Windows 8

Personalizing your Desktop

Windows 8 makes it easy to customize the look and feel of the Desktop view. In this lesson, you'll learn how to access the Personalization pane, which allows you to customize the theme, background image, and color of your Desktop. You'll also learn how to adjust your font size and text display.

Any changes you make to the appearance of the Desktop will not affect the Start screen. Check out our lesson on Personalizing Your Start Screen to learn more.

• To access the Personalization pane, right-click anywhere on the Desktop, and then select Personalize from the drop-down menu. The Personalization pane will appear.
  
  Accessing the Personalization pane

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using the Personalization pane to customize the appearance of the Desktop view.

Get More Themes Online

You can download additional themes from Microsoft.

Themes

Windows 8 offers several pre-built themes, which customize the look and feel of the Desktop view.

Desktop Background

It's easy to change the background image for the Desktop view. You can choose from one of Microsoft's many free images or use a photo from your Pictures library.

Sounds

If you wish, you can change the default sounds for Windows 8.

Color

You can choose the color of your windows and taskbar for the Desktop view.

Screen Saver

Windows 8 offers a variety of screen savers that you can choose and customize.

Font size and text display settings

You can also use the Personalization pane to customize the font size and text display. Again, it's important to note that these settings will only affect the Desktop view, not the Start screen.

To change the font size:

If you have difficulty seeing the text on your Desktop, you can increase the font size. Increasing the font size will also increase the size of icons and other items on your Desktop.

1. Locate and select Display in the lower-left corner of the Personalization pane.
   
   Accessing display settings
2. The Display settings will appear. Choose the desired size. Note that a larger size may interfere with the way some items appear on the screen.
3. Click Apply to save your changes.
   
   Changing the default font size
   
4. You may need to restart your computer for these changes to take effect.
   
   Larger font size and icons on the Desktop

To adjust ClearType settings:

ClearType helps improve the readability of text on LCD monitors and screens.

1. Locate and select Display in the lower-left corner of the Personalization pane. The Display settings will appear.
   
   Accessing display settings
2. Select Adjust ClearType text from the left-navigation menu.
   
   Clicking Adjust ClearType text
3. The ClearType Text Tuner dialog box will appear. Follow the instructions, choosing the text that appears best to you.
   
   Adjusting the ClearType settings
4. When you are done selecting text, click Finish. The ClearType settings will be applied.
   
   Clicking Finish