Shah's results are his own experience and a matter of taste. They aren't benchmarks, and your system may not look identical.
What Windhawk is, and why this isn't a normal theme
Windhawk is a marketplace of small "mods" that change how specific Windows programs look or behave. The mods are not a Windows theme, and each one targets particular processes. The Windows 11 File Explorer Styler mod lets you customize File Explorer with themes contributed by others or create your own. Windows' own Settings, Start and Explorer surfaces don't offer that kind of control.
The makeover is therefore a stack of separate mods. Some are purely cosmetic and some change workflow. Keeping those two groups apart helps you decide how much risk and effort you want.
File Explorer: cleaner look, a few real features
Shah chose to improve the default Explorer instead of switching to a third-party file manager. He used these mods:
- Hide Home, Gallery & OneDrive in Explorer. This removes navigation entries he didn't use. He says installing it was all it took.
- Windows 11 File Explorer Styler. This supplies themes. He lists Translucent Explorer11, MicaBar, NoCommandBar, Minimal Explorer11, Matter and others, and he picked the translucent design. His article spells one theme "WindosGlass". Windhawk's catalog spells it WindowGlass.
- File Explorer WinUI-Like Content Animation. This replaces the default transitions when you switch folders or open windows. He says it feels smoother. That is subjective, and I couldn't find official documentation to confirm how it works.
- Better file sizes in Explorer. This shows folder sizes at a glance, so you don't have to open Properties each time.
- Close Explorer on Esc. Pressing Esc closes the window. He says it doesn't fire while you're renaming a file or folder.
The folder-size trade-off
Folder sizes are a long-requested feature. A how-to published on Yahoo Tech about the related "Better File Sizes in Explorer Details" mod says File Explorer doesn't display folder sizes in the Size column because of performance concerns. It adds that the mod works well but may cause slight delays when loading folders. That follows from the design: Explorer has to calculate the sizes, so expect some cost on large folders.
Theme limits and how to apply a theme
The Explorer Styler's own styling guide, maintained by Windhawk's developers, describes the workflow. Install Windhawk, open Mods, and install the styler. After installing the mod, you open its Settings tab and adjust the styles to your preferences. Theme pages describe choosing a theme in the Settings tab and saving. One limitation from the same guide: it isn't currently possible to set a Mica effect with any of Windhawk's styler mods. Despite names like "MicaBar", don't expect true Mica. Translucency comes from acrylic or Windhawk's own blur.
Start menu: style, size, power and search
Shah calls the Start menu the most disappointing part of Windows 11. His fixes were:
- Windows 11 Start Menu Styler. Pre-made themes let him match Start to his Explorer theme.
- Start Menu Size. He sets exact height and width for both Start and Search. He shrank them because the defaults looked huge on his 27-inch monitor. He doesn't give the dimensions.
- Windows 11 Start Menu Power Buttons. It adds direct shortcuts for Shut down, Restart, Sleep, Hibernate and Lock. That list comes from his article.
- Start Search Bing Redirector. Web searches open in his default browser with his preferred search engine, instead of Bing in Edge.
- Everything & Power Tools in the Start Menu. It swaps the native search experience for the free Everything file-search tool.
The Everything mod needs more care than the article suggests. According to my research notes on the mod's Windhawk page, it provides a separate, Start-styled search window. It needs Everything 1.4 or 1.5 running in the tray, because the service alone isn't enough. Windows Search keeps running for shell functions. The mod's documented testing covers Windows 11 x86-64 25H2 and 26H2. Other builds, including Insider builds, are not verified. I couldn't open the Windhawk page directly, so check the mod page before installing.
Settings: one styler, several looks
Windhawk has only one Settings-focused mod, Windows 11 Settings Styler, which targets the Settings app. Shah says its themes go beyond recoloring:
- Translucent Settings11 and StoreFrame11 replace sidebar labels with icons.
- Densy removes empty space to make pages more compact, which helps if you dislike long scrolling.
- ClassicSearchBar moves the search box back above the tabs.
- OLED gives a pitch-black look. He says it looks good on any monitor, not just OLED panels, and he paired it with dark mode.
Risks and practical advice
Windhawk mods hook into live Windows processes, so a few precautions are sensible. These come from general experience and the documentation I could see.
- Expect conflicts. My notes from the Explorer Styler's documentation say only one program can use XAML diagnostics at a time. Another tool using it may interfere, and Windhawk offers alert, block and allow options with trade-offs.
- Watch Windows updates. Styling mods depend on internal UI structure that can change between builds. Check the mod's listed compatibility after a feature update.
- Add mods gradually. Install one, test it, then add the next. If something breaks, you'll know which mod caused it.
- Know how to back out. A Yahoo Tech guide notes you can turn a mod off with its toggle or uninstall Windhawk, which also removes the mods.
- Review before trusting. Mods are community-contributed. "Open source" means you can inspect them, not that each one has been audited.
Verdict
Shah's setup shows how far Windhawk can go without replacing Explorer or Start with a paid shell. The folder sizes, Esc-to-close, Start sizing and search redirection are useful, not just decoration. The theme work is the part most affected by Windows updates and conflicts. Try the changes one mod at a time. Check that the mod supports your build, and keep the option to switch each one off.