Put Windows 11 to your liking

Dennis Gandasoebrata

Most options for customizing Windows 11 can be found in the settings window

By far the largest part of the customization options for Windows 11 can be found in the settings window, the successor to the classic Control Panel, which we said goodbye to some time ago. You can easily open the settings window via the key combination Windows + I or through the Start menu. On the left you will find the categories. Click on the category Personal settings. At the top right you will find an image of the current theme. A theme is a collection of appearance features, including desktop background, sounds, color set, and mouse cursor type. To the right of the current theme, you can quickly choose another theme.

Chances are you want more freedom in customizing the look. You can do this in the second part of the settings window. This is where you customize individual elements, such as the background, colors, and lock screen. Do you need accessibility features, such as a larger font size or a custom volume? You will find it in the separate section Accessibility, also found in the settings window.

Customize the behavior of the Windows taskbar

TASKBAR
The Windows taskbar is, of course, an important part of Windows 11. Right-click on an empty area of ​​the taskbar and choose Taskbar Settings. In the newly opened window – which is part of the settings window – you adjust the bar further to your hand. First take a look at the section Taskbar Items. Here you determine which default buttons are shown on the taskbar: To search, Task view, Widgets and To chat. Turn on the slider Out with unwanted items. The changes are immediately visible on the taskbar. Through the section Icons of the taskbar corner determine which default icons are allowed to be shown on the far right of the taskbar, for example On-Screen Keyboard. It’s nice to see that Windows 11 disables these icons by default. That taskbar corner can also contain more icons, which are accessible via the ‘overflow menu’. You can find it in the section Overflow menu in the corner of the taskbar. Expand the section: here you determine which programs have the right to place an icon in this menu, for example Windows Update (when an update is available) or Microsoft Outlook (when e-mail arrives).

FURTHER DETERMINING BEHAVIOR
In the section Taskbar Behavior find additional settings. A characteristic of Windows 11 is the alignment of the taskbar buttons: all buttons – including the Start button – are now shown in the middle by default. Can’t you get used to this? No problem: choose at Taskbar alignment for Left. This results in the format from Windows 10 and earlier editions.

Which icons are allowed to be shown in the taskbar corner?

In the same section you can make the taskbar disappear automatically (Auto-hide taskbar), enable counters that, for example, show the number of new items in an app (Show badges on taskbar apps) and enable the taskbar for all connected displays (Show my taskbar on all monitors).

HOME MENU
The settings window also gives you access to the settings of the Start menu. Open the section Personal settings and Start. If you do not want recently installed programs to have a separate place in the menu, then set the slider to Out Bee Show recently added apps. Activate the option Show most used apps if you want to add a new section in the complete, alphabetical app overview at the top with the apps you start regularly. Don’t you want it Start menu shows a list of apps you’ve recently used, turn the option off.

Handy: quick access to items such as Settings and File Explorer

RECENTLY OPENED ITEMS IN START, JUMPLISTS AND EXPLORER.
An interesting option is to make folders quickly accessible via the Start menu. You can show these folders next to the power button. Choose the Folders option and set the slider to On for the desired folders, such as Documents and Videos. Less logical, but handy: you can also enable the Settings and Explorer components via the same component, although this is not about ‘folders’.

EVEN MORE START MENU
We now open the Start menu. You can also make the necessary adjustments via the menu itself. Are you not satisfied with the apps shown in the section Pinned? Windows 11 itself has already placed a good number of apps here. You regain control by right-clicking on an app you don’t want to see anymore and choosing Unpin from Start. You can also make the app more visible via the same menu, for example with apps you use the most: choose Move up. You can also pin the app to the taskbar if you want to launch it even faster. Then choose Pin to taskbar. The section Pinned can consist of several pages, which you reach via the small dots on the far right.

Do you use the search box at the top intensively? Make sure you control this part. Type a search term to fully display the search box. Then click on the button Options (recognizable by the three dots) at the top right of the results window and choose Search settings to access the search options. With this you determine, among other things, whether Windows is also allowed to search your One-Drive account or other sources (such as Outlook). You can switch the search history on and off, but also delete it via the same options window.

Customize the Quick Settings menu

QUICK SETTINGS
The menu Quick Settings gives you access to the settings in the field of wireless connections (such as WiFi and Bluetooth), but also to the airplane mode and the concentration aid. You open it by clicking the network, volume, or battery icon in the Windows taskbar. Did you know that you can also customize this menu? Right click on an empty area within the menu and choose Edit quick settings. You can adjust the location of individual buttons and remove existing buttons by clicking the thumbtack at the top right. Through To add opens an overview of items that you can add to the menu, such as Night Light and Mobile hotspot.

WINDOW BEHAVIOR
Dealing with multiple windows in combination with multiple monitors or a high screen resolution has received a lot of attention in Windows 11. For example by the new Snap Layoutsfunction that appears as soon as you hover the mouse pointer over the button maximize let rest. Or the Snap Groupsfeature, which allows you to open a set of windows at once via the taskbar button.

Control the behavior of the Snap features

You can find the settings for this in the settings window, section System. Choose Multitasking. Flip the section Align windows from. If you don’t want Windows 11 to ‘help’ with automatic window layout, deactivate the option When a window is pinned, show what can be pinned next to it. You can disable the Snap Layouts function via the option Show aligned layouts when I hover over a window’s Maximize button. You can (de)activate the Snap Groups function via Show aligned layouts the app is part of when I hover over the toolbar buttons.

		Tips app In the new Tips app, the makers of Windows provide tips for using the operating system. The tips are divided into different categories, including widgets, shortcuts and security. To use the app, open the Start menu and type ‘Tips’.
	Microsoft itself also comes with a set of tips and tricks

ALT + TAB
Via the key combination Alt + Tab request an overview of open windows. If you use Edge as a browser, Windows 11 also shows the five most recently opened tabs. If you don’t appreciate that, you can adjust this behavior. With the option Alt + Tab (of the part Multitasking) do you choose Open windows only. Do you want to see the Edge tabs, but less? Choose Open windows and three most recent tabs in Microsoft Edge. You can also show all tabs: choose Hawkers and open all tabs in Microsoft Edge.

WINDOWS UPDATE UNDER CONTROL
It is also a good idea to review Windows Update’s default settings. In any case, make sure that the active hours are set correctly so that you are not surprised by a computer that restarts after an update is installed.

Control how Windows Update works

In the settings window, choose Windows Update and click Advanced options. Set the active hours at Operating times. Do you want that though updates be installed immediately and become active (regardless of whether you use the computer), then set the slider to Make sure I’m up to date on On. This option shows a reminder 15 minutes before the computer is restarted and ensures that the updates are installed as soon as possible.