Since I upgraded to Windows 11 back in 2021, I’ve had somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the operating system. Some of the changes Microsoft has made to Windows 11 are genuinely good, such as File Explorer having tabs, new snap layouts for multitasking, and an overall more modern aesthetic. However, if I had to pinpoint one major thing that sucks about Windows 11, it would be the lack of customization options for the Start Menu and the taskbar.

Arguably, the Start Menu and the taskbar are two of the most frequently used features in Windows, yet Microsoft offers limited customization options for them. I don’t mind the centered taskbar Microsoft introduced with Windows 11 (which you can change), but it would be better if I could personalize its appearance. The default look of the Start Menu is also frustrating, as it is filled with useless recommendations.

With the end of Windows 10 support nearing, it made me think about these Windows 11 shortcomings and whether there’s an easy way to fix them. Not only for my peace of mind but also for the many people who will likely switch to Windows 11 soon. That’s when I discovered a program called Windhawk, an open-source platform that allows users to download mods for Windows created by the community. Specifically, if you’ve always wanted to completely change the look of the taskbar and the Start Menu in Windows 11, Windhawk is the best way to do it, and it’s completely free.

How to get Windhawk and customize your Start Menu

To get started with Windhawk, download the app from its website, which you can find here. After downloading, run the windhawk_setup file and install the program on your PC.

Once installed, open Windhawk. In the top right corner of the app, you’ll see an option called Explore. Click it, and you’ll be taken to a screen with many different mods for Windows 11. I recommend starting with the Windows 11 Start Menu Styler, which lets you customize the Start Menu. To get it, click Details, then click the Install button. You’ll see a pop-up asking you whether you trust this mod and a caution about safety, and since it’s from a verified mod author, it’s safe to install. I’ve had no issues.

After installation, you can apply different themes to your Windows 11 Start Menu. In the mod’s Details menu, you’ll see various themes, such as one that removes the recommended section, one that mimics Windows 10, and another that makes it completely translucent for the Liquid Glass effect.

When you find a theme you like, click the Settings tab. Under Theme, select the name of the theme you want to apply. Once selected, click Save settings above, and the changes will be reflected in your Start Menu. If you experience issues with the theme not applying, ensure your Windows is up-to-date, as the mods sometimes only work on the latest versions of Windows 11.

Personally, I chose the No Recommended Section theme because I prefer having my pinned apps front and center in the Start Menu. Since I work with many images and files daily, the recommended section often contains files I don’t need to open again, which isn’t very helpful. With this Windhawk mod, it’s gone, and the Start Menu looks much cleaner.

Windows 11 Taskbar Styler

This mod allows you to customize the appearance of your taskbar

The next Windows 11 mod I recommend installing from Windhawk is the Windows 11 Taskbar Styler. Like the Start Menu Styler I just described, this mod allows you to completely change the appearance of the taskbar. You can find and install it from the Explore tab in Windhawk.

The Windows 11 Taskbar Styler offers a variety of themes to choose from, including one that makes the taskbar fully translucent, another that mimics the look of either Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, and one that transforms the taskbar into a dock, similar to macOS.

Initially, I tried the Windows XP taskbar theme for nostalgia, but after a few hours, I decided it was best to return to the modern look, so I selected the DockLike theme instead. It’s minimal, and I don’t mind the macOS vibes it gives, since I often switch between both operating systems daily.

Along with the Windows 11 Taskbar Styler mod, I also recommend installing the Taskbar height and icon size mod. By default, Windows 11 reduces the taskbar icons to 24 x 24 pixels instead of the standard 32 x 32, which can sometimes make them appear blurry and low quality. Installing this mod simply upscales the taskbar icons back to 32 x 32 and slightly increases the height of the taskbar as a result. While it’s a small change, it makes a big difference in how the taskbar looks, and I much prefer the 32 x 32 app icons.

Additionally, if you’ve recently switched from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and miss the vertical taskbar, there’s also a mod for that. It’s called Vertical Taskbar for Windows 11. When you install it, you can choose to make the taskbar vertical again, on either the left or right side of your screen.

Other Windhawk mods to explore

There are more than just Taskbar and Start Menu mods

Besides the ones I’ve prominently mentioned, Windhawk has many other mods on its open-source platform that are worth exploring. I’ll quickly highlight a few that stand out.

The Better file sizes in Explorer details mod is useful because it allows you to see the file size of folders. By default, Windows only shows the size of individual files in File Explorer, not entire folders. This mod makes it easy to see folder sizes without right-clicking and checking properties, saving you time. Next, there’s a taskbar mod called Taskbar Labels for Windows 11, which allows you to customize how program labels appear on the taskbar. Another taskbar mod is Taskbar Clock Customization, which lets you change the appearance of the clock on your taskbar and add features like news, weather, and system performance metrics.

Finally, one last cool mod is the Windows 11 Notification Center Styler. Like the Start Menu and Taskbar Styler I mentioned earlier, this enables you to choose different themes for the Notification and Action Center.

Overall, if you’d like to spice up the look of Windows 11 on your PC, Windhawk is undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to do it, and offers a bunch of different customization mods that I could only ever dream of Microsoft actually implementing. It’s completely free and is driven by a community of people who just want to make the Windows 11 experience better. If you’re just coming over to Windows 11 from Windows 10, Windhawk can definitely make that transition a lot easier.