5 Windows 11 settings worth changing immediately

Changing these five settings makes Windows 11 much better in under five minutes of your time

- BRAD CHACOS

While Windows 11 provides W a fine enough out of the box experience-terrible new task bar aside-it handles so much better after tweaking just a few settings as to make it feel more like the Windows of yore.

No, I'm not talking about making Windows 11 look like Windows 10 (fave.co/3G1SpdZ) through an extensive overhaul (though if you're a Windows veteran, that's worth doing). I'm talking about fast, simple changes that improve the feel of the operating system, turn off annoying ads, reduce the data you send to Microsoft, and more. Better yet, you can do them all in under five minutes— something I did mere weeks ago when I needed to pick up a Windows 11 laptop (fave. co/3qL4oHf) for some travel.

Here are five Windows 11 settings worth changing immediately, with an added bonus at the end.

1. MOVE THE START BUTTON TO THE LEFT CORNER 

What can I say? I’m a traditionalist. I understand Microsoft’s desire to revamp Windows 10’s interface to more closely mirror the style of Macs and Chromebooks—legions of kids get schooled on those, after all—but Windows 11’s shifting taskbar icons drive me batty. I want mousing over to the Start menu to be muscle memory, not yet another task I have to look at and mentally process.

Fortunately, Microsoft makes it easy to move the Start menu back to the left-hand corner. Simply open the Start menu and head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. You’ll see a field labeled Taskbar alignment with a dropdown menu. Change the drop-down option in the menu from Center to Left.

Boom! On to the next.

2. TURN OFF ANNOYING NOTIFICATIONS