How to Enable or Disable Rounded Corners in Windows 11
Windows 11 comes with a fresh new design that emphasizes aesthetics, including features such as rounded corners for windows and panels. This change marks a decisive shift from the more angular shapes of Windows 10 and reflects an ongoing trend in user interface (UI) design toward softer, more approachable forms. While many users appreciate these visual enhancements, others may find them distracting or may simply prefer the more traditional angular edges. If you’re eager to customize your Windows 11 experience, you might be wondering how to enable or disable rounded corners.
In this article, we will delve into the concept of rounded corners, their relevance in design, and provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to enable or disable this feature in Windows 11. We will also discuss potential implications for performance, accessibility, and overall user experience.
Understanding Rounded Corners in Windows 11
Rounded corners, as opposed to sharp angles, create a softer, more organic appearance in graphical user interfaces. This design choice serves multiple functions:
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Aesthetic Appeal: Rounded corners can make applications and the operating system feel more modern and inviting. They create a visual continuity that can enhance the aesthetic harmony of a user interface.
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Focus and Attention: By softening the edges, rounded corners can guide a user’s focus to the center of the application, drawing attention to the content rather than the frame.
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User Experience: Rounded corners can contribute to the overall usability of an interface. They often make hover states or selections appear more natural and less jarring.
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Accessibility: For users with certain visual impairments, rounded corners may improve readability by reducing harsh contrasts.
However, personal preference plays a significant role in how individuals interact with their devices. For some, the sharp edges may be more appealing due to the familiarity from previous operating systems or a preference for a sleek, minimalist appearance.
How to Enable or Disable Rounded Corners in Windows 11
To customize your Windows 11 experience by enabling or disabling rounded corners, you must understand the methods used to alter these visual settings. Windows does not offer a straightforward toggle for rounded corners, so modifications typically involve registry edits, third-party software, or settings adjustments.
Using Windows Settings
While there is no direct setting in Windows 11 to disable rounded corners universally, some visual elements, such as transparency effects, can be managed through the Windows settings:
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Open Settings: Click on the Start Menu and select the gear icon to open the Settings application. Alternatively, you can press
Windows + I. -
Navigate to Personalization: In the Settings window, click on «Personalization» located on the side menu.
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Background Transparency: Scroll down and select «Colors.» From here, you can manage transparency effects that might influence the rounded edges’ appearance. Toggle the «Transparent Effects» option on or off according to your preference. While this won’t remove rounded corners, it will affect how they blend with the background.
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Explore Themes and Colors: You can also explore different themes and color options that might contribute to a less rounded aesthetic. This could indirectly help reduce the prominence of rounded corners in your daily usage.
Modifying Registry Settings
For those who are more technically inclined, modifying the Windows Registry is another avenue to explore for customization. However, proceed with caution—incorrect changes in the registry can result in system instability.
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Open the Registry Editor: Press
Windows + Rto open the Run dialog, typeregedit, and press Enter. You may be prompted for administrative permission to proceed. -
Navigate to the Desired Key: Use the directory path in the Registry Editor to navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop. This key contains various settings related to the desktop environment. -
Modify the Setting: Look for the value named
BorderWidth. You may need to create it if it does not exist. Right-click on an empty space in the right panel and select New -> String Value or DWORD (32-bit Value), depending on what you need. Set the value forBorderWidthto adjust the widths and potentially affect the rounded corners’ appearance. -
Restart Your Computer: After making changes, it is crucial to restart your computer for the new settings to take effect.
Third-Party Applications
If you’re looking for a more user-friendly way to manage rounded corners, consider exploring third-party applications that can tweak Windows settings for you. Tools like WindowBlinds and other Window customization software can offer advanced options for modifying roundness and general window aesthetics.
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Download Software: Browse trusted websites to find legitimate customization tools like WindowBlinds. Download and install the application.
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Choose Customization Options: Open the software and navigate to the section for UI customization. Depending on the tool, you may find options for managing window edges, shades, and corner styles.
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Apply Settings: Make the necessary adjustments and click to apply these settings. Some tools may offer “preview” functions to see changes before applying.
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Consult the User Manual: For further guidance, refer to the user manual specific to the third-party application you chose.
Performance Considerations
It’s important to note that while rounded corners are generally a cosmetic feature, they could have implications for performance on some older hardware. If you notice your device becoming sluggish after enabling rounded corners or any transparency effects, it may be beneficial to evaluate your system’s graphic capabilities and adjust settings accordingly.
Accessibility Concerns
Rounded corners are designed to enhance UI aesthetics and accessibility, but they might not suit everyone. Users with specific visual impairments might find sharp angles easier to distinguish. As personal preferences vary, consider experimenting with different settings to determine what works best for your accessibility needs.
Conclusion
Rounded corners in Windows 11 are more than just a stylistic choice; they encapsulate a broader trend in digital design focused on enhancing user experience. Whether you wish to embrace this modern aesthetic or prefer a more traditional look, Windows 11 offers various methods to enable or disable rounded corners.
Be cautious if modifying the Windows registry, as improper changes can lead to errors and system instability. Exploring third-party options offers a simpler approach for those unfamiliar with technical settings. Ultimately, customizing your Windows experience should cater to your preferences while ensuring optimal usability.
Whether you appreciate the gentle curves or prefer the sharp edges, Windows 11 provides the flexibility to make your digital environment truly your own. As operating systems continue to evolve, user customization will remain a critical aspect of maintaining comfort and efficiency in the digital workspace.
When installing Windows 11 in a Virtual Machine (Hyper-V or VirtualBox), it shows no Rounded Corners nor Mica effects. The appearance the operating system gets looks a bit aged. It is hard to say at a glance if you are working with Windows 11 or with its predecessor, as all window frames will have square corners. Here’s how to fix it and enable rounded corners in a virtual machine.
One of the drastic user interface changes in Windows 11 is the style of the window frame and its effects. Unlike in previous versions, Microsoft made the corners rounder. The titlebar now has a nice «Mica» effect, which blends your wallpaper with the window background.
Depending on the screen position, the titlebar changes its gradients and color. It also changes when you switch between apps. The adjustment allows to easily differentiate the active and inactive window. That’s how Mica works.
But after installing Windows 11 in a VM, you will find that the rounder corners are missing, along with Mica effects. That’s because the emulated graphic device is poor, especially in Hyper-V and VirtualBox. It causes the operating system to reduce its resource usage by disabling most of GUI enhancements.
You may be not happy with the situation, e.g. when you need to take a screenshot from your VM, and you want it look authentic. Luckily, you can force enable rounded corners and Mica in Hyper-V and VirtualBox with a small Registry tweak. Do the following.
Enable Windows 11 Rounded Corners and Mica in Hyper-V or VirtualBox VM
- Start your virtual machine and boot it to the Desktop, then open the Registry editor with the regedit command (Win + R >
regedit> Enter). - On the left, navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm branch.
- Right-click on the Dwm key, and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value from the menu.
- Name the new value ForceEffectMode.
- Double-click ForceEffectMode and set its value data to 2.
- Finally, restart your Hyper-V or VirtualBox machine. You now have rounded corners and Mica.
That was very easy. To undo the change, simply remove the ForceEffectMode value, and you are done.
Registry Files
You can download the following ready-to-use Registry files to save your time.
Download Registry Files
Extract the downloaded ZIP archive to any folder if your choice. You will see the following two REG files.
Their names are self-explanatory, so you can click the one named «Enable Rounded Corners.reg«, confirm the Registry change, and restart the virtual machine. The other file will undo the change for you.
If you prefer to deploy your virtual machines, or automate their setup with batch files or PowerShell scripts, you may find useful a command prompt method of changing the Registry value. Here’s how to enable rounded corners in your VM from command prompt.
Command Prompt Method
Open Terminal as Administrator by pressing Win + X and selecting the Terminal (Admin) item from the menu.
If you prefer the classic Command Prompt, switch to its tab in Terminal with the Ctrl + Shift + 2 hotkey, and enter one of the following commands:
- Enable rounded corners:
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm /v ForceEffectMode /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f.
- Disable the effects (restore defaults):
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm /v ForceEffectMode /f
Using PowerShell
Finally, if you prefer PowerShell, its tab opens by default, or you can press Ctrl + Shift + 1 in Terminal, and type the following commands.
- Turn on Mica/rounder corners:
New-ItemProperty -Name ForceEffectMode -PropertyType Dword -Value 2 -Path HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm -Force.
- Turn off:
Remove-ItemProperty -Path HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm -Name ForceEffectMode
Don’t forget to restart your Hyper-V or VirtualBox virtual machine to enable rounder corners in Windows 11 after running the above commands.
That’s it!
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As I hope you’re aware by now – RAD Studio 11 Alexandria is now available! The Windows IDE contains a whole ton of features, and it’s launching just ahead of Microsoft’s official release of the beautifully redesigned Windows 11. We wrote about the many great things contained in Windows 11 here on the blog before, and how behind that gorgeously aesthetic user interface are a few traps and pitfalls which may be a problem for older legacy apps and hardware.
One of the most obvious user interface changes is the fact that almost all app windows and many user interface controls will get a rounded corner effect applied to them. The amount of rounding of the application’s forms and things like text boxes, panels, and group boxes will vary. Microsoft go into a lot more detail on how it will affect user interface components here in this article.
They also have an article, here, which describes how rounding of the application forms occurs and also how to turn that rounding feature on or off. Microsoft recognizes that some app windows are not going to work very well with rounding applied to the caption bar – for example, tool window type application frames, which typically have a very narrow height and custom-drawn window icons.
Thinking ahead, Windows 11 provides a fairly easy-to-use Windows API that allows you full control over that rounding behavior – to turn it off, on, or ask Windows 11 to round the windows with a smaller radius.
Small Windows 11 Rounding Normal Windows 11 rounding
The question came up during the RAD Studio 11 launch Q & A whether the Embarcadero team had an example of using that API. Jim McKeeth pasted a short example of how to do it in the question window but it was a little hard to read and only a partial example so I’ve taken that answer and built a more complete demo for you to download and play with. Just for fun it also shows Windows notifications using the TNotificationCenter component because if we’re going to be modern we might as well embrace a few of the other cool modern Windows things Delphi makes very easy. 😋
On versions of Windows before Windows 11 the API call will have no effect and your app Windows will still look the same. On Windows 11 the example app controls the main form Window based on your choices from a radio group. I’ve created a universal unit with a simple call in there – all you need to do is pass it a Window handle and Windows 11 will do your bidding.
The example app is written in the new RAD Studio 11 Alexandria, of course, but it should work on earlier versions of Delphi. To use the code in your own apps simply download the source repository from the GitHub link below and include the “delphi_rounded_corners.pas” unit in your apps and make the procedure call.
You can download the full source for the example RAD Studio 11 Delphi example application from here: https://github.com/checkdigits/rounded_corners
RAD Studio 11 Alexandria is available now! It’s a fantastic tool for creating all types of applications which can run natively on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. Why not download a free trial and check it out today?
In this article, I will guide you on how to add rounded corners to Windows 11 taskbar. If you are tired of using Windows 11 old taskbar then using the rounded curved taskbar is pretty much interesting. And also makes your Windows 11 taskbar more attractive to use it. Also, Windows 11 is having the best interface redesigned look that makes the users more attractive to use or migrate from an old version of Windows to Windows 11. Also, the Windows 11 taskbar is having the best use, like Microsoft migrated the Windows 11 start menu into the center of the taskbar. And more than that the rounded curved edges in Windows 11 are more interesting to use daily.
In our previous post just we created a method of how to use the Windows 11 taskbar transparent. So, if you want to use Windows 11 taskbar transparent. Why not use Windows 11 taskbar corner with rounded curve edges to make Windows 11 more interesting?
Related: How to Make Windows 11 Taskbar Transparent?
Windows 11 taskbar is more customizable than Windows 10, you can change the Windows 11 taskbar icon alignment, add/remove icons, and badging, and automatically hide the taskbar. Also, there isn’t any option to make Windows 11 taskbar rounded curve. So, if you want to make Windows 11 taskbar rounded then you need to install a third-party application from the Microsoft store to make Windows 11 taskbar rounded.
What is RoundedTB?
RoundedTB is a free application that available inside Microsoft Store on Windows 11/10 to make the Windows taskbar rounded curve edges. The RoundedTB on the other side of TranslucentTB is one of the most and best applications that can bring lots of changes to the Windows 11/10 taskbar. The benefit of these two applications is to make Windows 11 taskbar more attractive for better use daily. To make Windows 11 taskbar transparent you need to install the TranslucentTB. And to make Windows 11 taskbar rounded and curved you need to install the RoundedTB. On the other hand, after installing these two applications on your Windows, it doesn’t bring any single changes to your Windows files or documents.
You can download and install the RoundedTB directly from Microsoft Store, but you can get the latest version from GitHub. Also, you can read the latest features of RoundedTB from GitHub reviews the below down lines.
Basic Options
- One of the simple ways to use RoundedTB in Windows 11 is to enter the margin and rounded corner radius.
- Margin: Controls how many pixels to remove from each side of the taskbar, creating a margin around it so that you can see the click-through.
- Corner Radius: Adjusts how round the corners of the taskbar should be.
Advanced Options
- Independent Margins: In the advanced settings a (…) will appear on the margin box. Simply you can enable the margins with a single click, Which allows you to customize and specify the margin of the side taskbar.
- Dynamic Look Windows 11: Dynamic look inside Windows 11 resizes to accommodate the number of icons on it. Also, the Dynamic look will make your Windows 11 taskbar similar to the macOS taskbar.
- Split Mode Windows 10: Split mode is a simplified version of Dynamic mode for Windows 10. Due to the more limited taskbar, dynamically resizing the taskbar isn’t possible. However, after a few settings, the split mode allows you to separate the Windows 10 taskbar from the system tray size.
- Show System Tray: You can make the system tray icons, and taskbar icons separate from each other. Also, you can combine the system tray icon with taskbar icons by pressing the Win+F12 key.
- TranslucentTB Compatibility: Due to some bugs inside the TranslucentTB, after installing the RoundedTB on your Windows it might face the problem of not appearing the rounded curved edges of Windows. So, simply you have to enable the option of RoundedTB after you are turning on your Windows PC.
- About RoundedTB: Provides the latest information about the TranslucentTB, and the debug sections let you the config and log files.
You can download the installation of the latest portable version of RoundedTB from GitHub. Also, there might be issues, when you should use TranslucentTB and RoundedTB on your Windows PC. If you encountered any kind of errors simply press and hold Ctrl+Shift+Esc on your keyboard then end the RoundedTB if that is running.
If you don’t have a suitable account for Microsoft, then navigate to Microsoft and create a regular account. Once you have created an account simply navigate to Microsoft Store, then click on the Sign in option, enter your Microsoft email address and password then hit enter to sign in. When the Microsoft Store opened click on the search bar, type there RoundedTB, and hit search. When the RoundedTB appeared click on the free option to proceed to the installation process.
Once the installation window opened click on the Get option to start downloading.
When the installation is compiled click on open to launch the ReoundedTB app on your Windows.
When the RoundedTB app opened on Windows PC, simply customize the settings to make the changes in the taskbar. Once you made the changes simply click on Apply.
If you want to make more changes to Windows 11 taskbar, then apply the below settings to make Windows 11 taskbar more attractive. As if you don’t make any changes then Windows 11 start menu is not separated from the system tray icon. If you make the changes then the Windows 11 start menu will separate from the System icon tray.
Go to the system tray icon, then find there the RoundedTB and right-click on that. Then you can apply the “Run at startup”, close the RoundedTB, or Show the RoundedTB.
Conclusion
Finally, the Windows 11 taskbar is successfully created from its normal mode to the Rounded taskbar. Also, these changes can be applied to Windows 10 also. But there are a few settings after the installation of RoundedTB on Windows 10 that should be configured. Otherwise, you will not be able to see any changes to the taskbar of Windows 10. So, if you don’t want to use the taskbar in rounded curve mode, then you can easily close the RoundedTB from your Windows, or simply you can uninstall it on Microsoft Store.
Привет, друзья. В этой статье предлагаю поговорить об окнах Windows 11, точнее об их функциональности. Одна из главенствующих целей, которую ставила перед собой компания Microsoft при разработке новой операционной системы – пользовательское юзабилити и пользовательская многозадачность. И чтобы достичь этой цели, компании пришлось немного поработать над азами операционной системы – над её окнами. Окна приложений в Windows 11 получили скруглённые углы, что в целом улучшило дизайн системы и её восприятие пользователем. Существовавшая ранее в Windows функция крепления окон Snap Assist в 11-й версии получила неплохой апгрейд. А реализация новой панели задач в Windows 11 повлекла за собой новые возможности по работе с окнами в виде функций групп привязок и стыковки окон. Давайте обо всём этом поговорим подробнее.
В Windows 8.1 и 10 Microsoft отошла от дизайна закруглённых углов окон, который до этого был у Windows XP, Vista и 7. В новой же Windows 11 компания решила вновь вернуться к этому решению. Закруглённые углы окон идеально вписываются в концепт Windows 11 как красивой, мягкой и гармоничной операционной системы. Закруглённые углы окон более естественны, чем острые. Округлых форм в природе значительно больше, чем заострённых. Человеческий мозг на примитивном уровне более благосклонно относится к фигурам округлой формы, тогда как угловатые формы у него ассоциируются с потенциальной угрозой.
Как утверждает Microsoft, закруглённый дизайн окон не будет влиять на производительность Windows 11.
В Windows 11, друзья, можем лицезреть эволюцию системной функции привязки окон Snap Assist. Это функция удобного распределения нескольких окон на экране компьютера: можем прикрепить одно окно к любой из граней экрана, и Snap Assist даст нам визуальную подсказку, какие другие окна к каким граням экрана можно прикрепить в один клик. Эта функция появилась в Windows 10, и Microsoft сочла её настолько фундаментально важной, что урезанную её, являющую лишь сам механизм крепления окон без визуальной подсказки, реализовала в Windows 8.1 и 7. Более подробно о том, что являет собой Snap Assist в Windows 10, можете почитать в статье «Как разделить экран в Windows 10».
В Windows 11, построенной на лёгкой платформе пользовательского интерфейса WinUI, функция Snap Assist стала более шустрой, получила другую анимацию и эффекты, но главное – обзавелась новой возможностью в виде макетов привязки окон (Snap Layouts). Это макеты расположения окон на экране. В Windows 10 компоновку окон на экране нам нужно формировать самим, размещая каждое окно в нужную область экрана. В Windows 11 мы можем сразу выбрать подходящий нам макет с нужной компоновкой окон. Для этого необходимо всего лишь подвести курсор к кнопке сворачивания-разворачивания окна любого приложения, либо же нажать горячие клавиши отображения макетов привязки Win+Z. Макеты привязки, ребята, адаптируются к размеру экрана. На маленьких экранах операционная система предлагает нам 4 макета с оптимальным размещением окон.
На больших экранах предлагаемых макетов будет больше: операционная система предложит 6 макетов с разной компоновкой окон.
Можем выбрать, например, макет с двумя равномерно расположенными на экране окнами. И далее с помощью визуальной подсказки выбираем другое окно для размещения на экране.
Или можем выбрать макет с четырьмя окнами.
И с помощью визуальной подсказки оперативно заполнить макет нужными окнами.
Вместе с новым пользовательским интерфейсом Windows 11 получила новую панель задач. Ей пришлось расстаться с некоторыми старыми функциями как то: перетаскивание ярлыков для закрепления, панели инструментов, возможность настройки размера панели задач, возможность расположения её с любой стороны экрана. Но взамен панель задач получила примечательную функцию групп привязки. Это функция запоминания компоновок окон, созданных с помощью Snap Assist. Она позволяет нам оперативно вернуться к макетам привязки окон, с которыми мы работали до переключения на другие окна. Если окно у нас скомпоновано с другими, при его восстановлении на панели задач оно доступно нам отдельно и вместе с макетом привязки.
И ещё одна интересная возможность по работе с окнами, появившаяся в Windows 11 – их стыковка (Docking), это сохранение расположения окон на других экранах компьютера. В прежних версиях Windows, если мы отключим второй монитор ПК или внешний экран ноутбука, все размещённые на нём окна перемесятся на основной экран. В Windows 11 у нас есть возможность сохранения расположения окон на других экранах при их отключении. При отключении других экранов окна сворачиваются, при необходимости они могут быть развёрнуты на основном экране, но при подключении других экранов окна возвращаются на другие экраны. Стыковка – предустановленная настройка в системных параметрах, при необходимости может быть отключена.
Вот такие, друзья, возможности у окон Windows 11.