How to set up Windows 11 after installation on a computer

Windows 11 has a number of features that you should pay attention to immediately after installing the operating system on your computer. The interface and system settings have undergone some changes, so it may be worth adjusting some parameters.

Therefore, users are interested in questions about how to customize Windows 11 to fit their needs and requirements.

Immediately after installing Windows, the system is configured according to the recommended values ​​from the product manufacturer. The user has the opportunity to change some of the proposed parameters during the process of installing the OS on the computer.

You can make changes to the default settings to optimize the Windows 11 operating system on your PC. Check your system settings to customize them to your liking.

Customizing Windows 11 after installation will help you fix problems with an unusual or uncomfortable interface, as well as disable some unnecessary features.

How to set up Windows 11

You can change some of the Windows 11 settings for a better experience on the operating system. This is not a complete OS setup, but only a basic ordering of some features to be applied first.

Here are the Windows 11 settings you can change:

• Change the location of the Start button and icons on the taskbar.
• Get rid of the recommended items in the Start menu.
• Pin your favorite folders to the Start menu.
• Remove unnecessary applications from the taskbar.
• Add useful apps to the taskbar.
• Turn off annoying notifications.
• Turn off Microsoft ads.
• Change your default browser.
• Disable unnecessary startup programs.
• Select the power mode.
• Sign in with a local account.

In this guide, we will show you how to set up Windows 11 after installing the system on your computer. You can check the current state of your device, and immediately apply the suggested settings if the proposed changes suit you.

Return the Start menu and icons to their original place

For decades, users of different versions of the Windows operating system have become accustomed to the fact that the Start button menu and application icons are located on the taskbar in the lower left corner of the screen. With the release of Windows 11, this situation has changed.

By default, “Start” and application icons are located in the center of the taskbar, and this is not very convenient. If there are many program icons pinned to the taskbar, then after launching new applications, the items on the taskbar, along with the Start button, constantly move.

You can solve this problem by changing the operating system settings. As a result, the Start menu and application icons will return to their usual place on the desktop.

Get Rid of Recommended Items in the Start Menu

After opening the Start menu, the user sees two sections: “Pinned” and “Recommended”, located one above the other.

If the benefits of pinned elements are obvious: from there you can quickly launch the desired program, then not everyone needs recommendations in Start. This may be useful for some users as some personalized recommendations are displayed there.

Want to see a Start menu that isn’t cluttered with too many items? Remove recommended items from the Start menu if you think they are useless.

Another important reason concerns data security and privacy. Anyone with access to your computer can see the last files you opened or find out what you’ve been up to. Therefore, it is better to hide such information, rather than show it in the open.

However, the empty “Recommended” section will remain in the Start menu, because at the moment it is not possible to completely get rid of it.

Pin Favorite Folders to the Start Menu

If you want to quickly access some of your favorite frequently used folders, you can pin them directly to the Start menu. Windows 11 allows you to add several predefined folders to the Start menu, including Videos, Pictures, Music, Documents, Downloads, Personal Folder, and File Explorer.

Unfortunately, at this point in time, you cannot add any custom folder to the start menu.

This functionality will increase your work efficiency somewhat, as you can quickly open your favorite folders directly from the Start menu without opening File Explorer for this.

To pin folders to the Start menu, do the following:

1. Open Options.
2. Select Personalization.
3. Click on the “Start” section.
4. Open the “Folders” option.

Here you will see radio buttons for different folders.

5. Turn on the switch for the folder you want to add to the Start menu.

Pinned favorite folders can now be accessed directly from the start menu next to the power button.

If necessary, you can make other changes to the Windows 11 interface.

Removing unnecessary applications from the taskbar

By default, after installing Windows 11 on a PC, there are several application icons on the taskbar immediately after the Start button menu. The presence of some application icons is quite justified, and the majority of users do not use other applications.

Do the following:

1. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop.
2. In the context menu, click on the “Personalization” item.
3. Click on the “Taskbar” option.
4. In the “Taskbar Items” option, disable the buttons for applications displayed on the taskbar.

Leave only those applications that you really need.

Adding Applications to the Taskbar

Add the apps you want to the taskbar so you can quickly open those apps whenever you want.

Do the following:

1. Open the start menu.
2. Enter the All Apps list.
3. Right-click on the corresponding program.
4. In the menu that opens, first click on “Advanced”, and then “Pin to taskbar”.

Disable annoying notifications

If you want to avoid any annoying notifications on your Windows 11 prompting you to try out certain products and features, your best bet is to disable such notifications.

Go through the steps:

1. Sign in to the Settings app.
2. Open the System tab.
3. Go to “Notifications”.
4. Inside this tab, you will see various notification settings. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page.
5. You’ll see two options called “Show device setup suggestions” and “Get tips and suggestions while using Windows.” You need to uncheck two boxes to turn off suggested notifications.

In addition, you can also enable or disable notifications from specific apps and senders.

Disable ads offered by Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation displays ads on the Windows operating system. This feature was introduced in Windows 10. In advertising, Microsoft encourages you to use their products.

To disable ads in Windows 11, you need to do this:

1. You need to open the Settings app.
2. Go to the “Privacy and Security” section.
3. Select the General option.
4. Move the slider to the “Disabled” position in the options: “Allow apps to show personalized ads using my advertising ID”, “Allow websites to display local content by accessing my list of languages”, “Allow Windows to track app launches to improve the menu Start & Search Results to disable all types of ads in Windows 11.

Changing the default browser

You can change the default browser in Windows 11 by selecting your preferred option. The default browser is Microsoft Edge, which after a number of improvements is a good web browser.

But, if you like Google Chrome, Yandex Browser, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or any other web browser, you can make some changes to the settings to change the default web browser.

To select the default browser, do the following:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Then go to Applications.
3. Enter “Default Apps”.
4. Scroll your mouse wheel down to “Microsoft Edge” and click on it.
5. Then click on all file types one by one to change their association with the desired browser from those installed on your device.
6. In the “Before you switch” window that opens, select “Switch anyway”.
7. Use another suitable browser on your PC.

Disabling unnecessary programs from startup

Some of the programs register themselves in the autorun of the Windows operating system. In most cases, such software should not be run along with the operating system, so as not to waste computer resources in vain.

To optimize system performance, disable unnecessary applications that start immediately after Windows starts:

1. Right click on the start menu.
2. Click on “Task Manager”.
3. In the Task Manager window, open the Startup tab.
4. Right click on the application name.
5. In the context menu, click on the “Disable” item.

Power Mode Adjustment

By default, Windows 11’s power mode is set to “Balanced” to conserve battery life. But you can change it to get the best performance for your device.

You can change this mode to “Maximum Performance” on your laptop. Not all computers display a power mode selection.

Proceed as follows:

1. In the context menu of the Start button, click on “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”.
2. In a shell window, select Command Prompt, and then run the command:

powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

3. Press the keys “Win” + “R”
4. In the Run dialog box, run the command “powercfg.cpl”.
5. The Control Panel window will open under Power Options.
6. In the “Select or adjust a power plan” option, click the arrow next to “Hide advanced options.”
7. Activate the item “Maximum performance”.

Sign in with a local account

Using a Microsoft account (MSA) is useful in many cases. But, the user can work on the computer in a local account.

Using a local account will increase your privacy and reduce the amount of information transmitted to Microsoft’s servers. The user can switch from a Microsoft account to a local account or vice versa at any time.

Do the following:

1. Press the Win + I keys to bring up the Settings app.
2. Go to the “Accounts” tab.
3. Enter the “Your data” section.
4. In the “Account Settings” setting, click on the option “Sign in with a local account instead”.
5. Then follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

Article Conclusions

In Windows 11, many features have been redesigned and the interface of the operating system has changed. Therefore, it is necessary to configure Windows 11 after installing Windows on a computer. The user can make changes to the operation of some functions to make it more convenient to use the system, as well as disable unnecessary settings.