How to Add a Website to the Windows 8 Start Screen

The epicenter of Windows 8 lies in its Start Screen, a collection of tiles designed to quickly connect you to your favorite apps, playlists, people, news and many other items. Pinning new tiles can be achieved in a number of ways, including through Internet Explorer in either Windows Mode or Desktop Mode.

Adding your favorite websites to the Windows 8 Start Screen is a simple two-step process, no matter which mode you are running in.

First, open your IE browser.  

Click on the ​Gear icon, also known as the Action or Tools menu, located in the upper right-hand corner of your browser window. When the drop-down menu appears, select Add site to Start Screen. The Add site to Start Screen dialog is now displayed, showing the current site's favicon, name and URL. Click on the Add button to create a Start Screen tile for this web page. You should now have a new tile on your Start Screen. To remove this shortcut at any time, first, right-click on it and then select the Unpin from Start button found at the bottom of your screen.

Click on the pin button, located to the right of IE's address bar. If this toolbar is not visible, right-click anywhere within your browser window to make it appear. When the pop-up menu appears, click on the option labeled Pin to Start. A pop-up window should now appear, displaying the current site's favicon as well as its name. The name can be modified to your liking. Please note that the name cannot be modified when pinning a site to your Start Screen in Desktop Mode. Once you are satisfied with the name, click on the Pin to Start button. You should now have a new tile on your Start Screen. To remove this shortcut at any time, first, right-click on it and then select the ​Unpin from Start button found at the bottom of your screen.​