Someone suggested to apply the layout via PowerShell before any user profiles are created
@Ketho I've been able to do this by applying the layout via PowerShell prior to having any user log in, instead of applying it via Group Policy. The only difference is that you need to change the file extension from .xml to .bin when you import it using the
Import-StartLayout
cmdlet - for exampleImport-StartLayout -LayoutPath "C:\Install\StartMenu.bin" -MountPath $env:SystemDrive\
. When done this way, the user gets the start layout you applied, but they can modify it unlike with a partial start layout.The only downside to this approach is that it's difficult to change the start layout on a system that's already in use - you'd have to delete the existing user profiles, apply the layout using PowerShell, then have the users log back in.
On another note, if you just want to apply a partial layout while still removing the default tiles, you can do so by first applying a full layout and then the partial layout in order