Ever wish Windows worked just a little bit differently? You’re not alone. Windhawk is a free and open source application offering dozens of community curated “mods” for Windows and Windows applications. It’s the simplest tool for customizing Windows that I’ve come across.
The application, which you can download for free, gives you a sort of app store for Windows mods. You can browse the mods online, too, if you’re curious. I found customizations that can do things you’d otherwise need dedicated software for—everything from replacing the Windows 11 start menu with an older version, to adding the labels back to taskbar icons. Basically, if you’ve got an itch to change something about how Windows works, there’s a good chance Windhawk can scratch it.
When you open Windhawk, you’ll be presented with the mod marketplace. From here you can browse and install mods in a couple of clicks.
Credit: Justin Pot
You will be warned to think critically every time you go to install a mod. There will also be a link to the Github page for the mod creator, which means you look into the script if you’re worried. This caution is appreciated—you should always think critically before installing mods like this.
Credit: Justin Pot
After installing a mode you can configure it within the application—just check the “Settings” section for the mod. For example, if you’ve decided to change the look for the Windows taskbar, you can select which theme you want.
Credit: Justin Pot
Here are a few of my favorite mods I’ve found (so far) to get you started:
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Taskbar height and icon size lets you slim down the chonky taskbar back to the height it was in the glory days of Windows 2000.
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Windows 11 start menu styler lets you replace the cluttered start menu with something more streamlined, or with a start menu you remember from previous version of Windows.
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Taskbar clock customization lets you changes what information does and doesn’t show up in the taskbar clock, formatting that however you like and even including headlines from an RSS feed if you want.
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Taskbar volume control makes it easier to adjust the volume—put your mouse anywhere on the taskbar and scroll up and down. Simple.
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Disable grouping on the taskbar means every window you have open has its own taskbar icon, even multiple windows in the same app.
I could spend all day talking about the different things this application can do, but the real fun comes from exploring and tweaking until everything works just the way you want it. My recommendation: dive in.
