Customizing the look and feel of Windows is always tempting, but Microsoft’s built-in options can be surprisingly limited. If you want more freedom, there’s a simple way to give Windows 11 File Explorer a completely new look with just a click. Here’s how to transform File Explorer in seconds.
A More Modern Windows 11 File Explorer
To give Windows 11 File Explorer a more modern look, we can once again turn to one of the most powerful open-source customization tools for Windows: Windhawk.
As we’ve covered in previous guides, Windhawk can dramatically customize Windows without modifying system files.
Available for free on GitHub and as a portable app, Windhawk provides a library of lightweight Windows mods. These include mods that resize the Start menu, as well as others that give it a more polished look.
We can also browse the available mods online by visiting Windhawk and selecting Browse for Mods, without installing the app first.
To install it, simply click Download and follow the setup instructions. Once installed, Windhawk’s main dashboard will show the mods we’ve viewed while browsing online.
From there, we can install any mod we want with just a few clicks.
Customize File Explorer With One Click
Once Windhawk is open, click Browse in the top-right corner of the app. Then search for Windows 11 File Explorer Styler, select the mod from the results, click Details, and then click Install.
When we click this button, Windhawk displays a warning asking us to proceed with caution. However, if the mod is marked as verified and includes links to the developer’s GitHub and X profiles, it should be safe to proceed.
Then, click Accept Risk and Install.
Once the mod is installed, open its Settings, and go to the Theme section..
This is where we can choose a theme and customize the look of Windows 11 File Explorer to suit our preferences. One of the best transparency themes available is Translucent Explorer11.
Its settings give us two useful options. The default File Explorer frame only applies the transparency effect to the upper part of the window...
...while Entire window extends the transparency effect across the entire File Explorer window.
Once we’ve chosen a theme, click Save Settings to apply the changes.
We can experiment with different themes as much as we like, since these mods don’t modify Windows system files. In other words, all changes are fully reversible.
To restore the default Windows 11 File Explorer appearance, simply select None at the top of the list. If the default appearance doesn’t return immediately, restarting the system should do the trick.
Finally, it’s worth keeping an eye out for mod updates and installing them when they become available.
The reason is that a Windows update can sometimes break a mod or cause its customizations to stop working. In most cases, installing the latest version of the mod is enough to get everything working again.
A Fresh Look for File Explorer
With Windhawk and the right mod, giving Windows 11 File Explorer a more modern look takes just a few clicks. And since the changes are fully reversible, we can experiment with different styles until we find the one that works best for us.
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