Moving to Windows 11: post-installation customization tools
The previous installment of this two-part series is called “Moving to Windows 11: image customization tools”; read it if you want to learn about some programs that allow making Win 11 yours before installation. There are rather interesting solutions there, including Schneegans Unattended Generator, a good option for starters that is web-based, point-and-click, no code tweaking involved.
This post, as the title suggests, covers utilities designed to give you power over various aspects of Microsoft’s latest OS after you install it.
PowerToys
This project, which started out as something rather little and evolved into something that fully justifies the “power” part of its name, was originally started by Microsoft in the Windows XP/Vista era. In 2019, PowerToys were revived, and now they are one of the most comprehensive and versatile open-source collections of utilities that enhance productivity and customization in Windows 10 and 11.
The collection includes tools like FancyZones (window manager), PowerRename, Keyboard Manager, File Explorer add-ons, and Dark Mode toggling; while not exactly a program enabling deep system changes, it is excellent for post-install workflow and UI enhancements.
Download PowerToys for Windows
Windhawk
Windhawk is a tool that focuses on modifications of Windows 11 appearance and behavior. It is a community-driven application that lets you significantly change the default UI, giving control over taskbar styles, the Start menu, flyout tweaks, etc.
Windhawk is lightweight, stable, and quite thrifty in terms of the consumed resources, which is not always the case with software built by enthusiasts in their free time. Currently, the core product is for Windows 11, but there are mods that make it work on Windows 10, too, should you want it to.
Flyoobe
As you know, Microsoft has special hardware requirements for Windows 11. Those requirements, though, aren’t aligned with what computers can actually run this OS, so soon after the initial release of Win 11, there appeared apps allowing users to bypass them.
Flyoobe is an evolution of one of them, Flyby11. It also allowed some post-install customization, but the successor, Flyoobe, takes the game to the next level. The “oobe” part of the name deciphers into “out-of-box experience”; using this program, you can easily remove bloatware, create local accounts and configure your network, and even summon Copilot for assistance.
Winaero Tweaker
Remember when Microsoft first introduced Aero, the GUI with transparent, glass-like windows, fluid animations, and other visual effects? It was back in 2006, and the interface was made for Windows Vista. Winaero Tweaker started out in 2014, and, as the name implies, initially focused on the look and feel.
Currently, this app is much more than a facade polisher: gravitating towards the “tweaker” part of its name, Winaero lets you adjust very many aspects of Windows appearance and behavior after installation. UI adjustments, context menu tweaks, system animations, taskbar and Start menu customizations, window behavior — you name it, Winaero Tweaker has it.
Download Winaero Tweaker for Windows
Ultimate Windows Tweaker (UWT)
While the name of this Windows post-install customization tool is somewhat ambitious, don’t expect a program that rivals the operating system itself in terms of disk space and resource consumption: UWT is lightweight and, an important factor for many advanced users, portable.
Feature-wise, it is a more or less standard deal that, when you tally it all up, offers hundreds of customization options across a wide variety of Windows settings. Ultimate Windows Tweaker gives you
control over personalization, security, user accounts, system performance, and more; what sets it apart are the descriptions for tweaks that are really helpful.
