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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Seelen UI is a desktop surroundings for Home windows.
- With this app, you’ll be able to obtain a Linux or MacOS look.
- Seelen UI is free to make use of and set up on Home windows 10/11.
As a longtime Linux consumer, my opinion of the Home windows UI has by no means actually wavered: I feel it is fairly dismal. On condition that Linux has a cornucopia of desktop environments from which to decide on, it makes good sense that somebody who enjoys a great aesthetic would have a look at Home windows and snub it like a cat snubs the brand new meals you simply purchased.
Once I acquired a laptop computer to overview that ran Home windows 11 (and, for some odd motive, would not let me boot from a USB drive so I may set up Linux), one in every of my first ideas was, “How do I make this extra nice for myself?”
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I remembered that builders — years in the past — have been creating “skins” to make Home windows look a bit extra pleasing for these of us who care. There have been a number of of those enjoyable tasks, however ultimately, they began to die off.
Nonetheless, I believed, there must be one thing on the market.
Then I discovered Seelen UI, a completely customizable desktop surroundings for Home windows.
I am not gonna lie: It is fairly cool. (Coming from a hard-core Linux consumer, that is saying one thing.) Based on the Seelen UI GitHub web page, it is a instrument “designed to reinforce your Home windows desktop expertise with a deal with customization and productiveness. It integrates easily into your system, offering a spread of options that will let you personalize your desktop and optimize your workflow.” Sounds about proper.
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I put in Seelen UI on that Home windows 11 laptop computer, and I used to be giddy with the outcomes. No, I am not leaving Linux due to this nifty desktop surroundings. However I’m right here to say: In the event you hate the appear and feel of the Home windows 11 desktop, Seelen UI is strictly what you need.
Why you must give Seelen UI a strive
First off, Seelen UI is a lot extra visually pleasing than the default Home windows desktop. Past the aesthetics, you additionally get issues like:
- The choice to make use of tiling home windows
- A wide selection of configuration choices
- An built-in media module
- An intuitive approach to rapidly entry purposes and instructions
- Completely different themes, taskbar layouts, and icons
Set up is easy
As a result of it is a Home windows app, the set up is kind of easy. The simplest (and really helpful) technique is to find Seelen UI within the Microsoft App Retailer and set up it from there. You may as well download the binary installer (be certain that to snag the newest model), double-click on the downloaded file, and stroll by way of the set up wizard.
One factor to bear in mind is that Seelen UI should have each Microsoft Edge and WebView put in for it to work. WebView is put in by default in Home windows 11, but it surely must be put in in case you’re operating Home windows 10. The excellent news is that WebView is included within the installer, so be certain that it is enabled throughout set up (for Home windows 10).
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After set up, launch the app and stroll by way of the instructive Welcome wizard.
Now, earlier than I proceed, I need to state a selected warning that Home windows customers are most probably accustomed to. There are a whole lot of third-party plugins and themes out there. As with all piece of Home windows software program, please use warning since you by no means know if what you are putting in could have a malicious payload alongside for the trip. That is to not say Seelen UI falls beneath that class, however anytime I write about putting in one thing on Home windows, I really feel it essential to state that warning.
That being stated…
Customizing Seelen UI
The customization of Seelen UI is pretty easy. You may discover an app referred to as Seelen UI in your Home windows launcher. Click on that launcher to open the Seelen UI settings supervisor, the place you may make all types of modifications and add new modules and themes. I added the Spherical Toolbar theme, the (Nearly) Liquid Glass (ala MacOS Tahoe) Dockbar theme, and the Spherical Toolbar theme. Collectively, these three themes made for a moderately Budgie-like desktop.
There’s a lot to configure inside the Seelen UI app.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
For many who do not know, Budgie is an exquisite and extremely configurable Linux desktop surroundings.
I additionally enabled the Fancy Toolbar, which lets you customise the topbar and Dock/Taskbar.
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After I added or enabled these themes, the Home windows 11 desktop out of the blue turned a wholly totally different beast — one which I did not thoughts utilizing.
You would spend a whole lot of time customizing Seelen UI, however when you get your desktop precisely the way you prefer it, you may be glad you made the trouble.
In the event you’re caught utilizing Home windows however detest the way in which the desktop appears to be like and feels, give Seelen UI a attempt to see if it does not make the time you spend on Home windows a bit extra nice.
