Windows 8.1 - How to reset the Start Screen to its default layout

Here's how to reset the Start Screen of Windows 8.1 to its default layout. This can be achieved by deleting 2 files.

Method one - Using the Command prompt

Launch the command prompt as administrator and type the following commands: del %LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindowsappsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak del %LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindowsappsFolder.itemdata-ms

Method two - Deleting the files manually

First you will need to enable the display of hidden files.

Navigate to %LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindows

Delete the following files:

appsFolder.itemdata-ms

appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak

Restart Windows Explorer to view the changes:

All you need to do now, is to restart Windows Explorer: