Personalize Windows 11 with modular mods: Windhawk, Open Shell, Rainmeter

Windows 11’s clean, opinionated design won plenty of fans — but that same polish left many power users and nostalgia seekers wanting more control over the taskbar, Start menu, and desktop personality. A wave of community-built mods has stepped in to fill that gap, offering everything from a translucent, dock-like taskbar to keyboard-driven tiling, classic soundpacks, and web-based widgets that let you design your own system HUD. These tools aren’t one-size-fits-all makeovers; they’re modular, reversible tweaks you can mix and match to keep Windows 11 feeling fresh and productive.

---

Background​

Windows 11 shipped with a tighter, more consistent UI: centered icons, a simplified Start menu, and a streamlined system tray. For many users those changes improved aesthetics and clarity; for others they removed long-standing customization options such as robust taskbar placement, classic Start layouts, and granular icon sizing. The community response has been rapid and diverse — developers created platforms and single-purpose mods to restore or reimagine behaviors that Microsoft removed or locked down. The most visible of these frameworks is Windhawk, a lightweight mod runtime that exposes an expanding catalog of focused UI mods.
Why this matters: small UI changes can produce outsized productivity gains. Restoring vertical taskbars or fixing blurry icon scaling is not merely cosmetic — it changes screen real estate utilization, reduces mouse travel, and improves click targets for accessibility. The following sections examine the seven mods highlighted in the community roundup, verify key technical claims, and weigh benefits against the risks and compatibility trade-offs you should plan for.

---

What the community picked — at a glance​

• Windhawk Taskbar Styler — translucent, blurred, XP/Vista-themed bars and animation controls.
• Windhawk Vertical Taskbar — restore left/right taskbar placement and per-monitor positions.
• Open‑Shell — classic Start menu replacements (Windows 7, XP, Windows 95 styles).
• GlazeWM — a keyboard-focused tiling window manager port for Windows (keyboard navigation, YAML config). (Mentioned in community roundups but lacking independent verification in the provided archives — treat as community/experimental).
• Zebar — top bars and widget containers using HTML/JavaScript for custom widgets. (Community mention present in the original roundup; independent references were not found in the provided files and should be validated before use).
• Classic sound packs — reapply Windows XP/Vista/95 schemes by importing WAV files into Control Panel -> Sounds.
• Rainmeter — the veteran desktop-styling tool for custom skins, widgets and visualizers.

The rest of the article dives deeper into each tool, how it works, the practical wins, and what to watch out for.

---

Windhawk: the modular mod platform that put UI tweaks back on the table​

What Windhawk is and how it operates​

Windhawk is a runtime + catalog model: install the small Windhawk runtime, browse a community library of single-purpose mods, and enable only the tweaks you need. The runtime applies focused changes — typically by injecting small hooks or resource overrides into target processes such as Explorer — and exposes each mod’s settings so users can tune behavior without registry surgery. The platform’s compact installer is intentionally small (community scans and release notes have reported installers in the ~10 MB range), and the modular approach reduces the blast radius compared to monolithic patchers.
Why modularity matters: rather than replacing your shell wholesale, Windhawk lets you install a taskbar tweak or a single Start menu theme and keep everything else stock — making testing and rollback far simpler. Community transparency is another plus: many mods expose source code so reviewers can inspect what a mod does before installing it.

Taskbar Styler: polish and nostalgia without the registry​

The Taskbar Styler mod brings several practical and aesthetic options:

• True transparency and blur levels
• Retro skins (Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7)
• Hover-triggered animations for icons
• Custom spacing, padding, and vertical/horizontal layouts

Two pragmatic details to verify before applying: Windows 11’s default taskbar icon scaling uses smaller 24×24 pixel glyphs which can appear blurry on modern displays; Windhawk’s Taskbar Styler is typically paired with a Taskbar height and icon size mod to restore crisp 32×32 icons and allow exact height control. That second mod is often the difference between a beautiful translucent bar and a barely-readable icon strip.
Practical tip: use the Taskbar Height and Icon Size setting to revert icons to 32×32 when you enable heavy transparency or blur — it improves readability and reduces the soft, scaled look that affects precision tasks.

Vertical Taskbar: reclaiming vertical real estate​

Microsoft removed native vertical taskbar placement in initial Windows 11 builds. For ultrawide displays and multi-monitor workflows, a left-side taskbar can be transformational: it gives more vertical space to documents, code editors, and web content while keeping apps one reach away. Windhawk’s Vertical Taskbar mod restores this ability, including:

• Left/right placement
• Per-monitor positions
• Proper rotation/placement of system tray and clock
• Adjustable widths and auto-hide animations

Users report this mod handling explorer-related UI elements smoothly, but as with all explorer-level tweaks, test it with your most-used apps — some overlays and full-screen games can react poorly if multiple taskbar mods are layered.

---

Open‑Shell: the Start menu you actually want​

Open‑Shell (formerly Classic Shell) remains the go-to free option for restoring a classic Start menu with serious customization capability. Key features:

• Multiple Start menu styles: Windows 7, XP, Windows 95
• Ability to remove the Windows 11 “Recommended” clutter
• Custom Start button icons and skins
• Tweakable two-column layouts with program lists, recent files, and system shortcuts

Open‑Shell is mature, actively maintained by the community, and widely used precisely because it keeps modern backend behavior while overlaying a classic UI. If the Start menu is your daily touchpoint, Open‑Shell is a low-risk, high-improvement install.
Practical setup notes:

• Install Open‑Shell and open its Settings pane.
• Pick the classic style you prefer (Windows 7 is a popular middle ground).
• Customize skins, buttons, and which columns show items such as Control Panel or Documents.

Open‑Shell’s value is its simplicity — you get the return of familiar workflows without system-level injection into Explorer in the way some other patchers require.

---

GlazeWM and Zebar: keyboard tiling and web-powered bars — promising but verify first​

GlazeWM — tiling windows by keyboard​

Community writeups celebrate GlazeWM as a keyboard-driven tiling manager that brings Linux-style efficiency to Windows: navigation and layout through Alt+H/J/K/L, rapid layout switching, and YAML-based configuration for fine-grained control. Those features sound compelling for heavy multitaskers — a keyboard-first tiling workflow can dramatically reduce the friction of moving, sizing, and focusing windows.
Caveat and verification: the community roundup that introduced GlazeWM described keybindings and YAML configuration, but independent verification (install docs, release notes, or community issue trackers) was not found in the provided archive set. That absence doesn’t mean GlazeWM is unsafe or nonexistent — it means you should treat it as an experimental/third-party tool: check the project repository, read issues, and test inside a virtual machine or secondary system before deploying it on a production workstation. If keyboard-driven tiling appeals, also consider alternatives like FancyZones (PowerToys) or Seelen UI’s TWM for more integrated experiences — both of which have clearer distribution channels in community archives. fileciteturn1file16turn1file12

Zebar — build bars and widgets in HTML/JavaScript​

The promise of Zebar is attractive: design custom bars and widgets using web tech (HTML/CSS/JS), then pin them to the top or sides of your desktop. Community authors claim full Spotify integration, CPU/RAM monitors, and a widget library including classic Sidebar recreations.
Caveat and verification: Zebar appears in the MakeUseOf roundup and similar community mentions, but the provided archives did not include independent release notes or an official repo reference for Zebar. Web-based shells and widget engines are increasingly common (Seelen UI and other projects explicitly use WebView2), so Zebar’s approach is plausible — but treat it as a community project. Verify the distribution channel, required runtimes (most web-first shells require WebView2/Edge), and whether the package is signed before installing. fileciteturn1file7turn1file12

---

Classic sound packs and Rainmeter: nostalgia and desktop art​

Classic sound packs — nostalgia that’s easy to apply​

If you miss Windows XP or Windows 7 sound cues, the community has preserved most of the sound schemes as downloadable WAV packs. Applying them is straightforward:

• Download and extract the WAV files from a community pack.
• Open Control Panel -> Sound -> Sounds tab.
• Assign custom WAVs to system events (Startup, Close Program, Device Connect, etc.).

This method isn’t a code-injection trick — it’s a standard Windows setting, so it’s low-risk and reversible. That said, always ensure the downloaded wave files come from a reputable source and scan them with antivirus tools before applying.

Rainmeter — the OG of desktop skinning​

Rainmeter remains the most powerful desktop-skinning toolkit for Windows. It allows:

• Custom skins and widgets for CPU/RAM, audio visualizers, clocks, and more
• Full layout and transparency control
• Community-supplied themes covering minimal to ultra-futuristic styles

Pros: almost limitless customizability and a massive skin repository. Cons: a steep learning curve if you want deeply bespoke behavior. For users who enjoy tweaking UI elements and scripting little data hooks (media, system stats, network), Rainmeter is the crown jewel. Examples of community skins mentioned in roundups include minimalist designs like Mond and neon/cyberpunk themes — all achievable with Rainmeter’s skin engine. fileciteturn1file16turn1file8

---

Installation and safety checklist​

Modding Windows is fun — but it carries risks. Follow these best practices to keep your system recoverable and secure:

• Backup first: create a full system restore point or disk image before applying multiple mods. A restore point lets you roll back Explorer-level changes quickly.
• Install one mod at a time: test behavior and performance between installs to isolate conflicts.
• Prefer signed packages: when available, install signed MSIX or store packages (Seelen UI and similar projects recommend Store/winget packages to avoid unsigned-exe AV heuristics).
• Check anti-cheat and enterprise rules: code-injection mods can trigger anti-cheat or endpoint protection; do not install on machines used for competitive gaming or corporate-managed devices without approval.
• Audit community trust: read mod comments, issue trackers, and maintainer responses — open-source code is better, but few users can audit code line-by-line; community reputation matters.

Practical short checklist before clicking “Install”:

• Create restore point.
• Confirm mod is up-to-date and lists compatible Windows builds.
• Scan any downloaded assets with your AV.
• Install and test a single mod, then reboot or restart explorer if recommended.
• If a problem appears, disable the mod before uninstalling other tools.

---

Use-cases and recommended stacks​

Below are practical stacks depending on your goals:

• Productivity-first (ultrawide / dev work):
• Vertical Taskbar (Windhawk) + Taskbar Height & Icon Size + FancyZones (PowerToys) for snapping. fileciteturn0file2turn1file16
• Nostalgia + mild modern convenience:
• Open‑Shell (Windows 7 skin) + Taskbar Styler (subtle transparency) + Classic sound pack. fileciteturn1file10turn0file3
• Visual/art desktop (show-off rigs):
• Rainmeter skin (visuals) + Lively/Wallpaper Engine (animated wallpaper) + TranslucentTB or Taskbar Styler. fileciteturn1file16turn1file8
• Keyboard-first, tiling workflows:
• GlazeWM (verify source first) or Seelen UI TWM + a lightweight dock or top bar for media controls. Test in a VM first. fileciteturn1file12turn1file17

---

Critical analysis: strengths, risks, and the long-term picture​

Community mods restore choice and can materially improve workflows, but the model carries recurring trade-offs.
Strengths:

• Modularity and reversibility: platforms like Windhawk let you install single-purpose tweaks that are easier to undo than monolithic shell replacements.
• Practical utility: many mods fix real pain points (icon scaling, vertical taskbars, folder sizes in Explorer) that are not just cosmetic.
• Creative freedom: tools using web tech (WebView2-based shells) and Rainmeter let designers ship very expressive UI elements. fileciteturn1file7turn1file16

Risks:

• Compatibility churn: Windows updates occasionally change Explorer internals and can break mods until maintainers adapt. Keep an uninstall plan.
• Security and AV: code injection and unsigned installers can trigger antivirus heuristics; enterprise policies may prohibit these tools.
• Gaming and anti-cheat: mods that hook into Explorer or inject code can be flagged by anti-cheat; don’t use such mods on systems where anti-cheat is critical.

Long-term view:

• The community is filling a user-experience gap Microsoft has left by centralizing UI decisions. These mods act as a testing ground for features Microsoft might eventually consider reintroducing (vertical taskbars, richer Start options). Projects that focus on safety, signed distribution, and clear docs will likely gain mainstream acceptance; those that rely on unsigned binaries or ad-hoc asset hosting face sustainability hurdles. fileciteturn0file14turn1file7

---

Final recommendations​

• Treat Windhawk and Open‑Shell as first stops: Windhawk for modular taskbar/Start patches and Open‑Shell to restore tried-and-true Start menu ergonomics. Both are actively used and documented by the community. fileciteturn0file3turn1file10
• Use Rainmeter for expressive desktop skins and classic sound packs for low-risk nostalgia. fileciteturn1file16turn1file2
• For experimental tools like GlazeWM or Zebar, verify repository, release notes, and community feedback before installing — prefer signed packages or store/winget installs where available. If no signed build exists, test in a VM. fileciteturn1file12turn1file7
• Always create a restore point and install mods one at a time; keep an exclusion or a tested rollback path for games or production apps that are sensitivity to UI hooks. fileciteturn0file10turn0file14

---

Windows 11’s visual minimalism is a statement — but personalization is how many people reclaim delight and efficiency from their desktops. The seven community picks show that you don’t need to reinstall the operating system to make Windows feel new again. Whether you prefer the functional boost of a vertical taskbar, the muscle-memory benefits of a classic Start menu, or the pure joy of a Rainmeter visualizer synced to your music, the modern Windows mod ecosystem offers safe, reversible ways to shape your environment — as long as you proceed with basic precautions and verify projects before trusting them on a primary machine. fileciteturn0file3turn1file16
Conclusion: mix curiosity with caution. Treat these mods as creative experiments that, when used judiciously, make Windows 11 not only usable but fun again.

---

Source: MakeUseOf These 7 community mods make Windows 11 fun again