Regarding the customization options, Windows 10 really has a lot to offer and, compared to other versions of Windows, it's all much easier and close at hand. The Screen Customization options disappeared in the Control Panel, which for many could be difficult to use, in Windows 10 therefore there is a completely new menu in the Settings, accessible from the Start menu, which collects, divided into categories and sub-categories, all the options most important in the system. In another article we have already seen a complete overview of the settings of Windows 10, now let's see how to use them to customize Windows 10 to your liking, not only in appearance, but also to optimize the system according to the type of use that you want do. Open Settings from the Start menu and then go to Personalization to find the following options:
READ ALSO: First options to be changed in Windows 10
1) Screen and Desktop Wallpapers
The first menu is the one related to the Desktop background . The options for changing desktop wallpaper has been moved to Windows 10 in Settings. You can then choose an image from those proposed or press Browse to choose the background from the photos saved on the computer. You can also choose a solid color background, with one color, or even the "presentation" which consists in rotating the images of a folder in order to automatically change the background every day.Location options are useful if you upload a photo that is not optimized for screen size. In general, you can leave it on Fill .
By changing the menu and going to Settings> System> Display, you can click on Advanced screen settings to choose the monitor resolution.
2) Colors
In Windows 10, by default, the colors of windows and menus change depending on the background. This option can be deactivated, if you prefer, in the Colors menu, to select a fixed color. You can also choose whether to color the Start menu, taskbar and notification center which would otherwise be dark gray. You can turn off transparency, which is not necessary for me, but which someone may like.You can also activate the dark theme as the default mode for apps, to see Windows windows colored black instead of white.
By clicking on " High contrast settings ", you can choose one of the graphic themes for those with vision problems (this setting is found in Settings> Accessibility).
READ ALSO: How to change colors in Windows 10
3) Lock screen
The third section of the Personalization menu is the choice of the lock screen, that is the background that appears when the screen is locked. The background can be an image or even a presentation with backgrounds that change every day. only in Windows 10 Home there is also the Spotlight option, to change the wallpaper automatically by taking images from Bing. In this section you can also decide which apps can display information on the lock screen. At the moment, it is not from here that you can decide to lock the screen.For these options you must go, from the main settings menu, to the Account> Access Options section.
4) Themes
Under Themes you can access the selection of themes included, with the possibility of installing new Themes in Windows 10. Note that each theme brings with it a color scheme, therefore if you choose the Windows theme (Light), menus and windows will be colored in clear and not in dark.5) The Start menu
From the Start section you can choose whether to display the most used applications or the recently added applications on the left side, whether to use the full screen Start screen as in Windows 8 and whether to see the Jump list, that is the recent files. From the Start menu itself you can also change the size and position of the tiles on the right side, by dragging them with the mouse or clicking on them with the right button.Of all the ways to customize and change the Windows 10 Start menu we have written a dedicated article.
6) Application bar
The last section of the Personalization menu is that of the Taskbar, where you can enable or disable many options including: Lock the taskbar, Automatically hide, Use small buttons, Use Aero Peek with preview windows when you hover over it mouse, replace Command Prompt with Powershell, Button Notifications, Taskbar Location, combine buttons on the toolbar and options for multi-screen configuration.Right clicking on the task bar opens a menu with several other options, to show or hide the search bar, the "activity viewer" button, the button to open the on-screen virtual keyboard and the Contacts.
7) Quick access in Windows Explorer
You can close Settings and open any Windows folder to decide whether to see, in the right column, quick access to the most used or preferred folders.This and all the ways to customize Windows 10 folders are discussed in another article.
8) Research and Cortana
We have already written about how to configure Cortana in Windows 10 to talk to the PC.Windows 10 search was separated from Cortana only with the May 2019 version and we saw, in another article, how to customize the Windows 10 file search.
9) Notification area
The notification area in Windows 10 has changed from other versions of Windows.In another article, the guide to customize Windows 10 notification area options.
10) Notification Center
Windows 10 wants to be a good operating system for both PC and smartphone and tablet, so it includes a notification center similar to that of Android or iOS. In another article we have already written how to use the Windows 10 notification center or remove it.In general, on a computer, it is rather useless, but not to be disabled as warnings about new system updates can be received. In the notification center there are also buttons for quick actions, especially useful on laptops and tablets.
10) Languages
As in other versions of Windows, next to the clock there is the button to change the language on the PC. If you want to add another language or change the current one, press the icon with three letters (for example ITA) in the lower right corner of the screen or open the Settings from the Start menu and then go to Date / time and Language . The keyboard language does not change the language used by Windows.To change the language of Windows 10, you still need to go to the Control Panel .
READ ALSO: How to change language in Windows 10
11) Multitasking
With the multitasking of Windows 8 eliminated, in Windows 10 you can press the "view activities" button to see the apps and programs open all on the same screen with also the activity history on PC. This " task view " is also accessible by pressing the Windows + Tab keys together.In Windows 10 you can also have multiple virtual desktops, to work on several full screen programs simultaneously. To open a new desktop, from the task view, click on Desktop 2 at the top.
Having two programs open on the same desktop, they can be placed side by side by moving the relative windows on the right side and on the left side, until you see the positioning box that automatically resizes the window to occupy exactly half the screen. You can also arrange 4 windows side by side, dragging them to the corners of the screen.
The behavior of virtual desktops and side-by-side windows can be customized in Settings> System> Multitasking .
12) Mouse cursor
Starting from the updated version of May 2019 in Windows 10 it is possible to change color and size at the mouse cursor. To do this, go to Settings> Accessibility and then, in the Cursors and pointers section, choose a different color than the white one, for the mouse arrow. Under the bar to select the size, there are 4 options for coloring the cursor: you can choose to have the mouse arrow white, black, which changes from black to white automatically or colored differently. A third option also allows you to increase the thickness of the cursor.13) Personalize everything else
If you have special needs or if you want to experience some more radical changes, we have seen how some programs allow you to modify everything in Windows 10.READ ALSO: Simplify Windows 10 by arranging some options
