How To Change My Windows 8 Start Screen Background

When you first begin using Windows 8.i, y'all are given the choice of picking your colors during the initial set up. In one case the user'south account boots for the first time, their Start screen volition be decked out in those colors. Of grade yous may want to change them, in fact, you lot may not want the Start screen to look that way at all.

Yous can't get rid of the Get-go screen (though yous can bypass information technology, as we mentioned in the previous lesson), but you can customize it in virtually unlimited ways, especially if you make your background transparent so the desktop wallpaper can be seen underneath. There are reports that the Offset screen will be giving way to a reimagined Start carte du jour, just you'll have to learn to alive with it in its current course for the time existence, and that's exactly what this lesson sets out to exercise.

Today, we're going to cover the ways Microsoft lets you personalize and tailor the Start screen to suit your changing tastes. We'll also cover backgrounds, which come in two flavors: a traditional static pattern and animated backgrounds that move as you scroll. The Start screen has a number of cool ways to brand it come to life and, retrieve, in that location'southward the aforementioned transparent background choice also.

Then we'll motility on to tiles. While we covered tiles to some extent in the last department, we desire to dig in a fleck deeper and explicate how to better command their appearance and behavior so you lot're not overwhelmed by information technology all. There's actually a lot going on with Start tiles but we'll go through each aspect of them pace by footstep so you gain mastery over them in no time.

Finally, we'll go through how to personalize your Start screen from the PC settings, which actually pack a great deal of customization options in a little infinite.

Don't think of this then much as a new subject delving into new territory, rather simply a continuation of the last lesson with more of an emphasis of turning the Start screen into something you ultimately can use and hopefully live with.

Animated Backgrounds and a Splash of Color

We'll first by talking near all those backgrounds and colors you lot can use. Backgrounds tin can be applied in two styles, there are static backgrounds and animated backgrounds, which move as y'all scroll. The power to change your Start screen's appearance, including its colors, means that you have virtually unlimited combinations!

To begin, open the Settings pane (WIN+I) from the charms while in the Starting time screen. If you are new to the charms, we propose you cheque out yesterday's lesson.

With the Settings open (make sure yous're in the Start screen), you will run across the following options.

We first plough our attention to "Personalize." The Personalize pane is comprised of three sections, which should be pretty easy to understand. In the screenshot below, we meet these backgrounds, some of which are static and some, which are blithe. Below the backgrounds are colors and accents.

The following background gives you an idea. This background is animated (though we can't bear witness y'all how), and then information technology moves as you coil horizontally giving the impression of a something like a dragon'due south tail. Go alee and attempt it yourself, there are several other animated backgrounds to choose from as well. Note, you lot'll accept to make certain yous accept enough tiles stretched across the Start screen horizontally to reach these scrolling effects.

There's quite a few other choices and you tin easily change them out and see what yous like best. Note also, the second-to-last background choice is really a solid colour.

Thus, if you want to only assign a single color to your background, there's an pick for that as well!

For many new Windows viii.1 users, the switch between the desktop and the Start screen can be a fleck disorienting.

I'll See Your Background and Raise You lot a Wallpaper

Luckily, when Microsoft released Windows 8.1, they likewise fabricated information technology possible to minimize that disorientation past assuasive you to set your electric current desktop wallpaper. This gives your Start screen a transparent look.

So every bit you can run into in the following side-by-side comparing what the effect looks similar. This lets users better necktie the desktop to the Offset screen, making the transition betwixt them less jarring.

We have to admit, this was a good decision by Microsoft and nosotros actually employ this option virtually of the time on our systems.

Color Your World

Don't forget at present that y'all can also mess nigh and change your Get-go screen'southward colors and accents giving you nearly unlimited ways to spruce things upwards and really express yourself. Here in the following screenshot, nosotros set the Kickoff screen's background in total contrast to give you a articulate idea of the divergence betwixt colors and accents.

Notice how the background is a rather drab grey while the blithe scales are vivid orange/cherry-red. This hopefully gives you an exact idea as to what to wait from these settings. We urge yous to play around and see what you tin can come with. We remember you're unlikely to run out of combinations!

Fit to be Tiled

Let'due south return to tiles, which nosotros mentioned briefly in Lesson 2. In that location'due south a lot you can practise with tiles and it'southward important to know what they do, how to customize them, or simply tone things down a flake. Allow's first touch upon how to manipulate them using correct-click menus.

When y'all want to select a tile on the Start screen, yous can concord your finger on a tile until the checkmark appears and the options bar shows at the bottom. To select more than one, simply tap each tile you desire and they will all accept checkmarks.

Using a mouse and keyboard, right-click each tile. To select more than than one tile, hold the CTRL key and click each one you want.

The context menu options are applicable to all the tiles you lot select though whether you lot can affect all tiles as depends on each tile's individual capabilities. For example, y'all can turn a "live tile off" just in the screenshot above, the "Desktop" is not a live tile so it wouldn't exist affected.

Of annotation, is the ability to resize tiles to ane of iv possible sizes: small-scale, medium, broad, and large. In the following screenshot, we meet all four sizes represented. Once more, if you choose more than one tile when you resize, each tile will default to its largest size. So if a tile can just resize to medium, simply you select large for the group, that tile will plainly only expand to medium size while the others that can resize to large volition exercise so.

Finally, to move your tiles around, you lot tin can simply click or impact, hold, and drag them virtually. You lot tin can also expand your screen to a broad blazon of bird's eye view, from which you can drag entire app groups from one place to another.

To actuate this view, pinch ii fingers, touch and hold, and spread them apart, or click the pocket-sized minus (-) sign in the lower-right corner of the Start screen.

Move your app groups most as you see fit and and then when y'all're done, simply click whatever blank department of the Start screen or hold and pinch your fingers together, and it will revert to normal.

Equally you tin can encounter, you can also name particular app groups such as "Productivity" or "Fun" or anything else y'all can remember up. To do this, either right-click anywhere on the Start screen outside of a tile group.

Or using your touchscreen prowess, swipe upward from the bottom edge and choose "Customize."

Then you can rename your groups to something appropriate if yous, say, accept all your productivity apps lumped together or a bunch of games on your Start screen.

These customization options give you lot virtually unlimited way in terms of how your tiles wait, where they are placed, and as we'll see in the side by side section, whether they wink and display information.

Turning Off Live Tiles

Live tiles can be peachy for certain things like showing the weather condition at a quick glance, or headlines, or sport scores, merely they tin can as well be a distraction, even downright bothersome if there are too many live tiles going at once.

Luckily, alive tiles are piece of cake to disable and best of all you tin can practise so to each individually meaning that if you actually like the style one tile reports information, you can leave that 1 on while turning others off. To turn off a live tile, select one and and so choose "plow live tile off."

As yous can see in the above screenshot, tiles then revert to a static image making them much less flashy and distracting.

Tiles Options

There are further options that you tin can utilize to affect change on the Start screen's tiles. Reopen the Settings pane and this time choose "tiles." You will then see three options.

Allow's focus start on the lesser pick, "articulate personal info from my tiles." When y'all click "clear," any info that the live tile displays, such as e-mails, friend notifications, or other potential personal info, will be wiped from the live tiles and you lot'll have nothing but static tiles, for a fourth dimension.

This doesn't prevent the live tiles from repopulating with information once they refresh. If y'all want to completely prevent them from showing personal information, we suggest turning them off, as described in the previous department.

Seeing More than (and Fewer) Apps

The other two tile options are relevant to the Apps view. The first ane allows you to run across more apps in a smaller area. Y'all see the default view below.

Here in the following screenshot, yous can come across what turning on the choice does.

There are clearly more than apps compared to the previous apps view, and you tin can also encounter that the "administrative tools" are too shown, which note, must exist activated from the tiles options shown above.

Pinning and Unpinning Apps to the Kickoff Screen

What you install on your system won't appear on your Start screen considering if everything were to do so, you'd speedily become overwhelmed with tiles. Windows 8.1 instead allows you to be specific and decide yourself what goes on the Start screen. Additionally, with Windows 8.ane, update 1, you tin now also pin apps to the taskbar likewise!

To pin an app or apps, open up the Apps view and select the items yous want to pivot.

Remember, if y'all desire to select multiple items, you first need to press and hold with your finger (on a touchscreen) so tap each tile you want to select, or right-click and and so agree CTRL to and so click and select farther tiles.

Similarly, if you had called to pivot the items to the taskbar, they would now appear at that place.

Y'all tin also pin items to the taskbar from the Outset screen rather than having to return to the Apps view.

From in that location, if you want to later on unpin something, you just follow the process.

You can "unpin from the taskbar" function from the taskbar likewise.

Customizing Your Lock Screen and Profile Picture

There'southward just a few other things we should note earlier moving on to tomorrow'south lesson. We want to very briefly cover the lock screen and your contour picture, and this is a good as time equally any to scratch the surface of the "PC settings" (which we'll start covering in Lesson 5).

Again, actuate the "Settings" charm (WIN+I) and await at the bottom of the pane for the "Change PC settings" option.

Yous're and then whisked to PC settings where you can administer your device in a wide diversity of ways. For our purposes, we desire to choose "PC and devices" and then "Lock screen." Changing the lock screen's film is super easy.

Microsoft gives yous a number of congenital-in options (what yous run across in the screenshot volition not match your device) or you can browse for a specific picture, and use that as your lock screen. You can likewise have the lock screen display a slide prove.

Turning on the slide bear witness we run into you tin employ pictures from your device's Pictures binder, your OneDrive, or you can specify a location. Below are a number of other options to farther customize your lock screen's slide show.

The lock screen likewise allows apps to display data such as conditions, unread e-mail counts, alarms, and other useful stuff.

Finally, Windows viii.1 lets you to use your device's camera without first having to unlock it. You simply swipe downwardly on the lock screen (swipe up to unlock) and the photographic camera volition activate so you can snap away so y'all don't miss that one pic in a lifetime considering you lot're decorated unlocking your device!

Note likewise, that you can have and change your accounts motion-picture show. The easiest way to do this is to simply click on your business relationship picture on the First screen and so select "change account picture."

This will open the PC settings to "Accounts -> Your Account" where yous tin can select from a picture in a specific location, or create a new one with your device'south camera.

If your user business relationship is a Microsoft account, and so your new contour picture and lock screen settings will populate to your other devices, unless you turn syncing off, which we'll cover in a later lesson.

Conclusion

This concludes today'southward lesson, nosotros hope you feel more confident at present using the Showtime screen and personalizing it to better adjust your mood and personal tastes. Your homework so, is to do just that, transform your Commencement screens into your own. We await forward to seeing what yous come up with!

In tomorrow's lesson, we're going to take y'all through a thorough exploration of the Windows Shop and Windows Store Apps. While the Windows Store may not exist a part of your everyday computing experience, yous volition need to know most it so you tin better manage Start screen content, and so we'll get it out of the style before plunging headlong into the PC settings.

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/school/windows-8-guide/lesson3/

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