Customising Windows 10

The default settings for Windows 10 look something like this. It's worth taking a few moments to customise it to your liking.

First unpin icons you don't want on your taskbar by right clicking and select unpin:

Next right click the taskbar and select Cortana, then show icon, this will give you a substantial proportion of your taskbar back:

Next Enable the Touchscreen Keyboard button. I would do this even on non-touch systems. While not out yet, in Windows 10 Version 1903 there will be an updated character map which will be extremely useful:

Next go to the Start Menu and select Settings:

Select Personalisation:

Go to Background, select Picture and then select Browse:

Navigate to the Picture you want and select Choose Picture:

You should see the picture in the preview:

However you can minimise everything and get to the Desktop quickly by pressing [Windows] and [ d ]

If you are happy with it you can go on and change other settings, otherwise you can select another picture:

Now we can change the Lock Screen. By default it will use Windows spotlight where Microsoft pick a new wallpaper every day for you:

You can change this to a picture of your own:

Select Browse:

Select your own picture and then select Choose Picture:

You can see the Lock Screen preview:

Press the shortcut key [Windows] and [ l ] to get to the Lock Screen:

Once happy log back in:

Now select Colours:

You can toggle between Light and Dark Apps

I prefer them Light:

You can turn on the Title Bars and Windows Borders Colour:

This will change only the Active Windows (the Windows currently selected):

You can also change the colour of the Taskbar and Start Menu:

You can turn Transparency On or Off:

You can let Microsoft show Windows Store Suggestions for you on the Start Menu:

You can opt to use the Full Start Screen:

It may take a couple attempts at clicking start until all the icons display:

Now you can right click each icon and unpin it:

Then you can go to the All Apps and right click the Tile of each App you want on the Start Screen and Select Pin:

You can move the App's Tile by left clicking it and dragging it, whilst holding down the Left Click:

Some of the Apps such as Weather, Mail, Calendar and Maps show mini-previews so sometimes it is preferable to increase the size of these. Right click the App's Tile and select Resize and then Large:

It thinks I am in London but I am in Glasgow so I will launch the Weather App:

I will select Detect my Location:

Next I'll select Yes:

Now it shows Glasgow's Weather, just as bad as London's:

Now I have an update of Glasgow's Weather on my Start Screen.

Perhaps it's time to emigrate to New Glasgow otherwise known as Sydney, Australia for better Weather…

Okay my Windows 10 is more customised now. I still need to install the other Apps (Programs) I want to use and pin their Tile on the Screen:

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