around October 2026, a full two years from now.

By the time support for Windows 10 ends, it will be almost exactly four years since Windows 11 launched and a decade since Windows 10 launched. It takes a lot of work to keep an operating system secure and running smoothly, which is why a company like Microsoft can't just endlessly support every version of Windows it's ever shipped. It would end up costing a lot more money than it made -- and that's not how businesses function.

Read more