The new operating system, Windows 11 Pro, offers numerous opportunities for personalization and customization of the interface to suit individual preferences. The OS is properly configured and allows a more comfortable and efficient computer experience. Let’s take a detailed look at how to customize the desktop, lock screen, Start menu, taskbar, and use of third-party tools for extended personalization.
Desktop Customization
The desktop is the primary space with which the user interacts in Windows 11 Pro. Therefore, it’s important to customize it to be both visually appealing and functional.
Changing the Background Image
Windows 11 Pro makes it easy to change the desktop background image. To do this, right-click on a blank area of the desktop and select “Personalize”. In the window that appears, go to the “Background” tab and choose one of the provided options or click “Browse” to specify the path to your image.
Choosing a Color Scheme
In Windows 11 Pro, you can quickly switch between light and dark theme colors. To do this, go to “Personalization” and select the desired option under the “Colors” tab.
In this section, you can also pick an accent color, which will be applied to buttons, links, window headers, and other interface elements. This allows you to personalize the appearance of Windows and customize it to your liking.
Creating and Applying Theme Styles
If you’ve invested time in configuring the background image, color scheme, and notification sounds to your liking, it would be disappointing to lose these settings. Fortunately, Windows 11 Pro allows you to save all customization parameters as a separate theme style. This will allow you to quickly apply the saved set of settings with just a couple of clicks.
Lock Screen Personalization
The lock screen is the first thing a user sees when turning on the computer or exiting sleep mode. By default, it displays only an image and the date with time, but in Windows 11 Pro, there is an option to customize the lock screen to your taste.
To open lock screen settings, go to “Personalization” and select the “Lock screen” tab. Here you can change the background image by choosing one of the provided options or specifying the path to your own picture.
The main feature of the lock screen in Windows 11 Pro is the ability to display useful information. For example, you can display the current date and time, a calendar with upcoming events, recent emails from your mailbox, or weather forecasts. To achieve this, click on the “Add” link below “Get information from one of your apps on the locked screen” and select the desired data source.
Start Menu Customization
The updated Start menu in Windows 11 Pro can be tailored to the user’s needs. Unnecessary application shortcuts can be removed, and important ones can be moved to prominent positions. Applications can be grouped into folders. Additionally, quick access folders to the most frequently used files and directories can be added to the Start menu.
Taskbar Customization
By default, the taskbar is located at the bottom center of the screen, but this can be changed.
To move the taskbar to the left side of the screen, as it was in earlier versions of Windows, right-click on an empty area of the taskbar and select “Taskbar Settings”. In the window that opens, find the “Taskbar Behavior” section, and in the “Taskbar Alignment” drop-down menu, choose “Left”.
In the “Taskbar Behavior” section, you can also customize other parameters:
- Automatically hide the taskbar when it’s not in use. This frees up additional screen space.
- Display icons on the taskbar. You can select which icons will always be displayed on the taskbar and which will be hidden in the notification area.
- Grouping and displaying shortcuts for running applications. This parameter determines whether the shortcuts for open windows of the same application will be grouped under one button on the taskbar or displayed separately.
To manually select which applications should be pinned to the taskbar, right-click on their icons and select “Pin to taskbar”. To unpin a shortcut, select “Unpin from taskbar”. You can also simply drag the application icon from the desktop or the Start menu to the taskbar to pin it there.
Utilizing Third-Party Tools for Advanced Customization
While the standard features of Windows 11 Pro offer quite extensive customization options for the interface, they may prove insufficient for some users. In such cases, third-party utilities come to the rescue, expanding the system’s customization capabilities.
- Taskbar11: This tool allows flexible adjustment of the position and size of the taskbar, as well as changing the size of icons on it.
- Start11: With Start11, you can restore the classic look of the Start menu from Windows 10 or even earlier versions. Interestingly, this tool also allows applying the new Windows 11 menu style to Windows 10.
If you don’t like the new minimalist look of the context menu in Windows 11, you can use the Windows 11 Classic Context Menu utility to restore the classic version from previous OS versions.
Conclusion
Setting up and personalizing Windows 11 Pro is an important stage that allows for a more comfortable and efficient computer experience. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try different settings to find the optimal combination. By spending a little time customizing Windows 11 Pro, you’ll make your computer truly unique and a convenient tool that will delight you daily.
