How to tweak Windows 11 UI

[Catweazle]

Many are worried about the end of Windows 10 (rightly so), or else I with a new PC/Laptop are confronted with perhaps the worst Windows UI ever.

Since many can't or don't want to switch to Linux, there's no choice but to try to fix this mess so the corresponding M$ devs had to feel ashamed.

Luckily, there are some apps that manage to recover, at least in part, the UI and functionality of Windows 10 and earlier, which M$ has eliminated in W11 and replaced with others that no one needs.

I tried several of these modding apps and as result I found 2 which I can recommend

The first is Cairo Shell, which a lot of tweaks, but somewhat limited in the Start Menu

The other, until now the best one is Windhawk, which works with mods which can be activated and customized according to what is needed.

Both can modify the Taskbar which in W11 had lost the capacity to change the hight and to put it in other side as on the bottom. Cairo Shell substitute it by an browseable bar and an Launchbar apart.

With Windhawk you can back the old W10 Taskbar which you can put on the top of the screen or on the sides and even make it transparent or put different skins, apart can modify the start menu to the like of the one of W10 or even to older ones like W7 or 8.

Apart I can recommend another app, Rainmeter, which I use since long time for those which want to tune more the Windows UI with a huge amount of themes, widgets and tools, which you can create yourself or download hundreds made by users in DeviantArt and others, . With this and one of the mentioned Shells, you can give Wndows 11 the look and feel which you really want.

[ThePfromtheO]

@Catweazle So, to understand that you don't like the Windows 11 UI too, right?

[OrbitalMartian]

I don’t think anyone likes the new Windows UI… Also, I wouldn’t recommend any bod apps to people, this could break things especially with updates, Windows is notoriously bad at this.

Often it’s not a can’t switch to Linux, it’s not wanting to because change. Software can mostly be replaced, except in some odd cases. But if it works it works.

[mib2berlin]

I tested Windows 11 month before it was published to get used to it for my customers, so I changed nothing in the UI.
After a few weeks I change my Linux UI to Windows 11 UI, kind of, centered taskbar icons for example.
It's much better placed there.
Open a Windows 10 now is the UI hell now for me.
Imagine how awfull it was for Blender users to change from 2.49 to 2.50 and there are no ways to get back:

[OrbitalMartian]

@mib2berlin

Imagine how awfull it was for Blender users to change from 2.49 to 2.50 and there are no ways to get back:

Wow, that’s a big jump for Blender. I hate both Windows 10 and 11 UI. Linux tiling window manager is my style, mostly in the terminal too (save my web browser, Vivaldi of course).

[rseiler]

@Catweazle I've been on Win11 from the start, but I wouldn't have without StartAllBack, which is a brilliant little piece of magic (from the maker of StartIsBack, which is what saved Win8)..

[pearcem01]

Thank you for the recommendations, they are helpful.

I recently had to update to 11 on work laptop, I do not like the UI and feel like it an overall step backward in usability. I would also mention that Open Shell is the first thing I did to make it more functional and had to find another program to bring back the toolbars and edit the registry to revert the right click options.

I will not be updating my personal machines to 11, will go back to linux.

[Catweazle]

There are several apps which I tried before, OpenShell, Explorer Patcher, StartAllBack and some others, but none of these gave the results I want. Eg. Explorer Patcher even caused several crashs on startup. Tbe best approached I had with the above recommended, where Windhawk with its Userscript mods is maybe the best, because permits to implement just what you want, it works somewhat similar to Stylus in the Browser. Cairo Shell works tweaking the registry replacing the Windows Shell, which can be somewhat more problematic and also need an reboot to make the changes, Windhawk don't, it only tweak it.

Rainmeter change nothing in the Win system, it only adds widgets (sys infos, cpu, ram, calendars, clocks (like the one in my desktop screenshot), network, etc) and visual styles. There isn't any problem, I used it since a lot of years now since Win 7. It is a good complementary app to Windhawk, which put skins on and tweaking the Shell, Rainmeter the UI.

[ThePfromtheO]

@OrbitalMartian said in How to tweak Windows 11 UI:

Software can mostly be replaced, except in some odd cases.

The software compatibility limitations are the biggest problem for me. Although I use Ubuntu only, as I gave up Windows, I miss the offline access to some apps I see myself forced to use in the web version or to find replacements.
For example, do you know any potential replacement for Proton Drive?

[Catweazle]

@ThePfromtheO, even not so private, Terabox is a good (and cheap) Cloud storing. It offers 1 TB for free and premium with 2 or more GB from 3.99 Euros/month, App also in Google Play and Apple Store.

[ThePfromtheO]

@Catweazle Thank you, but I documented a little and found out it collects too much user data. But what's even worse is that it also sells it to third parties...
Very attractive: 1 TB! But, with these big concerns, I think I would prefer paying to Proton. When I first got Proton Drive, I only had about 2 GB (if you can imagine so little storage!). But then, after some months, I saw this announcement in the Proton Drive Android app:

Those requirements were already met, as you can imagine, and I have been using Drive for more than 30 days. It was an error, and I contacted the Proton team. What I want to tell you is that they gave me that 5 GB "since we always aim to provide the best possible services and a pleasant experience to our users".
Please excuse me for the long text, I admit it is longer than it could have been, but I wanted to tell my experience to others too. I know, 5 GB aren't much, they can't compare to 1 TB, but, as @Pathduck said in Is vivaldi Webmail "self-standing"?:

People need to put food on the table for the time they spend making stuff. Not everything on the internet needs to be free.

[Catweazle]

@ThePfromtheO, well, it shares user data, but at the end the same as OneDrive, GDrive and other hosters of big companies. Because of this I said it don't has the privacy of eg Proton Drive, NextCloud, OwnCloud and similar services, apart it's way cheaper and nobody else offers this amount of space, mostly the free Space don't be more than 5GB or even less.
For the free account you don't even need more than Nick, Mail and Password.

Well, the space depends anyway of your needs, not the same to backup some documents or eg of settings and Vivaldi profile, for this an free Proton or NextCloud is way enough, or an backup of your disk with huge files.

I used Terabox in the past, but currently I don't need an host for Backups, for what I need is enough an Pendrive or two, mainly only for Photos and for this I use vgy.me (with ShareX), which don't has an specific upload limit, and also some others ImgBox, Image Chest, ImgBB....

[ThePfromtheO]

@Catweazle Yes, you're right. Actually, that was more a rhetoric question ️... I only meant to show one of the issues I have with Ubuntu. But, as I said, I found some solutions. Anyway, anything but Windows!

[lucytaylor01]

I’m not familiar with Linux, so switching isn’t an option for me. Without a doubt, Windows 10 is the best version. I’m still using it and have no intention of moving to Windows 11.

[Catweazle]

@lucytaylor01, well, W10 is way easier to tweak as W11, but W11 offers some other advantages.
Most annoying is the Startmenu and above all the Taskbar, which is very broad and clunky and you can't put it on the sides or top, as was possible in W10. Only possibility is to put the icons on the side or in the center, nothing more.

By this I mentioned above WindHawk, which is IMHO the best app, capable of restoring the appearance and handling of W10, styling all to your like. Changes are instantanly, no reboot needed.

[wintercoast]

@Catweazle said in How to tweak Windows 11 UI:

@ThePfromtheO, even not so private, Terabox is a good (and cheap) Cloud storing. It offers 1 TB for free

How do you manage to find such gems? I've discovered several things from you in the past year or so!

[Catweazle]

@wintercoast, long time browsing since paleolitic times, with half the internet in the Bookmarks.

[3dvs]

@Catweazle in 60s or 70s