5 Home windows 11 settings I instantly change on a...

Each time I carry out a clear set up of

Windows 11
on my desktop or arrange a brand new laptop computer, the very first thing I deal with is adjusting the Home windows settings that hinder my productiveness, privateness, and total enjoyment of the OS.

Do not get me incorrect, Home windows 11 has some

excellent features
proper out of the field. Nonetheless, sure default settings and options could be exceptionally annoying and detract from the person expertise,

with Copilot
and the usual notification settings being key examples. All these settings could be simply adjusted — you needn’t obtain a third-party app or modify any registry settings — and are accessible to any Home windows person.

5

Change your default browser

You possibly can change different app defaults as properly

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

By default, while you boot up Home windows 11 for the primary time, Microsoft units Edge as your default browser. Whereas I recognize Microsoft’s modifications through the years to Edge, it is nonetheless inferior to Chrome or different fashionable browsers like Firefox. One of many first issues I do on any new PC after setting it up is immediately obtain Chrome to exchange Edge.

To vary your default browser, head to Apps > Default Apps > Google Chrome (or no matter your browser of selection is) and click on Set default. With this enabled, you will be redirected to your new default browser as a substitute of Edge everytime you click on on a hyperlink. In the identical default apps menu, you too can change different default apps for Home windows 11, similar to your media participant for video information, which I at all times swap to VLC media player as a substitute of the default Home windows Media Participant.

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4

Scale back the quantity of notifications you obtain

I do not want notifications for suggestions Microsoft

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Home windows 11 can ship numerous notifications that rapidly develop into overwhelming or distracting while you first begin utilizing it. If you end up receiving too many notifications, whether or not from apps or what Microsoft refers to as “Ideas,” you’ll be able to cut back them to remain extra targeted and declutter your notification heart.

To do that, go to Settings > Notifications. You possibly can then alter which apps ship you notifications. You possibly can type them by not too long ago used, providing you with an thought of which apps you utilize essentially the most and may need to hold notifications enabled for. The primary apps I hold enabled are Outlook, Slack, and Discord, basically something communications-related.

Close to the underside of the notifications web page, you will discover Extra settings. If you click on that, you will see three choices for Home windows that I like to recommend turning off, one in all which gives “suggestions and solutions when utilizing Home windows” that I discover irritating. My philosophy for Home windows is, if I want to seek out one thing out, I will look it up, in any other case I do not want Home windows always recommending me issues to do.

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3

Say goodbye to Copilot

Sorry Microsoft, I do not want it

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Microsoft is taking part in a giant half within the AI revolution with Copilot, its AI chatbot. With Home windows 11, Microsoft has positioned Copilot entrance and heart within the taskbar for customers to expertise. Should you’re not involved in AI or don’t desire it getting in the best way, you’ll be able to eliminate it.

If you wish to take away your Copilot out of your taskbar, merely right-click the icon and unpin it. If you wish to go a step additional and say goodbye to Copilot completely, you’ll be able to uninstall the app by going to Settings > Apps > Copilot. Then click on the three dots subsequent to Copilot and choose Uninstall. There’s a separate Copilot for Microsoft 365 apps, so this would possibly not have an effect on your capability to make use of it in packages like Phrase or Excel if you wish to use it there.

When you have a PC with a devoted Copilot key on the keyboard, you too can rebind it to one thing else. To take action, obtain the Microsoft PowerToys app from the Home windows Retailer. If you open PowerToys, go to the Keyboard Supervisor submenu, then choose Remap a key to vary the Copilot key to one thing else.

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It’s also possible to reposition the Begin button again to the left

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Copilot is not the one factor glued to your taskbar while you first boot up Home windows; the Information Widget can be there. If you hover over the widget or click on on it, it brings up a panel with information, climate, and ads from MSN. I’ve by no means as soon as opened this widget on function, nor do I ever plan to, and it feels extra like bloatware than something helpful. If I need to see the information or the climate, I will examine my telephone or look it up.

Fortunately, in the event you’d choose to see the Information Widget gone too, it is simple to eliminate. To take action, head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and switch off Widgets to disable it. It is going to then disappear out of your taskbar for good. Should you’d choose to maintain the Information Widget round simply to see the climate in your taskbar, however not have it open while you merely hover over it, you’ll be able to change that by opening the Information Widget and going to Settings > Open Widgets board on hover and toggling it off.

Moreover, in the event you’d choose to maneuver your begin button again to the left nook, prefer it was on Home windows 10 and plenty of previous variations of Home windows, you are able to do that underneath Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar alignment and select Left.

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1

Regulate privateness settings

Management how Microsoft makes use of your information

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Each time I arrange a brand new laptop computer or carry out a recent set up of Home windows 11, my first intuition is to regulate my privateness settings. This offers me management over how and when Microsoft accesses my private information. I’m notably against focused promoting, particularly in Home windows, which is why I give attention to adjusting the settings to cease apps from utilizing my promoting ID. You are able to do this too by going to Settings > Privateness & Safety > Normal and disabling the choice that enables apps to indicate customized advertisements utilizing your promoting ID.

The subsequent privateness setting I modify is diagnostic data. Whereas sending restricted diagnostic information to Microsoft is required to maintain your machine up to date and safe, you’ll be able to select to ship elective diagnostic information, which incorporates “information about web sites you browse, how you utilize apps and options, and enhanced error reporting,” as per Microsoft. I choose to not ship any elective diagnostic information to Microsoft in any respect. To do that your self, head to Settings > Privateness & safety > Diagnostics and suggestions > Ship elective Diagnostic Knowledge, and switch it off.

Moreover, underneath Diagnostics & suggestions, I disable Tailor experiences, which lets Microsoft use your diagnostic information to “improve your product experiences with customized suggestions, advertisements, and suggestions.” That is a giant no thanks for me, so I additionally turned that off. Should you’re seeking to enhance the efficiency of your PC, then there are additionally settings you can disable to do exactly that.

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