I discovered a free mod device that lastly makes H...

Since I upgraded to Windows 11 again in 2021, I’ve had considerably of a love-hate relationship with the working system. A few of the adjustments Microsoft has made to Home windows 11 are genuinely good, similar to File Explorer having tabs, new snap layouts for multitasking, and an general extra trendy aesthetic. Nonetheless, if I needed to pinpoint one main factor that sucks about Home windows 11, it might be the lack of customization choices for the Begin Menu and the taskbar.

Arguably, the Begin Menu and the taskbar are two of probably the most steadily used options in Home windows, but Microsoft gives restricted customization choices for them. I do not thoughts the centered taskbar Microsoft launched with Home windows 11 (which you’ll change), however it might be higher if I might personalize its look. The default look of the Begin Menu can be irritating, as it’s full of ineffective suggestions.

With the end of Windows 10 support nearing, it made me take into consideration these Home windows 11 shortcomings and whether or not there’s a simple technique to repair them. Not just for my peace of thoughts but in addition for the many individuals who will doubtless change to Home windows 11 quickly. That is after I found a program known as Windhawk, an open-source platform that enables customers to obtain mods for Home windows created by the neighborhood. Particularly, in case you’ve all the time wished to utterly change the look of the taskbar and the Begin Menu in Home windows 11, Windhawk is one of the best ways to do it, and it is utterly free.

How one can get Windhawk and customise your Begin Menu

To get began with Windhawk, obtain the app from its web site, which you could find here. After downloading, run the windhawk_setup file and set up this system in your PC.

As soon as put in, open Windhawk. Within the high proper nook of the app, you will see an choice known as Discover. Click on it, and you will be taken to a display screen with many alternative mods for Home windows 11. I like to recommend beginning with the Home windows 11 Begin Menu Styler, which helps you to customise the Begin Menu. To get it, click on Particulars, then click on the Set up button. You will see a pop-up asking you whether or not you belief this mod and a warning about security, and because it’s from a verified mod writer, it is protected to put in. I’ve had no points.

After set up, you may apply totally different themes to your Home windows 11 Begin Menu. Within the mod’s Particulars menu, you will see varied themes, similar to one which removes the really helpful part, one which mimics Home windows 10, and one other that makes it utterly translucent for the Liquid Glass impact.

Once you discover a theme you want, click on the Settings tab. Below Theme, choose the identify of the theme you wish to apply. As soon as chosen, click on Save settings above, and the adjustments will likely be mirrored in your Begin Menu. In the event you expertise points with the theme not making use of, guarantee your Home windows is up-to-date, because the mods typically solely work on the most recent variations of Home windows 11.

Personally, I selected the No Really useful Part theme as a result of I want having my pinned apps entrance and heart within the Begin Menu. Since I work with many pictures and information each day, the really helpful part typically accommodates information I needn’t open once more, which is not very useful. With this Windhawk mod, it is gone, and the Begin Menu seems to be a lot cleaner.

Home windows 11 Taskbar Styler

This mod permits you to customise the looks of your taskbar

The subsequent Home windows 11 mod I like to recommend putting in from Windhawk is the Home windows 11 Taskbar Styler. Just like the Begin Menu Styler I simply described, this mod permits you to utterly change the looks of the taskbar. You could find and set up it from the Discover tab in Windhawk.

The Home windows 11 Taskbar Styler gives a wide range of themes to select from, together with one which makes the taskbar totally translucent, one other that mimics the look of both Home windows XP, Home windows Vista, or Home windows 7, and one which transforms the taskbar right into a dock, just like macOS.

Initially, I attempted the Home windows XP taskbar theme for nostalgia, however after a number of hours, I made a decision it was greatest to return to the trendy look, so I chosen the DockLike theme as a substitute. It is minimal, and I do not thoughts the macOS vibes it offers, since I typically change between each working programs each day.

Together with the Home windows 11 Taskbar Styler mod, I additionally suggest putting in the Taskbar peak and icon dimension mod. By default, Home windows 11 reduces the taskbar icons to 24 x 24 pixels as a substitute of the usual 32 x 32, which might typically make them seem blurry and low high quality. Putting in this mod merely upscales the taskbar icons again to 32 x 32 and barely will increase the peak of the taskbar consequently. Whereas it is a small change, it makes an enormous distinction in how the taskbar seems to be, and I a lot want the 32 x 32 app icons.

Moreover, in case you’ve not too long ago switched from Home windows 10 to Home windows 11 and miss the vertical taskbar, there’s additionally a mod for that. It is known as Vertical Taskbar for Home windows 11. Once you set up it, you may select to make the taskbar vertical once more, on both the left or proper aspect of your display screen.

Different Windhawk mods to discover

There are extra than simply Taskbar and Begin Menu mods

In addition to those I’ve prominently talked about, Windhawk has many different mods on its open-source platform which can be price exploring. I am going to shortly spotlight a number of that stand out.

The Higher file sizes in Explorer particulars mod is beneficial as a result of it permits you to see the file dimension of folders. By default, Home windows solely exhibits the dimensions of particular person information in File Explorer, not whole folders. This mod makes it simple to see folder sizes with out right-clicking and checking properties, saving you time. Subsequent, there is a taskbar mod known as Taskbar Labels for Home windows 11, which lets you customise how program labels seem on the taskbar. One other taskbar mod is Taskbar Clock Customization, which helps you to change the looks of the clock in your taskbar and add options like information, climate, and system efficiency metrics.

Lastly, one final cool mod is the Home windows 11 Notification Heart Styler. Just like the Begin Menu and Taskbar Styler I discussed earlier, this allows you to decide on totally different themes for the Notification and Motion Heart.

General, if you would like to boost the look of Home windows 11 in your PC, Windhawk is undoubtedly one of many best methods to do it, and gives a bunch of various customization mods that I might solely ever dream of Microsoft truly implementing. It is utterly free and is pushed by a neighborhood of people that simply wish to make the Home windows 11 expertise higher. In the event you’re simply coming over to Home windows 11 from Home windows 10, Windhawk can positively make that transition rather a lot simpler.