Do you need some simple Windows 10 tweaks to enhance productivity? Are you sick of limited customization options? Want to make it look amazing?

By using built-in functions and third-party tools, you can make Windows 10 look truly unique, adding your personal stamp, and enhancing productivity.

1. Windows 10 Tweaks for the Start Menu

As the most important element of the Windows desktop, the Start menu is your gateway to the Windows experience. Restored in Windows 10 following a brief exit in Windows 8, the Start menu gives you access to Cortana and has a built-in search tool.

While the Start menu is perfectly functional as it is, and can be rearranged and re-ordered, this level of customization might not be enough for you.

This is where third-party tweaks come into play. So, what's on offer?

  • StartIsBack++: restores the look of the Windows 7 Start menu, arguably the most popular version of Windows to date.
  • Start10: produced by Stardock, Start10 also restores the Windows 7 feel to the Windows 10 Start menu.
  • Start Menu Reviver: takes things in the other direction with an overhauled look for the Windows 10 Start menu.

These are just a few of the tweaks that are available for the Windows 10 Start menu. Check our guide to the Windows 10 Start menu tweaks to find out what else is on offer.

2. Don't Be Bogged Down by Windows 10 Notifications

Windows 10 notifications tell you what's going on with your computer, apps, and associated accounts. Everything from social networks and emails to cloud accounts and media players can send alerts to your desktop.

It's like having mobile style notifications on a standard computer.

But if you wanted to configure the notifications---for instance, to disable them---you wouldn't view the notifications themselves. Instead, you'll need to dip a bit further into the Settings screen.

Here, you'll find options to configure how notifications appear in Windows 10. Some are more suited to touchscreen devices (hybrids and tablets), but they all determine how notifications appear in Windows 10. This is ideal if you don't like notifications or find them irritating.

Follow these instructions to adjust and disable Windows 10 notifications from particularly annoying or irrelevant apps.

3. Windows 10 Taskbar Tweaks

The Windows 10 desktop is full of useful, hidden menus, such as the Power User menu, found by right-clicking Start. Jump lists, meanwhile, are found by right clicking an app's taskbar icon.

As part of the Windows 10 desktop, the taskbar is an important tool for managing your open apps. It even features the option to pin shortcuts, enabling you to use it as a sort of macOS-style Dock.

The best Windows 10 taskbar tweaks are achieved is with an app called 7+ Taskbar Tweaker.

With this installed, you can adjust how open apps behave on your Windows taskbar. Tweaks include:

  • Grouping open items.
  • Changing right-click context menu options.
  • General taskbar tidying.

Download the app from the developer's website.

Download: 7+ Taskbar Tweaker (Free)

4. Animated Windows 10 Desktop Backgrounds

It isn't just the functional side of Windows 10's desktop environment you can tweak. The background can also be customized, with live wallpapers and animated backgrounds.

Three key apps are available to help you with this:

  1. Wallpaper Engine
  2. Stardock DeskScapes
  3. PUSH Video Wallpaper

These handle everything from playing videos as part of your desktop background to live wallpapers with some subtle motion.

Look at our guide to animated Windows 10 desktop backgrounds to learn more.

5. Make Windows 10 Colorful With These Tweaks

Adjust accent color in Windows 10

Finding Windows 10 a bit bland?

You probably know that when you select a new desktop background, the entire environment changes to stay color coordinated. But what if this isn't what you want?

To start off, this option can be easily disabled via Settings > Personalization > Colors, where you should clear the Automatically pick an accent color from my background checkbox.

After that, several options are available. You can select from any accent color, although beyond the Windows desktop, this only impacts Universal apps.

Third-party tools can also be used, such as:

  1. Classic Color Panel
  2. Accent Color Synchronizer

Related: Windows 10 Color Tweaks

6. Productivity-Boosting Gadgets in Windows 10

Tweak your Windows desktop with gadgets

Windows 7 (and the earlier Windows Vista) had support for desktop gadgets. These could be used to check the weather, quickly read RSS feeds, get system information, and more.

While gadgets have been discontinued by Microsoft in Windows 10, they can be manually reinstated thanks to some third-party tools:

  1. Windows Desktop Gadgets
  2. 8GadgetPack
  3. Widgets HD

With these tools, the vulnerabilities that caused Microsoft to abandon desktop gadgets have been dealt with. You can now quickly check the time, view your calendar, or take quick notes, simply by switching to your desktop.

There's no need to search the web for the time in your Hong Kong office or waste time launching a new note-taking app.

Everything you need is available in your desktop gadgets. Our guide to adding desktop gadgets to Windows 10 explains more.

7. Hide the Taskbar to Maximize Desktop Space

One final way to make Windows 10 feel more personal is to give yourself as much desktop space as possible.

You have two options here:

  • Move the taskbar to the left or right of the display
  • Set the taskbar to autohide

The result might seem like a tiny bit of extra desktop real estate, but it can help you to focus. Maximizing standard desktop app windows will no longer leave a sliver of Taskbar and Start menu. Instead, your attention will be completely directed at your current priority.

To move the taskbar:

  1. Right-click the taskbar
  2. Select Taskbar settings
  3. Ensure Lock the taskbar is set to Off
  4. Exit Taskbar settings
  5. Left click the taskbar
  6. Drag to the left or right of your display

Want to autohide the taskbar?

  1. Open Taskbar settings (see above)
  2. Set Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode to On
  3. To save further space, set Use small taskbar buttons to On

Positioning the Taskbar along the left or right of the desktop works particularly well on widescreen displays.

Windows 10 Tweaks Make Windows 10 Your Own

By now you should have a good idea of what Windows 10 tweaks are possible. It's possible to reconfigure the Start menu, adjust notifications, and even tweak and hide the taskbar.

Animated desktop backgrounds are also possible, and if you want, you can even make the desktop more colorful. And then there's the general boosts you can make to productivity!

These tweaks are just the beginning when it comes to customizing Windows 10.