YOU’LL NEED THIS WINDOWS 10
TileIconifier has several useful features if you want to go deeper with your tile customization. One of the most useful is the batch tool. Click “Utilities” in the TileIconifier menu bar, then click “Batch Shortcut Operations.” Put a check in the checkbox next to every shortcut you wish to amend, then choose what changes you want to apply. It is particularly useful if you want to theme your Start menu by adding a uniform background color to all your tiles, for instance, or if you want to add or remove the app name on each shortcut.
You can use Windows’ own Task View option, or try a number of third-party apps.
Elsewhere, you can find all your custom shortcuts by clicking “Utilities,” then “Custom Shortcut Manager.” From here, you can create a new shortcut, delete existing ones, and adjust the settings for previously created shortcuts. You can also see whether the shortcut affects just you or all users on your PC, and what type it is (Explorer folder, Microsoft Store app, and so on).
TIRED OF MANAGING AN UNRULY MESS of a desktop, with tons of windows clogging up your view? There is a solution: Windows 10’s virtual desktop feature. This lets you create a new instance of your current desktop setup, enabling you to divide your tasks into separate desktops, all walled off from each other. You might have a desktop with your work documents and apps open, for example, with another used for unwinding during your lunch break. That way, everything is neatly ordered and in control, without becoming overwhelming. You can’t have different wallpapers or themes for your different desktops—instead, think of them as close copies of each other, with the main demarcation being the apps and windows you have open on each.
Some apps may refuse to be tiled properly. If that happens, select your desired app from the list, then click “Quick Build Custom Shortcut.” This creates a second shortcut using the same parameters as the original, which you may be able to pin properly instead.
And instead of littering your desktop with shortcut icons for your favorite apps and games, you can pin them to your Start menu. Rather than using Windows 10’s rather plain implementation, we are going to look at a few apps that give you much more control, helping to clean up your desktop and beautify your Start menu at the same time. All the methods outlined here are straightforward and easy to follow. Let’s get started.
–ALEX BLAKE