Windows 11 is an attractive operating system, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better. There’s not much to fault out of the box, but when you make a few adjustments you’ll know millions of people have desks that look exactly the same.
Fortunately, it takes very little time and effort, and luckily, no money! – to give Windows 11 personality by customizing the appearance of the operating system in various ways to suit you.
Join us as we show you what you can accomplish with Windows 11’s built-in option – you’ll be amazed at what’s possible.
Apply a theme in Windows 11
Perhaps the easiest way to completely change the look of Windows 11 is to apply a theme, and Microsoft has provided you with a selection to choose from.
Right-click and empty the desktop area and select ‘Personalize’, then go to the ‘Themes’ section (or you can open ‘Settings’ and go to Personalization> Themes and choose from the theme options offered.
You can see small previews of the visual changes a layout contains, but you can expect more changes than the preview allows. In addition to changing the desktop image and color scheme used in Windows, a theme can change its slider and apply a new sound scheme.
How to get more Windows 11 themes
There are several built-in themes to choose from by default, but if you’re struggling to find something you like, there are plenty more you can download from the Microsoft Store.
It is accessed by clicking the “Browse Designs” button under the built-in design preview. You will be taken to the store where you will find a selection of free and paid options to choose from.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed a theme you like, you can apply it the same way you would any of the built-in themes. Many themes come with multiple wallpapers so you can explore these two and choose the one you want, or you can use a different wallpaper as your wallpaper if you want.
Personalize Windows 11
There are several options you can use for your desktop background and you can access them by going to Personalization> Background in Settings.
To use a single still image, choose Image from the Adjust background drop-down menu, then choose from the Recent images section, or click Browse photos to choose a different one.
If you choose Slideshow, you can automatically change your desktop image. Click Browse, choose a folder that contains images and then use the Change All Image menu to choose how long you want an image to be used as a background before you edit it.
Windows 11 Taskbar settings
The taskbar, which appears at the bottom of the screen, contains not only the start button but also all kinds of application shortcuts and taskbar icons.
You spend a lot of time watching and interacting with this key component of Windows, so it’s important to customize it the way you want. Right-click on an empty area of the taskbar and select “Taskbar settings”.
You can start by using the system tray item switches to choose which icons to display in the main part of the system tray. You can also use the switches in the corner taskbar icons to customize the icons that appear in the right corner of the taskbar next to the clock.
Any color you like
Go back to the main customization area and click on “Colors” so that you can change the system color options, including dark mode.
Using the menu in the “Choose your mode” section, you can choose between light and dark mode, or you can choose Custom instead.
In this way, you can perform various configurations for the whole of Windows and for the applications; Many apps let you set dark or light mode, but this setting configures what happens by default.
You can also turn on the transparency setting and choose an accent color used to highlight areas of the screen, such as the screen. B. Frames around windows and applications.
More options
Go to the overflow section from the corner of the taskbar in the system tray settings and you will be able to further customize the right side of the system tray.
The various buttons are displayed here to allow you to choose which application icons are displayed next to the clock and which are prohibited in the additional menu. This will remove them from view until you click the up arrow to display the additional menu.
It’s a convenient way to save space and avoid clutter by showing only the icons that you think are useful.
Change Taskbar location in Windows 11
There are other options to consider in the Taskbar Behavior section, starting with the taskbar orientation settings. Using the drop-down menu here, you can choose to move the Start button to the left side of the screen like in the previous version of Windows, or keep it centered like Microsoft designed for Windows 11.
In this section, you can also hide the taskbar until you hover over the bottom of the screen. Choose whether or not to display the taskbar on all monitors (if you have a multi-monitor setup).
Hide desktop icons
Changing your wallpaper isn’t the only change you can make to your desktop in Windows 11.
If you right-click and empty the desktop area, you can make various icon-related settings through the pop-up menu that appears.
Look in the “View” submenu, you can start by choosing the size in which you want the desktop icons to appear. You can then choose how the icons will be arranged, whether they fit perfectly on an invisible grid or whether they are left for a free-form arrangement. Finally, you can use the “Show desktop icons” option to enable or disable the display of icons on the desktop.
Enable Night light in Windows 11
We have already touched on different ways to customize Windows 11, including changing the screen colors, but there is also the night light setting which is very useful not only to change the look of your screen but also to reduce the tired. visually.
Right-click on an empty area of the desktop and choose Display settings, then scroll down to the Brightness and color section.
Click on the Nightlight section and click “Activate Now” to change your display to warmer, eye-friendly colors. You can use the slider to change settings and schedule options so that the night light turns on and off at different times of the day.
Customize the Windows 11 Start menu
Besides the taskbar, the Start menu is something that you will spend a lot of time on in Windows 11. So you need to get it running and running in the way that works best for you.
Right-click the Start button, select Settings, navigate to the Personalization section and click Start Successfully. You can use the three switches that appear to choose whether or not to add recently added apps, frequently used apps, and recently used items to the Start menu.
Click on the “Folders” section below and use the various buttons to choose the additional useful shortcut you want to display in the Start menu next to the power button for easy access to commonly used tools and locations.
