Customize the user interface
You can configure the desktop settings by adding and removing your shortcuts and customizing your color scheme. However, you have the most control over customization from the Start screen. Windows 10 includes many of the same Start screen functions as Windows 8.1. Windows 11 introduced a new, more straightforward Start menu that offers similar functionality.
The following functions apply to both Windows 10 and 11:
- Pin to Start: When opening the Start menu, several apps appear either in a group (Windows 10) or under the Pinned label (Windows 11). To pin an app, select from the list of apps sorted alphabetically on the left side of the Start menu (Windows 10) or by choosing the All apps button (Windows 11) which provides an alphabetical list of all installed apps. Tap and hold (or right-click) the desired app, and then tap Pin to Start. The app appears as a tile in Start in its unnamed tile group (Windows 10), or it’s added to the list of pinned apps (Windows 11).
- Unpin from Start: Unpinning the app doesn't uninstall but removes it from the pinned app list. Tap and hold (or right-click) the app you wish to remove from Start, and then tap Unpin from Start.
- Pin to the taskbar: You also can pin apps to the taskbar, besides (or rather than) pinning them to Start. To do this, tap and hold (or right-click) the desired app, and then tap Pin to taskbar: The app appears as an icon on the taskbar. Administrators also can pin apps to a user’s taskbar when configuring the user environment.
The Windows 10 Start menu represents applications as tiles. These objects were resizable and provided the ability to provide dynamic content, called live tiles, instead of a typical application icon. In Windows 11, applications as represented as an icon in the Start menu, and dynamic content in Windows 11 is now delivered through widgets. Therefore, the following capabilities apply only to the Windows 10 Start menu:
- Resize tiles. To resize a tile, tap and hold the tile, tap Resize, and then tap the desired size. You can resize most tiles as Small, Medium, Wide, and Large.
- Live tiles. You can make many tiles, such as News and Weather, update automatically. Live tiles display content relevant to the app, such as continuously updated news in the News tile or weather information in the Weather tile. Live tiles are on by default if the application supports the live tile capability. To turn the live tile on or off, tap and hold the relevant tile and select more.
- Grouping tiles. You can group tiles into specific categories. Windows creates two default groups during installation. Life at a glance and Play and explore. You can rename groups by tapping the group title bar and entering a new name. To create new groups, drag tiles to a new area on the Start screen. Windows creates a new, unnamed group for the moved tile. You can then add tiles to the group and rename it.
The taskbar isn't visible in tablet mode in Windows 10 by default. Users must tap and hold (or right-click) the taskbar and select Show app icons.
Note
In Windows Enterprise and Education editions, a network administrator can use Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to configure and control the Start screen and other user interface aspects.
Synchronizing settings
For those that use over one Windows device, Windows can synchronize common settings across multiple devices. Synchronizing settings provide a consistent experience for the user without having to reapply personalization settings when they use another device. For example, if a user bookmarks a website in Microsoft Edge, that bookmark will persist in the Favorites list when moving to another device.
Settings are persistent using a Microsoft Account. This synchronization facilitates a common identity across devices. Settings are part of the Microsoft Account’s profile, and data and settings are applied when signing into a device.
Settings that can be synchronized across devices include:
- Passwords: This includes Windows Credential Manager and Wi-Fi profiles.
- Language Preferences: This includes spelling dictionaries and system language settings.
- Ease of Access: This includes Narrator, on-screen keyboard, and Magnifier.
- Microsoft Edge browser setting: This includes Microsoft Edge favorites, reading list, and other settings (via Microsoft Edge Sync).
You can also synchronize settings with a work account using enterprise state roaming and Microsoft Entra ID. Synchronization provides more features such as separating personal and corporate data, enhanced security, and monitoring capabilities. We cover Enterprise state roaming further in the Modern Desktop Administrator (MD-101) training course.