[Tutorial - Software] How to Customize Windows 10: The Complete Guide

[XAMI]

 

Do you desire a desktop that looks and feels like your own? This guide will help you create a fully customized Windows 10 desktop and user interface (UI).

A few minutes is all it takes to turn your desktop into a unique UI suited to your needs and wants. It’s fun, it’s easy, and the results will be stunning. Let us take you through the process, step-by-step.

1. Introduction to Desktop Customization

1.1 Why Should I Customize My Desktop?

Your desktop is simple. You use it to send emails, write documents, store photos, and watch movies. In short, you do everything on your computer. Yet it sits there, bare and without a personal touch. Besides, why mess with what works? There are some who stop there.

Others have grown to love the thrill of customization. First, you begin customizing your Start Menu tiles. Then, program icons. Next thing you know, you’re simulating whole operating systems within your Windows 10 environment.

Think of your PC like a desk. Now imagine working at an empty desk every day. No matter your PC knowledge — whether you consider yourself an amateur or a pro — no one has to settle for a boring desktop. Let your personality flow through your screen. Read on to go from drab and default to outstanding in minutes!

1.2 How This Guide Is Written

This guide is best read from beginning to end. Since desktop customization often requires both prior knowledge and multiple programs, it’s best to start off with simple feature changes. Slowly but surely — as you gain experience dealing with different parts of the Windows 10 UI — you’ll learn how to customize more and more.

If you’d like a simple one-click solution, though, feel free to jump ahead to the Themessection.

2. Themes

2.1 An Introduction to Desktop Themes

No matter what Windows version you’re using (Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10), making your desktop look fantastic is super simple.

Let’s take our Taskbar, for example. Right-click on your Taskbar.

Then, select Taskbar settings. This will open a window which allows users to customize certain simple features in their Taskbar.

As you can see, we already have several options to change the appearance of our Taskbar. You can choose to hide it, use smaller Taskbar buttons, and lock the Taskbar so you don’t accidentally delete a shortcut.

Just like that, you’ve already started customizing your Windows 10 UI. That’s only the beginning.

2.2 Where Can I Get Themes for My Computer?

There are plenty of ways — some official and some not — to download and install themes for Windows 10. For one, Microsoft hosts several Windows 10 themes for free within the Microsoft Store.

To access the Microsoft Store, click on your start menu and type in store. Click on the Microsoft Store option. Then, type in Themes in the search bar, hit enter, and select the Get your theme option.

This will allow you to install a simple theme quickly, officially, and for free.

2.3 How Do I Use Themes Properly?

Before we get into the more nuanced tweaks, it’s best to start with default desktop customization so you familiarize yourself with Windows 10’s UI. We’ll start with themes. Windows 10 themes are basic background and color combinations you can use for your desktop.

To access Themes, right-click an empty space on your desktop and select Personalize.

This will open the Background section of your Windows 10 settings.

Expand your window and select the Themes option in the sidebar. You can access and save themes in this window. Then, scroll down to and click the Get more themes option. From the list provided, select an option and download the theme. Once the theme is finished downloading, select Launch and choose your theme from the selection.

That’s it! In a few seconds, we went from the following default desktop:

To this:

All in a few clicks. Note that not only the background changed, but the Taskbar color and all applicable Windows 10 windows as well.

That’s enough on default changes for now. Let’s go over how to install third-party themes.

2.4 Should I Use a Third Party Theme Installer?

The following is a very po[CENSORED]r method among Windows 10 aficionados to install third-party themes onto their Windows 10 computers. This method will allow you to control the look of your File Explorer, a major component of the Windows 10 UI, and other applicable programs like the Task Manager.

2.4.1 DevianArt Themes

First, head to DeviantArt and enter windows 10 themes in the search bar. You’ll be presented with several po[CENSORED]r options by default.

We’re going to be installing the Ades theme located on the first page of our DeviantArt search. Before continuing on, a few words of warning.

Always set a restore point before installing a custom theme. Developers will often explicitly state this in their documentation. Since we’re dealing with the Windows UI, we have to take extra precautions when tweaking it so as to not delete a vital part of the UI. Take note of exactly how the developer explains the installation.

2.4.2 Theme Installers

As for the theme, you’ll need a few programs before installing. OldNewExplorer, the first program you’ll need, deactivates the ribbon section of your File Explorer. The second program, UltraUXThemePatcher, will allow for third-party Windows 10 themes.

Ensure you are using the correct version of each piece of software with the correct Windows version. If you install a version of the software that is not compatible with your Windows version — installing UltraUXThemePatcher for Windows 8 in Windows 10, for example — you may run into problems.

Additionally, you can install MacType to render cleaner fonts on your screen. It is not, however, required. The same goes for the WinRemix icon pack, which will require you rename a file to install correctly.

2.4.3 Installing a Third-Party Theme

Once you’ve installed these programs, download and install the actual Ades theme. Then, extract the Ades theme ZIP file and move the contents of the folder to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes. Ensure you change the C in the repository address to the applicable driver letter.

Finally, select the theme in your Settings options using the method explained above. Voila! You just installed a custom Windows 10 theme.

Below is another theme named Arc, correctly installed with its appropriate Arc icon set.

We’ve managed to completely change our Windows 10 UI in minutes using a few third-party programs. Keep in mind that third-party software can cause errors. Nevertheless, developers are very careful in explaining fully the possible issues you may run into. Moreover, always remember to read the documentation that comes with the programs. Follow installation steps to the last detail.

2.5 How Do I Revert to the Original Theme?

To restore the original Windows 10 theme, simply right-click on your desktop and select Personalize. Then, select Themes and click on the Windows option.

You can also use the restore point created earlier.

This will not only revert your Theme to default, it will revert your icons and system configurations back to normal as well.

3. Rainmeter

3.1 What Is Rainmeter?

A particular dynamo when it comes to desktop customization is Rainmeter. A long-time favorite Windows program, Rainmeter will allow you to include various tweaks to your desktop.

 

There’s no cutoff to what you can do with Rainmeter. Want to create an interactive, parallax 3D wallpaper? Rainmeter can do that.

Want to include your favorite images and GIFs directly on your desktop, like one would picture on a desk? You can do that as well.

Simply head to the Rainmeter website and download the application. For a complete rundown on how to install and edit widget skins, along with download third-party widgets, read our Rainmeter guide.

3.2 Getting Started With Rainmeter

Rainmeter is very simple to use, but will definitely require some getting used to. Rainmeter allows users to load skins and INI files onto their desktops. These files can control music, show time, weather, and the like. Think of them as third-party widgets which allow for far more options than the default Windows widgets.

Download and install the final stable release of Rainmeter. Once installed, head to your Taskbar drawer and double-click Rainmeter’s teardrop logo. This will show your Manage Rainmeter window, which will allow you to load and unload widgets or skins.

On the left-hand side are all the Rainmeter skins installed on your PC. Your skins are located in the C:\Users\Waves\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins directory by default. New skins are installed to this directory by default.

To activate a skin, locate the folder’s INI file and double-click or select the Load option in the Manage Rainmeter window. To unload, right-click your skin and select Unload. You can also unload your skin using the Manage Rainmeter window by selecting the skin in the left-hand dropdown menu and clicking Unload.

That’s the basic mechanics of using Rainmeter.

3.3 Where Can I Get Custom Skins?

While Rainmeter is a great program, it’s only as useful as your skin selection. Rainmeter is very sparse by default. That means you’ll have to install third-party skins. Luckily, DeviantArt is a dream repository for Rainmeter skins. Head to the DeviantArt website and type rainmeter into the search bar.

DeviantArt will be your main repository for custom Rainmeter skins. We’ll install a very po[CENSORED]r Rainmeter skin, Google Now Weather, to show the complete download and installation process. First, head to the skin’s DeviantArt web page.

Once the file is downloaded, double-click on the file like you would an executable file. In the following Rainmeter Installer window, click Install.

That’s it! You just installed a Rainmeter skin. Now, head to your Manage Rainmeter window by double-clicking its Taskbar icon, locate the INI file in the left-hand selection, and Load the skin.

Voila! You’ve just loaded a live skin.

3.4 What If I Want to Modify Something?

At times, the default Rainmeter skin will not function on your desktop. The skin will either be too small, too big, or lack your particular weather and location information. Luckily, Rainmeter makes editing their skins straightforward.

For example, the Google Now skin presented above gives me the weather for the wrong location. To fix, right-click the skin and select Edit skin.

With weather applications, in particular, you’ll note most of them require a LocationCode. This code is based on your whereabouts and will provide the weather using particular websites. I’ll need to change mine to my location. Head to a website like weather.codes, look up your location, and copy and paste the code into the LocationCode parameter.

Then, press CTRL + S on your keyboard to save the document and refresh the skin by right-clicking it and selecting Refresh skin.

That’s it! You just edited a Rainmeter skin.

3.5 How Can I Connect Rainmeter to Other Applications?

Some Rainmeter skins require other programs to control functionality. When this is the case, you’ll need to download and install some sort of Rainmeter plugin. For example, the highly po[CENSORED]r Win10Widgets suite requires a Spotify plugin so you can control the program via a Rainmeter widget.

The following link will lead to a Reddit post wherein you can download the plugin we need, aptly called SpotifyPlugin, automatically.

That’s it! You just connected Rainmeter to an application.

3.6 I Want to Get More In-Depth.

If you’d like to go wandering through Rainmeter yourself, you’ll find plenty of useful documentation on Rainmeter’s official website.

There are pages upon pages of official documentation dedicated to explaining Rainmeter parameters and tricks.

You can be the Rainmeter developer all other users look to for favorite skins, so feel free to read up as much as you’d like on Rainmeter. There’s no limit to what you can do using this free piece of software. 3D desktop hologram anyone?

Article: http://www.makeuseof.com