Chicago
Track Your Order
0
7 tools to make your Windows desktop look amazing
Out of the box, all Windows 11 PCs look pretty much the same, and besides changing the wallpaper, you might not think there's much you can do to make it your own. However, that's very wrong. Thanks to the wonderful world of third-party apps, there is a ton you can do to make your PC stand out from the crowd.
Whether it's cool animated wallpapers or completely changing the taskbar and Start menu, there's a lot that can be done to make sure your PC isn't like anyone else's. Here are some of the tools that can help you with that.
Lively Wallpaper
Make your desktop interactive
One of the easiest things you can do to make your desktop unique is use an animated background, and Lively Wallpaper is a great free app that lets you do exactly that. There are a few options here for different kinds of animated wallpapers, most of which respond to your mouse movement or clicks, too, giving your PC a much more interactive and lively aesthetic.
A personal favorite of mine is the Fluids wallpaper which creates ink splashes of ink that follow your mouse, and it looks really fun. It also responds to your system audio, and you can also make it respond to clicks so there's a big explosion of ink. But there are plenty more options here, and on top of that, you can create a "3D" wallpaper based on any photo in your gallery, giving it a fun parallax effect thanks to AI.
ExplorerPatcher
Some basic tweaks
ExplorerPatcher is a customization tool for Windows that isn't necessarily focus on the visual aspect of things, but there are some tweaks here that might be interesting to you. For one thing, ExplroerPatcher can make it possible to restore the vertical taskbar, so if that's something you want, this is a great way to do it.
I tried out ExplorerPatcher, the best way to make Windows 11 feel like Windows 10
Can't deal with the changes in Windows 11? Explorer Patcher takes you back to the Windows 10 UI.
It can also restore some dialogs to the Windows 10 versions, and in some cases, even the Windows 7 ones. It can also restore the Windows 10 ribbon in File Explorer, though it does so at the expense of tab support, which was added in Windows 11.
-
ExplorerPatcher
Wallpaper Engine
So many animated wallpapers
I love a free app like Lively Wallpaper, but if you're willing to invest just a little bit of money, Wallpaper Engine is an amazing option for customizing your PC. While Lively Wallpaper gives you about 12 wallpapers to choose from, Wallpaper Engine had hundreds of options and you get to choose from all kinds of themes.
You can find wallpapers based on pop culture and games, cityscapes, synth vibes, and so much more. There's a ton to choose from with different configuration options and effects that make this an absolute dream for customizing your PC now only now, but at any time in the future thanks to the huge library of wallpapers. It does cost $5, but that's a fairly small investment all things considered, and you get so many options here.
-
Wallpaper Engine
Windhawk
Lots of customization, free of charge
Windhawk is a community-driven platform for Windows mods, and it's a surprisingly robust one at that. These mods can make pretty significant changes to the look and feel of Windows, changing the taskbar, Start menu, and other Windows 11 flyouts.
8 best Windhawk mods to make your Windows 11 PC more interesting
Improve your Windows 11 experience
The Taskbar styler mod is a pretty cool one that has some interesting themes right out of the gate. One of them makes most of your taskbar transparent with only the app and system icons being visible, sort of mimicking the macOS dock. The Start menu styler also has some interesting options, allowing you to bring back the dual-pane view that was used in Windows 10, as well as remove the Recommended section entirely.
There are other mods that can do all kinds of things, such as making media controls easier, giving you a vertical taskbar, and so on.
Start11
Create the ultimate Start menu
The Start menu in Windows 11 is one of the biggest points of contention for users, and as such, a tool like Start11 is almost a necessity for many. This is another paid piece of software, costing $7, but it's well worth the price of admission if you have the need for a better Start menu.
Start11 v2 review: Making the Windows 11 Start menu actually useful
With tons of configuration options for appearance and organization, Start11 makes the Start menu and taskbar so much richer
Start11 offers seven completely unique Start menu styles, some inspired by previous versions of Windows, and some based on the Windows 11 design, enhancing it with things like an All Apps list and the ability to organize your apps into groups, tabs, and pages. What's more, Start11 offers a wide range of customization, so you can change the color (or even texture) of the Start menu and adjust the transparency to get just the right look.
Start11 also includes some taskbar customization, but it's all about the Start menu, and it's great.
-
Stardock Start11 v2
OS Windows 11/10
TranslucentTB
A transparent taskbar, and not much else
TranslucentTB is a very straightforward app that tells you exactly what it's made for. It's made to provide you with a properly translucent or transparent taskbar as opposed to the one in Windows 11 that has a very low transparency.
4 apps that give you the transparent taskbar Microsoft won't
You don't have to wait around for Microsoft to give you a transparent taskbar in Windows 11. Just check out these apps.
In addition to changing the transparency effect (to the point where you can make it completely transparent), you can also change the color of the taskbar for a bit of extra personality. It's a very simple app, but it's good at what it does, and it's totally free, so it doesn't hurt to try.
Rainmeter
Customization taken to the extreme
Rounding off the list has to be Rainmeter, another free app that has an incredible range of customization. The way Rainmeter works is that you download plug-ins (or skins) made by the community, and they can do all kinds of things, adding new features, UI elements, and more. Our Lead Technical Editor Adam Conway highlighted some cool mods in this article that add things like a clock and a music visualizer directly to your desktop.
5 ways to make Windows look like macOS
Windows 11 doesn't have to be that different
The biggest downside with Rainmeter is that you have to dig around for these skins yourself, so it's a little tough to get started. But recently, I also wrote a guide on how to make Windows look more like macOS, and Rainmeter has a couple of skins that do a very impressive job at it, implementing a macOS-like menu bar and some widgets.
While it takes some work, Rainmeter is probably one of the most flexible customization apps out there.
Make Windows feel like home
Whether you end up getting all these apps or only a few of them, using these will make your Windows PC feel like no other. With all these customization options, you can make your PC much more exciting, and I highly recommend all of these depending on your budget and skill level.