Microsoft is aware of the way you need Windows to look. That, at the least, appears to be the corporate’s message with Windows 11. It makes large adjustments to the person interface and continues the development of creating person customization tougher. It’s not at the moment potential to totally revert Windows 11 to the search for Windows 10 and, given Microsoft’s present perspective in the direction of UI customization, it could by no means be. Still, there are a number of key tweaks that may make you extra comfy.
Windows 11’s most evident design change is the relocation of the Windows Start menu from its conventional residence nestled on the taskbar’s left aspect to the middle of the taskbar. Fortunately, this variation is straightforward to revert.
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Open the Windows Start menu after which the Settings app. In Settings, navigate to Personalization, then Taskbar, and open Taskbar behaviors. You’ll see a discipline labeled Taskbar alignment with a drop-down menu. Change the drop-dox menu from Center to Left.
The change takes place instantly.
Remove new icons
While we’re right here, let’s disable the brand new icons added by Windows 11. These are additionally within the Taskbar part of Personalization settings. You will see a listing labeled “Taskbar items” that features 4 choices: Search, Task view, Widgets, and Chat. Use the toggles subsequent to every to show all 4 icons off.
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An necessary observe about Search: there’s at the moment no solution to restore the complete Search discipline from the Windows 10 taskbar. Turning off the brand new Search icon means you may’t entry Search by clicking a discipline or icon on the taskbar. It will nonetheless be obtainable by the Windows + S keyboard shortcut, nevertheless.
Microsoft is type sufficient to allow you to simply change the Start menu’s location and take away some icons, however the Start menu itself is a unique story. You’ll want to make use of a third-party program.
The free choice is Open-Shell, an open-source program (previously referred to as Classic Shell) that may exchange the beginning menu. Download this system and set up it. However, be certain to disable Classic Explorer and Classic IE throughout set up. If you don’t, Open-Shell may also modify Windows Explorer in a means that doesn’t vibe with the look of Windows 10.
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Once put in, open this system known as Open-Shell Menu Settings. Select the Windows 7 type menu after which open the Skin tab. I used the Fluent-Metro skin for this information. In fact, it features extra like a Windows 7 Start Menu with Windows 10 coat of paint, but it surely was the perfect pores and skin I might discover.
While Open-Shell works okay, it’s not excellent. It can’t correctly exchange the Start Menu and doesn’t restore Windows 10 options.
Stardock’s Start11 is a better choice. It doesn’t have the Start menu icon drawback of Open-Shell and requires no set up of further recordsdata to ship a lovely menu within the Metro design type. Start11 prices $4.99, nevertheless, so that you’ll must determine if its ease-of-use is well worth the worth.
Change icons
The taskbar icons in Windows 11 are fairly just like Windows 10, so that you may not really feel the necessity to change them. Other icons all through the working system are considerably totally different.
First, obtain a Windows 10 icon pack. A wide range of these could be discovered on-line: I used a Windows 10 Build 10125 icon pack. Place your icons in a folder you may conveniently bear in mind.
Let’s begin with desktop icons. Open the Settings app, choose Personalization, open Themes, after which Desktop Icons. A menu will seem with the 5 typical desktop icons current. Click an icon you wish to change after which faucet Change icon. Navigate to the place you positioned the icon pack, choose the icon you wish to use, after which faucet Open. I’ve changed the Recycle Bin icons within the screenshot beneath.
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You may also change the icons of particular person folders and shortcuts. Right-click on an merchandise and open Properties, then head to the Customize tab. At the underside you’ll see the Change Icon button. Click it and choose an icon you’d like to make use of as described within the earlier paragraph.
Unfortunately, Windows 11 doesn’t allow you to change some icons, most notably the brand new icons for drives and person folders in Windows Explorer. You can use Drive Icon Changer to alter drive icons, nevertheless.
Disable rounded corners
Round corners are key to the brand new look of Windows 11. Not everybody loves them, nevertheless, and there’s extra unhealthy information. It’s not at the moment potential to alter them by Windows 11 itself or a third-party resolution.
You do have one choice. Windows 11 will revert to sq. corners if you happen to flip off {hardware} graphics acceleration (this may also flip off different visible options like transparency).
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Well, there may be one different choice: you may disable your graphics {hardware}. Open Device Manager, increase Display Adapters, and right-click the show adapter listed. Select Disable Device. Your display screen will flicker a second however, when Windows returns, the rounded corners will likely be gone.
I don’t advocate this, nevertheless. Disabling your graphics {hardware} will trigger the Windows UI to really feel sluggish and stilted, and also you received’t have the ability to use 3D apps or video games till you flip the {hardware} again on.
Change the wallpaper
Last, however least, you may restore the unique Windows 10 wallpaper. This just isn’t included with Windows 11, however is on the market from a wide range of sources on-line, such as this 4K sample on Imgur.
Right-click the picture after you obtain it after which choose Set as desktop background. The change will take impact instantly.
Where to go from right here
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Windows 10 purists will likely be upset to listen to this leaves a number of options of Windows 11, like the brand new context menu and File Explorer, within the working system. A wide range of registry hacks circulating on-line declare to partially or totally disable these options, however in my testing they both triggered unwanted effects or, in lots of instances, didn’t work in any respect—doubtless as a result of Windows 11 has obtained many updates over the previous few months.
Keep an eye fixed on initiatives that goal to assist customers change the feel and appear of Windows 11, similar to ThisIsWin11. This challenge isn’t particularly helpful for now as a result of it largely replicates tweaks you may obtain manually, however it could evolve right into a extra feature-rich choice.
It additionally wouldn’t harm to let Microsoft know that you simply’d like extra customization choices. Much of this finally falls on Microsoft, which has step by step eradicated choices for customizing the Windows interface over time.
For now, benefit from the adjustments you’ve made. It may not totally restore Windows 10, however hey—at the least the Start menu is fastened.