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Summary

• Fences 5 organizes folders into groups.
• Object Dock replaces your toolbar and adds tabs for quicker access.
• Rainmeter personalizes your desktop with custom skins.

Windows 11 has various backgrounds and themes to make your desktop stand out, but they can get boring and offer very limited customization options. Luckily, countless apps are available to enhance and optimize your desktop. These apps don’t just add visual flair with stylish backgrounds and colors, but many add practical visual effects to improve your laptop’s abilities and make it more user-friendly.

Sifting through many apps to find the best visual customizations can be challenging and take forever because of all the available options. I’ll make it easier by listing the best seven tools to make your desktop look awesome.

1 Fences 5

Fence them in, fence them out

Fences 5 is the perfect app for grouping your desktop folders so they’re more organized and easier to find. To use it, draw a rectangle on your screen and click the Create Fence option. Then, drag and drop your desktop icons into the fenced area to keep them organized. You can create multiple fences to sort your apps and configure them in various colors so they stand out from each other.

The Chameleon Mode in Fences 5 is ideal for users who dislike clutter. It changes the colors of all the icons to blend in with the desktop background to give your desktop a cleaner appearance.

Portal Folder is another helpful feature on Fences 5 that previews the contents of a particular folder. Again, you draw a rectangle on your screen and select the Create Folder Portal option. You can then drag and drop a folder into the rectangle, and it will list its contents for easy viewing. The Chameleon Mode in Fences 5 is ideal for users who dislike clutter. It changes the colors of all the icons to blend in with the desktop background to give your desktop a cleaner appearance.

2 Object Dock

Add a dynamic taskbar to your desktop

Object Dock is a simple and effective tool that gives your Windows desktop some Apple flavor. It replaces your standard toolbar with a QuickLaunch dock, replicating the big, moving icons on macOS. You can align the dock to the left, right, or center or even run it vertically on the edge of your display, depending on your preference. Adding and removing icons is easy, so you’ll always have quick access to your favorite apps.

The Tabbed Dock function in Object Dock creates tabs at the top of your display, making accessing programs, documents, links, and other files faster and easier. Instead of using Windows Explorer, you can click on the tabs to access your folder. You can also add and remove folders and configure their placement within the tabs to set them as you like.

3 Rainmeter

Custom skins to personalize your experience

Rainmeter is an open-source app that offers exciting skins to change your desktop’s appearance. You’ll first need to download and install the app before searching online for skins. Skins are easy to find on various sites, or you can create a personalized custom theme from your photos or designs.

After downloading the skins, you can double-click on them to add them to the app and activate them on your desktop. Finding the right one takes trial and error because some are discrete with a minimalist style, while others take up your whole display with many icons. You can also configure each skin from within the Rainmeter menu to adjust its position and add and remove folders and other display properties.

4 Dexpot 1.6

Create multiple workspaces for different uses

Dexpot is an app that creates multiple desktops you can switch between at any time. It’s ideal if you want to separate your work and home lives or create different workspaces for each project you’re working on. The app lets you create up to four desktop workspaces with unique backgrounds, icons, and task bars for different uses.

Dexpot’s in-depth settings let you tailor-make your desktop experience with numerous customization options. You can assign certain apps to each desktop and independently control their resolution and refresh rates. When you’re done, you can add the manager icon in the bottom corner of your display for one-click switching between them.

5 Backie Wallpaper Studio 10

Free wallpapers to enhance your desktop

Backie is a free app with thousands of wallpapers to choose from. The wallpapers are divided into abstract, space, nature, and other categories, making it easy to find the right one. You can also check out the Collections tab to see the most popular wallpapers currently trending or the latest ones available on the app. I enjoyed searching by country to find peaceful scenery wallpapers that helped me relax while working.

After finding the perfect wallpaper, it’s easy to save it to your PC or share it with family and friends. You can also add it to your favorites or organize it into a personal folder for easy access later. Backie keeps a history of all the wallpapers you’ve viewed, so you can always revisit one you might have missed. The app requires a subscription, but a free version is available if you don’t mind ads.

6 WinDynamicDesktop

New desktop for each time of day

WinDynamicDesktop mimics Apple’s Dynamic Desktop feature, with wallpapers that change appearance based on location and the time of day. These wallpapers generally look brighter during the day and gradually fade to dark as it gets darker. They make your desktop feel more alive, are easy on the eyes, and help you stay concentrated.

Setting up this app is easy. Just input your location and allow the Windows location service to determine the times. Alternatively, you can set specific times for sunrise and sunset using the built-in clock. After setting your location, you can select from the included themes or search online for others you like.

7 TranslucentTB

Make your taskbar invisible

TranslucentTB is so simple and easy to use that there isn’t much to say about it. However, it’s still a cool app that makes a big difference by adjusting one setting. Install and run the app, and it will make your taskbar invisible, so the icons have a floating effect and seem like they’re part of the wallpaper.

It’s a minor tweak to the taskbar, yet it gives your desktop a modern, fresh look. If you don’t want your taskbar to be invisible, add blur, acrylic, or other effects to make it stand out. You can also keep the taskbar visible and change its appearance with the accent color feature.