Over the past two months, I have had several email requests from Windows and Office Blog readers asking how they can create a tile on the Windows 8 Start Screen for an application they have installed. The answer is surprisingly simple, yet frustratingly non-obvious.
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Add a tile
Most of the time, when you install an application in Microsoft Windows 8, the system will create a tile on the Start Screen for you. However, sometimes you need to add the tile yourself. Here is how you do it.
First, make sure you are on the Windows 8 Start Screen and then right-click on any empty portion of that screen to reveal the All apps button in the lower right part of the display, as shown in Figure A.
Figure A
Right-click on a blank portion
Click the All apps button to reveal a list of all your installed apps, similar to Figure B.
Figure B
All apps revealed
Navigate over to the application you would like to create an app for. In this case, I am going to add a tile for the World of Warcraft. Right-click the appropriate item in the list and you will be given several choices, one of which is to pin the application to the Start Screen. (Figure C)
Figure C
Right-click you app
Click the Pin to Start button and a tile for that application will be added to the Start Screen. (Figure D)
Figure D
A tile has been added
Of course, the tile will be added to the end of all the other already existing tiles, so you are probably going to want to move somewhere more appropriate on the Start Screen, but that is another tip for another time.
