Not everyone is a fan of Windows 11’s interface – especially the lack of ability to customize in some respects – but if you really want to go to town with personalizing and revamping the desktop of Microsoft’s OS, a new mod offers this chance.
Neowin spotted the release of the Seelen UI utility which promises a “fully customizable desktop environment” for both Windows 11 and Windows 10, and indeed the options provided to tinker with are quite sweeping.
Seelen’s bigger interface modifying features include a Tiling Windows Manager, which the developer explains means “windows automatically arrange themselves to support multitasking” to help streamline your workflows.
Then there’s a much neater system tray, and a floating taskbar – as seen in a ‘Next Valley Prototype Design’ leak, which may have been a brief glimpse of next-gen Windows – which can also be repositioned vertically (an ability some Windows 11 users have been begging for since the launch of the OS).
A media player is bolted on, too, and an app launcher (based on Rofi) is another part of the Windows desktop makeover provided here.
Note that Microsoft Edge is required for Seelen UI to work, so if you’ve junked the browser (it can be done), you’ll need to reinstall – and also if you’re on Windows 10, the installer will put the WebView runtime on your PC. (It’s preinstalled with Windows 11, so this isn’t necessary for the newer OS).
Analysis: Serene Seelen – with caveats
The overall look that Seleen graces Windows 11 with is rather Mac-like, modern and nicely streamlined and calming (for us). We approve in general, although we’re not sure about the Windows Manager – and how this might be better than Snap Layouts (unless we’re missing something here, and we haven’t tried the app to find out, we should note).
For those who are keen on really changing the look of Windows 11 without too much fuss, it seems like an interesting piece of software – but we should underline that there are caveats here.
Do remember that any third-party software for Windows needs to be treated with caution – you install the tool at your own risk, naturally. Not that we’re suggesting there’s anything nefarious going on behind the scenes, but it pays to be careful what you download. If you’re going to grab the app, as the developer recommends, get it from the Microsoft Store.
At any rate, if you’re taking the plunge, it may be worth waiting a while for further development of Seleen as the mod isn’t yet finished. Yes, this is a release version, but some features are a work in progress – there will apparently be a Start menu replacement eventually (rather than just a simple app launcher).
For the time being, then, this might be a project to watch, and also monitor the wider feedback from users who do install Seleen. And if you are at all tempted, as Neowin observes, trying out software is something you can do more safely in a virtual machine.