In this section:
The ability to adjust the appearance of Windows (known as the interface) lets you set up your computer to look the way you want it and lets you organize the tools and apps you use often so that you can find them easily.
You can customize the Start screen by controlling what apps appear there and the size of each app tile, as well as modifying the screen’s background pattern and its color. You can also personalize the Lock screen by setting up a new background image. You can modify Lock screen notifications, which are apps that display information even when your screen is locked.
Finally, as in previous versions of Windows, you can use the Control Panel to make changes to the desktop’s appearance, including its background, color scheme, and your display’s screen resolution.
The Start screen is your new home screen in Windows 8. It is similar to the Windows Mobile operating system interface used in some smartphones and tablets. The Start screen contains tiles that represent installed apps such as File Explorer and Maps. You can customize the Start screen by pinning and unpinning apps so that those that you use most often appear there. You can also adjust the size of some tiles to be smaller or larger. For example, you might make the tile for an app that you use all the time larger so that you can spot it easily, or make several tiles smaller so that Windows can fit more apps on the screen.
On the Start screen, press Windows logo key+Q to display a list of apps.
Right-click an app.
Click Pin To Start.
Display the Start screen.
Right-click a pinned app.
Click Unpin from Start.
You might have noticed that tiles on the Start screen come in different sizes. Some are larger, such as Weather; others are smaller. Certain tiles can be made smaller or larger. These include the Desktop, Xbox LIVE Games, Weather, Music, Photo, and Messaging tiles. Being able to adjust the size of some tiles helps you fit the items you want to access on the Start screen in an organized way.
Right-click a tile. (Not all tiles will offer this option, so test this with the Calendar or Weather app.)
Click Smaller. (If the tile is already smaller, click Larger.)
Display the Start screen.
Click a tile, and drag it to a new location.
Release your mouse button.
Note
Try This!
After you have installed a few apps of your own, take inventory of the apps that are represented by tiles on the Start screen. Decide which you never use, and unpin them. 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.
Although you can’t display pictures as backgrounds for the Start screen as you could in previous versions of Windows, you can choose a background pattern and color that appeals to you. It’s a simple procedure to select your background and color from several preset selections.
The Lock screen appears when you first start your computer, when you put it to sleep using the Power setting, or when your computer goes to sleep after a period of inactivity. 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. To log in to Windows when the Lock Screen is displayed, you have to choose a user and enter a password. You can change the image that appears with each user name, using your own image or another picture of your choosing.
Press Windows logo key+C.
Click Settings.
Click Change PC Settings.
Click Personalize.
Click Lock Screen if it’s not already selected.
Click a picture.
By default, Windows 8 displays the date and time from the Calendar app, as well as notifications of any new messages from Messaging and Mail on your Lock screen. You can also choose to display the Weather app by using the steps in this section.
Press Windows logo key+C to display charms.
Click Settings.
Click Change PC Settings.
Click Personalize.
Click Lock Screen if it’s not already selected.
Click a button with a + symbol.
Click an app.
When you leave 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 a simple 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.
From the PC Settings screen (see steps in previous task), click Personalize.
Click Account Picture.
Click Browse.
Click Go Up if you want to find a picture in another folder.
Click an image.
Click Choose Image.
Note
See Also
You can create a picture password that’s required to log in to Windows 8. This feature requires a touchscreen computer; you assign a picture and then specify the touchscreen gestures you use with the picture to log in. See Creating a Password Picture on page 74 for more about setting up this feature.
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.
Click the File Explorer button on the desktop taskbar.
Locate the folder, document, or application you want to create a shortcut for.
Right-click the item, and choose Create Shortcut from the menu that appears.
Click and drag the shortcut for the item that appears in File Explorer onto your desktop.
Tip
To delete a shortcut, right-click it and choose Delete. To rename a shortcut, right-click and choose Rename from the same shortcut menu.
Note
See Also
See Using the File Explorer Ribbon on page 130 for more about locating files and folders by using File Explorer.
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 that changing the look of your desktop is quicker and easier in Windows 8.
Display the desktop.
Right-click the desktop, and choose Personalize.
Click a theme to preview it.
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. The Windows 8 Themes 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 isnow 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.
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.
Display the desktop.
Right-click the desktop, and choose Personalize from the menu that appears.
Click Desktop Background.
Click an image to select it, or click the Picture Location drop-down list and choose from categories such as Solid Colors or your Pictures Library.
When you locate a background you like, click Save Changes.
Note
See Also
Chapter 17 provides information about working with photos and how to find and save photos on your computer. After you save a photo to your computer, you can use the Browse button in the Personalization, Desktop Background window to locate and use it as your desktop background.
Windows allows you to change the color of window borders and the taskbar. You can choose from a variety of preset colors and also enable the Transparency feature, which gives an attractive glowing effect to these desktop elements.
Other settings in the Control Panel affect both the Start screen and desktop. For example, you can apply higher screen resolution settings to improve the clarity of onscreen images. Higher resolutions make the overall screen elements smaller, while lower resolutions make them bigger. Use resolution to adjust what’s on screen so that things are comfortable for you to view and read.
Right-click the desktop, and choose Personalize.
Click Display.
Click Adjust Resolution.
Click the Resolution drop-down list, and use the slider to choose a resolution.
Click Apply.
Click Keep Changes in the dialog box that appears.
Click OK.
Click the Close button.
