Not a fan of Windows 11? Here’s how I made my system look more like Linux or MacOS

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Seelen UI is a desktop environment for Windows.
• With this app, you can achieve a Linux or MacOS look.
• Seelen UI is free to use and install on Windows 10/11.

As a longtime Linux user, my opinion of the Windows UI has never really wavered: I think it’s pretty dismal. Given that Linux has a cornucopia of desktop environments from which to choose, it makes perfect sense that someone who enjoys a good aesthetic would look at Windows and snub it like a cat snubs the new food you just bought.

When I received a laptop to review that ran Windows 11 (and, for some odd reason, wouldn’t let me boot from a USB drive so I could install Linux), one of my first thoughts was, “How do I make this more pleasant for myself?”

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I remembered that developers — years ago — were creating “skins” to make Windows look a bit more pleasing for those of us who care. There were several of these fun projects, but eventually, they started to die off.

Still, I thought, there has to be something out there.

Then I found Seelen UI, a fully customizable desktop environment for Windows.

I’m not gonna lie: It’s pretty cool. (Coming from a hard-core Linux user, that’s saying something.) According to the Seelen UI GitHub page, it’s a tool “designed to enhance your Windows desktop experience with a focus on customization and productivity. It integrates smoothly into your system, providing a range of features that allow you to personalize your desktop and optimize your workflow.” Sounds about right.

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I installed Seelen UI on that Windows 11 laptop, and I was giddy with the results. No, I’m not leaving Linux because of this nifty desktop environment. But I am here to say: If you hate the look and feel of the Windows 11 desktop, Seelen UI is exactly what you want.

Why you should give Seelen UI a try

First off, Seelen UI is so much more visually pleasing than the default Windows desktop. Beyond the aesthetics, you also get things like:

• The option to use tiling windows
• A wide array of configuration options
• An integrated media module
• An intuitive way to quickly access applications and commands
• Different themes, taskbar layouts, and icons

Installation is simple

Because this is a Windows app, the installation is quite simple. The easiest (and recommended) method is to locate Seelen UI in the Microsoft App Store and install it from there. You can also download the binary installer (make sure to snag the latest version), double-click on the downloaded file, and walk through the installation wizard.

One thing to keep in mind is that Seelen UI must have both Microsoft Edge and WebView installed for it to work. WebView is installed by default in Windows 11, but it has to be installed if you’re running Windows 10. The good news is that WebView is included in the installer, so make sure it’s enabled during installation (for Windows 10).

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After installation, launch the app and walk through the instructive Welcome wizard.

Now, before I continue, I want to state a particular warning that Windows users are most likely accustomed to. There are a lot of third-party plugins and themes available. As with any piece of Windows software, please use caution because you never know if what you’re installing will have a malicious payload along for the ride. That’s not to say Seelen UI falls under that category, but anytime I write about installing something on Windows, I feel it necessary to state that warning.

That being said…

Customizing Seelen UI

The customization of Seelen UI is fairly straightforward. You’ll find an app called Seelen UI in your Windows launcher. Click that launcher to open the Seelen UI settings manager, where you can make all sorts of changes and add new modules and themes. I added the Round Toolbar theme, the (Almost) Liquid Glass (ala MacOS Tahoe) Dockbar theme, and the Round Toolbar theme. Together, those three themes made for a rather Budgie-like desktop.

For those who don’t know, Budgie is a beautiful and highly configurable Linux desktop environment.

I also enabled the Fancy Toolbar, which allows you to customize the topbar and Dock/Taskbar. 

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After I added or enabled those themes, the Windows 11 desktop suddenly became an entirely different beast — one that I didn’t mind using.

You could spend a lot of time customizing Seelen UI, but once you get your desktop exactly how you like it, you’ll be glad you made the effort.

If you’re stuck using Windows but detest the way the desktop looks and feels, give Seelen UI a try and see if it doesn’t make the time you spend on Windows a bit more pleasant.