My favourite free Home windows 11 customization app simply received even higher

I have been utilizing Windows 11 every single day since upgrading my desktop PC from Windows 10 in 2021. Whereas I get pleasure from lots of its options, such because the improved File Explorer and snap layouts for multitasking, I’ve at all times been pissed off by the restricted customization choices for the taskbar, Begin menu, and desktop. For instance, not like Home windows 10, you possibly can’t even make the taskbar vertical.

That is why customization apps have turn out to be important to my Home windows 11 expertise. The one I depend on most is a free app referred to as Windhawk, which lets you simply obtain and handle mods that change the looks of Home windows 11, corresponding to fully overhauling the look of the taskbar and Begin menu. Just lately, the app obtained a significant replace, making it even higher to make use of.

Windhawk’s newest model, 1.7, is full of new options. Some of the essential adjustments is how the app manages downloading mods. Beforehand, Windhawk downloaded mods and compiled them domestically in your machine. Now, it downloads precompiled mods, making set up and updates a lot faster. Once I up to date all of the mods I’ve put in after the replace, it took simply seconds, so it undoubtedly works. The replace additionally provides the flexibility to view and set up older variations of mods, so if a brand new replace to a mod you employ causes issues, you possibly can rapidly revert to a earlier model.

Tips on how to obtain Windhawk and customise Home windows free of charge your self

My two favourite mods change the look of the Begin menu and taskbar

When you’re interested by making an attempt the most recent model of Windhawk, you possibly can obtain it free of charge from GitHub. As soon as you put in it in your PC, open the Discover tab within the app to see all of the totally different mods you possibly can set up to customise Home windows 11 to your liking.

There are tons of various mods out there on Windhawk, together with one in all my favorites that permits you to take away the “really helpful apps” part from the Begin menu fully. One other one I take advantage of is the Home windows 11 Taskbar Styler, which helps you to change the taskbar’s look, corresponding to making it fully clear or remodeling it right into a macOS-style dock.

Moreover, due to the most recent 1.7 replace, the builders have added a search function, filtering choices, and a listing view in your put in mods, making it even simpler to handle them.

One other helpful function on this new Windhawk replace is the flexibility to replace the app straight from the About part. Now, each time a future Windhawk replace like this one is launched, you possibly can replace it by going to the About part (situated on the prime proper of the app) as an alternative of visiting GitHub to obtain the most recent launch.

I have been utilizing Windhawk on my Home windows 11 laptop computer for a number of months, and I have not had any points with my Home windows breaking or related issues with the few mods I’ve put in, and every little thing has been clean. Whereas Windhawk addresses my complaints about Home windows 11’s restricted customization choices, it might be good if Microsoft finally targeted on giving customers extra methods to personalize the Begin menu, taskbar, File Explorer, and different options as an alternative of simply including extra Copilot options.