How To Make Windows 8 Look Better

With Windows 8, Microsoft removed support for Gadgets, taking abroad a lot of useful tools in the procedure. Microsoft'due south stance on the affair is that gadgets - small widgets that provided useful data similar weather or scores - tin can be exploited to damage your computer. With the Windows 8 redesign, the Start screen can prove a lot of this information from apps using Live Tiles, giving yous admission to a lot of useful data at a glance.

However, this approach has one problem Whether y'all're working in a Windows app, or working on legacy programs through the desktop way, you can't run across the start screen, severely limiting the utility of Live Tiles-based solutions.

Luckily, workarounds are uncomplicated. Here are our favourite tools that let y'all add widgets and other UI customisations to Windows 8.

1. Rainmeter

We've loved Rainmeter for years now, and the desktop customisation program is compatible with Windows 8. Rainmeter lets you customise your experience by adding widgets (called skins) that float on the desktop. These tin can range from system resource monitors, to feeds from your email accounts. Weather forecasts and scratchpads are just some of the other customisations y'all can add together, and the best thing is that users upload their own custom skins as well, so there's a huge repository of customisations that are ready to download and use.

Making your ain skins is easy also, and if yous have the time and patience to put together your own custom pare, you tin can create a beautiful interface that is highly functional and yet unique to you. Our favourite skin is called Omnimo, and it allows you to set up Rainmeter using a very easy to use GUI.

Even without that, you tin simply download a skin themed after your favourite film, with quick access to your information and favourite programs, or use a minimalist peel that lets you piece of work in a beautiful, abstract surroundings.

Download Rainmeter

two. 8GadgetPack

If you lot don't want to exist overwhelmed with customisation options, and just desire your desktop gadgets, then 8GadgetPack is the easiest option out at that place. It's been highly recommended by many users, and while we adopt the customisability of Rainmeter, if yous're more interested in the functions than in a beautiful display, then 8GadgetPack is a practiced choice. It creates a sidebar on your Windows 8 desktop, where you can display the clock, calendar, weather condition and other widgets.

There are widgets for Gmail, a simple currency convertor, RSS feeds and calendars. These make 8GadgetPack a useful, unobtrusive method to keep on top of things without wasting fourth dimension in setting things up.

Download 8GadgetPack

three. Start Screen Unlimited

Start Screen Unlimited is a start screen replacement that allows you to add together gadgets to the Windows 8 desktop. The gadgets look similar Windows Alive tiles, and you lot can create a decorated tiled interface that looks like your Start Screen, or yous tin can place simply the gadgets that are relevant to you.

So you could, for instance, create a screen with feeds for sports updates, or add together the clock or a Web search widget right on the desktop. Commencement Screen Unlimited is free, merely it as well has a Deluxe version which has a few extra features and likewise supports commercial utilize. Even without paying though, you tin add a number of useful gadgets, such equally a stopwatch, and a easy to discover power push button - something that is subconscious away in Windows viii.

Download Start Screen Unlimited

iv. Fences

Made by Stardock, Fences is a dandy tool for organising your desktop and beautifying information technology too. The app allows y'all to create "fences" - essentially transparent open folders - in which your icons are organised. You can grade groups that you tin browse through, such every bit a group of programs related to piece of work, one grouping for browsing, one group for games. Y'all tin can set the size of each fence, and browse through it, and you tin can hide the contents of the fences with a single click.

The all-time affair about Fences though is that it tin can automatically sort your icons into the fences. Information technology sorts them based on their name, type or other criteria. So, for example, if you tend to save a lot of epitome files to the desktop to use for piece of work, Fences could save them all in one fence automatically, and so your screen remains articulate.

Similarly, yous could create a debate for a electric current project on your desktop, and all files and folders created with the project name in the atomic number 82 would be organised in that contend for easy access.

The only downside to Fences is that dissimilar the other programs nosotros've mentioned, it is not free. There is a free 30 24-hour interval trial, merely then y'all have to pay $nine.99 (approximately Rs. 620) to keep using Fences.

Download Fences

5. RocketDock

RocketDock is an animated quick-launch bar for Windows 8 - information technology allows yous to have the clutter off your screen, for easy access to your favourite programs and folders.

The dock is customisable and you can download skins to - for example - brand the interface of your Windows eight PC look similar a Mac. You could employ retro icons or minimalist ones which are as well available to download, and the advantage of doing this is that it frees upwards space on your desktop, allowing you to fully customise its look with added widgets and backgrounds.

Download RocketDock

There are plenty of other tools available to customise Windows 8, but nosotros would be remiss if nosotros did non warn about the possibility of malware. Nosotros take used the above-mentioned programs for some amount of time and experienced no problems. As a safety precaution, we'd suggest you also bank check the best anti-virus and anti-malware programs for Windows, to keep your computer condom.

Have you used whatever of these programs? Tell us near your favourite customisation tools via the comments.

Source: https://gadgets360.com/apps/features/five-apps-to-customise-the-look-of-your-windows-8-pc-661596

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