Chapter 5. Customizing the appearance of Windows

In this section:

• Customizing the Start screen

• Unpin an app

• Change a tile’s size

• Reposition tiles on the Start screen

• Apply a new Start screen background

• Choose a lock screen image

• Choose lock screen apps

• Select an account picture

• Create a desktop shortcut

• Change the desktop’s theme

• Select a desktop background

• Change the screen resolution

There are many ways to customize your computer to make it uniquely yours. To name a few, you can change the color and background of the Start screen and rearrange the tiles; you can change the picture on the lock screen and customize the notifications you see there; and you can apply a theme to the desktop. If you log in with a Microsoft Account, those changes will, by default, follow you from computer to computer.

Almost all of the personalization options are either available from PC Settings or Control Panel, so there’s no need to cover every option available. In this chapter, you’ll explore only a few. This will allow you to make additional changes to customize your computer to meet your every need, simply by exploring the other options available to you from these two areas of Windows 8.1.

Customizing the Start screen

The Start screen is your new home screen in Windows 8.1. The Start screen contains tiles that represent installed apps such as SkyDrive, Photos, and Maps. You can also pin tiles for individual items such as contacts, pictures, links to webpages, and so on. Here you’ll learn how to pin an app.

Pin an app

1. From the Start screen, move the cursor to show the down arrow.

2. Click the arrow that appears.

   

3. Locate a tile that isn’t currently on the Start screen that you’d like to have there, and right-click it.

4. If desired, right-click additional tiles to select them too.

5. Click Pin To Start.

   

Tip

When you install apps from the Windows Store, they do not appear on the Start screen by default. If you want them there, repeat these steps to add them.

Tip

If you select a tile to add to the Start screen and try to pin it, but the tile already appears there, Unpin from Start and Find in Start are available instead of Pin to Start.

Unpin an app

1. Display the Start screen by pressing the Windows logo key.

2. Right-click a pinned app.

3. Click Unpin From Start.

   

Tip

You can unpin multiple apps at once using this method. To do this, in step 2, right-click additional app tiles before performing step 3.

Tip

You can pin a desktop app to the desktop taskbar by right-clicking it and choosing Pin To Taskbar. To unpin the app, right-click it on the taskbar, and in the menu that appears, choose Unpin This Program From Taskbar. This works only for desktop apps, not apps like Maps, Weather, SkyDrive, and so on.

Modifying tiles on the Start screen

Tiles on the Start screen come in different sizes by default. Some are larger, and others are smaller. You might want to make tiles you use most often larger and tiles you use less often smaller.

Change a tile’s size

1. Right-click a tile.

2. Click Resize.

3. Click the desired size.

   

Tip

When you make smaller tiles larger, more information can be shown on the tile. The logo on the tile may change too.

Tip

If you like to keep a lot of tiles on the Start screen, consider reducing the size of most of them so that you don’t have to scroll as much to find what you need.

Reposition tiles on the Start screen

You can reposition tiles on the Start screen. You can move your most used tiles to the far left so that you won’t have to scroll to find them, and you can move tiles you use less often to the far right so that they are out of the way, yet still easily available.

1. Display the Start screen.

2. Click a tile, and drag it to a new location.

   

3. Release your mouse button.

Tip

PC Settings, shown in this image, isn’t on the Start screen by default. To add it there, on the Start screen type PC Settings, and in the results right-click PC Settings and click Pin to Start.

Try This!

After you have used Windows 8.1 for a while, take inventory of the apps that are represented by tiles on the Start screen. Decide which you never use, and unpin them from the Start screen. Locate apps you’ve acquired that you use often, and pin them to the Start screen. Move the tiles around so that the information or apps you need every day appear to the far left and you don’t have to scroll to find them.

Changing the Start screen background

You can change the look of the Start screen background. You can choose a new design and a new color scheme, and you can even use the background you’ve selected for your desktop. You access the options from the Settings charm.

Apply a new Start screen background

1. From the Start screen, press Windows logo key+C.

2. Click Settings.

   

3. Click Personalize.

   

4. As desired:

   1. Click a design.

   2. Click a new background color.

   3. Click a new accent color.

   4. Click the desktop background (the last tile in the design list)

   

Tip

When you change the background color, the color that appears in the Personalize window changes to match it, as does the background you’ll see when you open other items, such as PC Settings.

Caution

If you access the Settings charm while on the desktop instead of from the Start screen as detailed here, you won’t see the Personalize option. Instead you’ll see Personalization. If you click Personalization, the Control Panel will open instead of the Personalize options you see here.

Personalizing the lock screen background

The lock screen appears when you first start your computer, when you lock your computer, or when your computer goes to sleep after a period of inactivity and you wake it back up. You can personalize this screen in few ways. This screen displays a background image that you can switch to another standard Windows lock screen image, or you can use an image of your own. You can also choose what notifications to display on the lock screen, such as the time, date, and weather. You can also change the image that appears with each user name, using your own image or another picture of your choosing.

Choose a lock screen image

1. Press Windows logo key+C.

2. Click Settings.

   

3. Click Change PC Settings.

   

4. Click any Back arrows, should they appear.

   

5. From the PC Settings screen, click PC And Devices. Lock Screen will be selected.

   

6. Click a picture.

   

Try This

If you want to use your own picture for your lock screen image, click the Browse button in step 6, locate the picture you want to use, and then click Choose Picture.

Setting up lock screen apps

By default, Windows 8.1 displays (on the lock screen) the date and time, notifications of any new email from the Mail app, and other information, including your network connection status. You can remove these or add your own.

Choose lock screen apps

1. Press Windows logo key+C.

2. Click Settings.

   

3. Click Change PC Settings.

   

4. Click any Back arrows, should they appear.

   

5. From the PC Settings screen, click PC And Devices. Lock Screen will be selected.

   

6. Locate Lock Screen Apps.

7. To stop showing a notification for an app, click its tile and choose Don’t Show Quick Status Here.

   

8. To show a notification for an app that isn’t configured, click the + sign.

9. Click the app to show.

   

Tip

Under the options for lock screen apps, note the Camera section. There you can enable the ability to use the camera directly from the lock screen. When it’s enabled, swipe down on your lock screen picture to use the camera while your computer is locked.

Modifying the account picture

After you bypass the lock screen, you are presented with a picture and password field for any logged in user or, if nobody is currently logged in, for all users. If you assign a picture to a user account, that image will be displayed instead of the default silhouette. Adding a picture for each account is a nice way to personalize Windows and quickly find your own account in a group of users.

Select an account picture

1. From the Start screen, click your account name.

2. Click Change Account Picture.

   

3. Click Browse. Note that you might already have an account picture applied.

   

   Tip

   Note the options to lock your computer, sign out, and possibly switch users when you click your account name on the Start screen.

4. As applicable, click a folder or subfolder to locate the picture to use.

   

5. Click an image.

6. Click Choose Image.

   

Tip

While in the Accounts settings, note the other two tabs: Sign-In Options and Other Accounts. Explore these features if time allows.

Try This

While at the main PC Settings screen, note the search icon. It looks like a magnifying glass. Click it to search for a specific option or setting in PC Settings instead of browsing the tabs.

Putting shortcuts on the desktop

You can place shortcuts on the desktop to access frequently used documents or applications. This is the desktop equivalent of pinning tiles to the Start screen. After you create a shortcut, you simply double-click the shortcut to open a document or app. Shortcuts will have arrows on their icons.

Create a desktop shortcut

1. From the Start screen, move your mouse cursor and click the down arrow that appears.

   

2. Click File Explorer.

   

3. Locate the folder, document, or application you want to create a shortcut for.

4. Right-click the item, and choose Send To from the menu that appears.

5. Click Desktop (Create Shortcut).

   

Tip

To delete a shortcut, right-click it and choose Delete. To rename a shortcut, right-click and choose Rename.

See Also

See Using the File Explorer ribbon for more about locating files and folders by using File Explorer.

Choosing a desktop theme

The appearance of the desktop is a bit more customizable than the Start screen, allowing you to select preset themes or even save your own themes based on your choice of background and color. Themes apply several personalization settings at once, which means you can change almost every aspect of your desktop experience with only a few clicks of the mouse.

Change the desktop’s theme

1. Use the keyboard combination Windows Logo key + D to display the desktop.

2. Right-click the desktop, and choose Personalize.

   

3. Click a theme to apply.

4. Click the Close button.

   

Tip

You can get more themes on the Internet. With the Personalization window shown in step 3 displayed, click Get More Themes Online. A webpage opens in your browser. Use the theme categories or search feature to find a theme you like, and then click Save to download and save the theme. The theme will be available through the Personalization window of the Control Panel.

Tip

You can save your own themes. Under the category of My Themes, whatever theme you are using, including any changes you have made to it, appears as Unsaved Theme. If you want to save that theme, click it and then click Save Theme. In the dialog box that appears, give the theme a name and then click Save.

Changing the desktop background

You can choose your own background for your desktop to give it a more personalized look. Windows provides some attractive pictures along with the alternative option to use a solid color for your background, or you can use any image or photo you have available in your Pictures library.

Select a desktop background

1. Use the keyboard combination Windows Logo key + D to display the desktop.

2. Right-click the desktop, and choose Personalize from the menu that appears.

   

3. Click Desktop Background.

   

4. Click Clear All if pictures are already selected due to an applied theme.

5. Click any image to apply it, or click the Picture Location drop-down list and choose from categories such as Solid Colors or your Pictures Library. Select a picture.

   

6. When you locate a background you like, click Save Changes.

   

Try This

In the desktop background options, select multiple images. Then, click the option under Change picture every: and choose a setting. This lets you create a slide show on your desktop of your favorite pictures.

See Also

Chapter 13 provides information about working with photos and how to find and save photos on your computer.

Adjusting screen resolution

Modern screens should be set to their native resolutions for best results. You can use the steps here to see how your monitor’s resolution is currently configured. Note that higher resolutions make the overall screen elements smaller, while lower resolutions make them bigger.

Change the screen resolution

1. Right-click the desktop, and choose Screen Resolution.

   

2. From the Resolution drop-down list, select the desired resolution.

3. Click OK.

   

Tip

The higher the resolution setting, the crisper the image on your screen. However, some resolutions can distort the proportions of your screen so that items appear out of perspective. Also, not all monitors support the highest resolutions.

Caution

Your screen resolution must be at least 1366×768 to show multiple apps on the screen at once. At 1366×768, you can snap two; at higher resolutions, up to four.