The next thing you’re going to want to do is download custom skins and then mix and match them.
Make sure to read the manual to understand how to add, remove and use skins. Once installed, you’ll see some skins automatically appear on your desktop. Rainmeter also has a fantastic manual that explains exactly how to use the program in detail. Leave all the default settings and finish the installation. Choose Standard Installation when the Setup dialog comes up. To get started with Rainmeter, go ahead and download the 4.x Beta Release version. All it does is allow you to add “skins”, which are like widgets, to your desktop. It doesn’t change any visual styling in Windows like the Start Menu or taskbar or window frames. It’s worth noting that Rainmeter is only for adding content to your desktop. Rainmeter is an amazingly small program that can transform your desktop in a matter of minutes. They all pretty much have the same interface for configuring the settings and they recognize when another Stardock program is installed and work together.įor example, when using Start10 and WindowsBlinds, two programs that can alter the Start Menu, each program has options to pick the settings from the other program. I won’t go into much detail on how to use the Stardock programs because they are pretty self-explanatory.
I thought DeskScapes was going to be a gimmicky app, but it turned out to be really cool. For example, if you purchase DeskScapes and want to have an HD video as your desktop background, you can find hundreds of “Dreams” on the WinCustomize site. The other reason I really like Stardock is because they have an accompanying website called WinCustomize that includes tons of extra options for all of their programs. I bought the entire package for $50 just to try each one and see which ones were good. They have a whole suite of programs you can purchase, but I only recommend the ones I mentioned above. You’ll notice that all the programs, except for Rainmeter, are by a company called Stardock. Uses other programs like Fences and DeskScapes for more customization, if desired.Customize window frames, the taskbar, title bars, etc.
Customize the Windows 10 Start Menu using Start10.Next, customize your desktop with information or interactive widgets.Get a custom wallpaper that is the exact resolution for your screen(s).In my view, here are the best ways to customize Windows:
There is no magic way to install one program and change everything.
So how should you get started? Well, there are many different aspects of Windows that you can customize individually and that’s how those pro customizers get their desktops to look so cool. There are a lot of other programs out there in addition to the ones I will mention here, but they are not nearly as reliable. This is good because they are updated often and they integrate really well with Windows, meaning your computer will still run very smoothly. When it comes to customizing Windows, there are a couple of programs that are very popular and that have been around for a long time. Of course, if you want those amazing-looking customized desktops, you’ll have to spend a bit more time. As I mentioned, this only took me about 30 minutes to do and it makes your desktop look unique. As you can see, I have a custom sidebar on the right with links to my favorite Windows locations, some custom links with icons on the left hand side instead of my normal desktop icons, a custom Windows 10 Start Menu, some weather info at the bottom right, a cool looking circle that tells the current time and a small search box for quickly using Google.