How to Customize Windows 11 Look and Feel

These links really just take you to other places in the Settings app where you can make the changes. When you’ve got things set up the way you like, click the “Save Theme” button and give your theme a name. If you want a little more control, you can also click the “Custom Color” button on that last screen. In the popup window, use the controls to select the exact color you want, and then click “Done.”

From here, you can pin your favorite apps for quick access, decide how many recent files it shows, and even tweak the layout to fit more or fewer tiles. This is where you can jazz up your desktop with a splash of color or an inspiring image. Whether you choose a solid color, a picture from your collection, or a slideshow of your favorite photos, make sure it reflects your personality. Once you complete the steps, the Start button and app icons will now align to the left, like in previous versions of the operating system. The most straightforward way to reset your personalization settings is through the built-in Windows Settings application. When enabling the recently added or most used apps options, the Start menu will show https://aliexpressofficial.com/ these items in the “Recommended” section and the “All apps” list.

• This area is the place where you can set a new desktop wallpaper, a solid color, or a slide show.
• Not necessarily – but tools like ThisIsWin11, Winaero Tweaker or Start11 offer more options.
• To switch between the Dark or Light mode of UI on Windows 11, first, go to the ‘Colors’ settings page.
• Once you complete the steps, the notifications system will continue to work, but you will no longer see toast and sound popping up every time you receive a notification.
• Similar to the Lock screen, you can also enable the Spotlight feature on the desktop to allow the system to refresh the experience with new wallpapers automatically.
• Once you complete the steps, only the icons you enabled will appear in the system tray of the Taskbar.

Tips for Customizing Windows 11

Unfortunately, the Start menu, taskbar, and Action Center elements are grouped for color selection, and you can’t make them different colors. We do, however, have a quick registry hack that can at least let you keep a black background on your Start menu and Action Center. The second option uses the accent color on the title bar of active windows, though we also have another hack for you if you want to use the accent color on inactive windows, as well. Windows 11 allows you to customize your own theme with background image, mouse cursor, color, and sounds of your choice or pick one of the pre-designed stock themes.

In addition to removing the Widgets entry point from the Taskbar, I turn off the news feed to allow a complete view of the widgets. Windows 10 allows limited customization of system fonts, which can enhance readability and accessibility. The Start menu is one of the most vital components of Windows 10, and personalizing it can significantly improve your workflow.

If you turn on the option to access your Android phone storage from your computer, the phone will appear on File Explorer through the left navigation pane. After you complete the steps, the Widgets board will only show widgets. Once you complete the steps, the Start menu home will now show more pins than recommendations. In the Start menu, I prefer to show more pins than recommendations, add extra shortcuts next to the power button, and deactivate some of the notifications. In this how-to guide, I will show you some of the settings I typically configure on my devices running Windows 11.

To show the most used apps on the Start menu, turn on the‘Show most used apps’ option. The recently pinned apps are added to the bottom of Pinned apps section. You can rearrange apps in the Start menu so that you can quickly access them whenever you need them. To remove an app from the Start menu, right-click on a pinned app and select the ‘Unpin from Start’ option.

The same slideshow will be applied to all your desktops as backgrounds. Then, select a specific folder with the images you wish to show on the desktop and click the ‘Choose this folder’ button. From the ‘Personalize your background’ drop-down, you can change the type of background you want to set for your desktop. To start personalizing, open the Settings app by clicking the Start button and selecting the gear icon.

Once you complete the steps, apps in the Taskbar will no longer show badges with the number of unseen messages. On the Taskbar, I prefer to align the icons to the left side, remove Widgets and Search, and, to minimize distractions, I typically disable badge notifications. Once you complete the steps, the account manager menu will no longer show intrusive notifications about your account or promotions. After you complete the steps, the shortcuts will appear next to the power button. These are the common settings I personally change on every Windows 11 installation.

With the right settings, Windows 11 becomes more beautiful and functional. From wallpapers to sounds to widgets—there are no limits to your creativity. Once you’ve got the hang of it, don’t stop at the basics—explore third-party apps and more advanced personalization options to further enhance your setup.

After following these steps, your Windows 11 will reflect your personal taste and preferences. Your computer will feel more like an extension of yourself, making your daily tasks more enjoyable. Animations make Windows look nice, but too much motion can pull attention away from the screen.

The background slideshow consumes more energy than a picture or solid color background. But if you want the PC to keep changing the wallpaper even when you are running on battery, then turn on ‘Let slideshow run even if I’m on battery power’ settings. Then I scrolled down to the list of apps and turned off notifications for the ones I don’t need. For the apps I kept, I opened each one and disabled banners or sounds that showed up too often. At the bottom, under Additional settings, I cleared all the checkboxes that show tips or suggestions after updates. Next, I opened the System tray icons to clean up the right side near the clock.

If you are using the virtual desktops feature, you can now set a custom background for each desktop. Under the Lock screen page, you will see multiple options to customize the Lock screen on Windows 11. In Windows 11, you can set your picture, Windows spotlight images, or a slideshow as your lock screen background. The other two settings, “Choose an app to show detailed status” and “Choose apps to show quick status,” let you control what apps provide status information on the lock screen.

Microsoft to address negative feedback about Windows 11 update naming scheme

Besides just wallpaper and a theme color, Microsoft is including new settings to let users enable or disable transparency across the Start menu, taskbar, and Action Center. You’ll also notice a new animation effect on elements inside of each of the setting’s sections. If you decide on the slideshow option, you’ll first need to select one or more albums (or folders) with pictures to use for the slideshow. Click the “Add a folder” button to add new folders until you’re satisfied with your selections. You can also click the “Advanced slideshow settings” link to access some additional options.

As with your desktop background, you can use a built-in picture or select Browse to choose one of your own. Some of these include customizing the Start menu pins and shortcuts and changing some Taskbar settings to make it more usable while removing some clutter. Windows 10 is a highly versatile operating system that emphasizes user experience through personalization settings.

On Windows 11, you have to connect your phone to your computer, but you have to do this in two ways to access the different features. For example, if you connect your Android device through the Phone Link app, you can access your photos, messages, notifications, and more. Once you complete the steps, the monitor should start using the correct refresh rate. After you complete the steps, the time zone and clock will sync automatically.

If you haven’t personalized the settings yet, you can click on the quick links at the top Themes page to go to the respective settings directly and configure them. When you turn on, lock, or sign out of your Windows 11 PC, it will take you to the lock screen. But only when you press a key on the keyboard, click the mouse, or swipe up on a touchscreen, it move to the sign-in screen (where you enter your password, PIN, or others). From, ‘Accent color’ dropdown menu, select ‘Automatic’ if you want to let Windows choose the accent color or select ‘Manual’ to choose your favorite accent color. Then, select a fit type for your slideshow backgrounds from the last drop-down if you want.