Windows is an operating system whose graphical interface has not undergone too many variations. If we are tired of its appearance and we would like to give it a personal touch, going beyond changing the wallpaper and the customization options that it brings by default seem scarce, Stardock Curtains is the application you were waiting for.
Windows has its own collection of themes within the “Settings” and “Personalization” menu. From there we can apply some themes and even download others. Still, this feature doesn’t dig too deep and lacks editing options to create our own themes. For this reason, today we are going to talk about Stardock Curtains, with which we can give a more original aspect to our operating system.
What is and what is Stardock Curtains for?
Stardock Curtains is a small software that will allow us to customize the appearance of Windows 10 with different styles . With it we can change the appearance of the borders of the windows, the buttons, the interface or the taskbar with different themes, that adapt to our tastes.
Main features
- Allows you to add new themes to Windows 10.
- Support for monitor with high DPI.
- Apply new styles in the dark and light modes.
- Improves the appearance of the Windows user interface.
- Create and share your own styles.
- Change the Start button, the menu bar buttons and the title bar.
- Adjust the gradient, shadow opacity, and other small elements.
- Compatible with Windows 10.
Change the look of Windows 10 in one click
Once we run Stardock Curtains for the first time, its main menu will appear, as well as a pop-up window, which will give us the option to enter a license, buy the license or start the 30-day trial period. If we choose the evaluation period we must enter our email, where they will send us a link to validate our account. Once validated, we can start using the entire application, without restrictions, during the trial period.
Styles
The main screen appears in English , and we find a sidebar with Styles, Edit Styles and Options. In the central part we will find the different themes available for our start interface. Here we will find both the default style of Windows 10, as well as the different styles created by Stardock and designers locally. If we click on the On line tab, they will show us all the styles available on the Internet and that we can download for their use, as long as we buy their license since it will not be available for the trial version. Among the styles it offers us, we will find a good selection of themes, some known as obsolete operating systems such as Windows XP, IBM OS / 2, Amiga Workbench or Mac OS, among others.
Each of the themes has a preview where we can see the final result in the menu bar, the Start menu icon, as well as in the active and inactive tabs. Just by clicking on the chosen theme, the changes will be applied , although a window will appear where the application informs us that some programs may need to be restarted so that they can apply the new style we have selected. The theme will apply to all applications that support both dark and light modes of Windows 10.
We also have three tabs such as Colors, Backgrounds and another tab where you can configure the light and dark modes.
- Colors : from this tab we can configure the background color in the Windows menu bar.
- Backgrounds : we can configure the default wallpaper for the theme we have chosen.
- Light Mode / Dark Mode : we can change and alternate between light and dark tones, as well as put light color applications with dark color lining or dark color applications with light color bar.
Edit Styles
With the style editor that incorporates that incorporates Stardock Curtains, we can create and share our own styles . With our styles we can switch between light and dark mode, including the Start button, the buttons on the menu bar and the menu bar. It also has the possibility of adding some adjustments such as shadow opacity and a large number of small elements of the Windows GUI. We will also have font sizes and different color options.
In the editor we find different tabs where all the available options are distributed, such as windows, buttons or the taskbar . In each of them we will find drop-down menus to be able to select the different specific elements of each element. It has all the necessary options to create a theme to our liking, but possibly we will have to put a little patience to make it to our liking.
Download Stardock Curtains
Stardock Curtains is a commercial application, so we must buy its license if we want to use it permanently. So that we can test it and see first hand if it fits what we are looking for, we will have at our disposal a free trial version for 30 days , which we can download from its website . We downloaded an installation file that has a weight of 31 MB. Installation occurs quickly and without any additional third-party software trying to sneak in on us.
If we want to enjoy the functions of Stardock Curtains, the application has a cost of 10.99 euros . Additionally, it has a Suite that offers extra functionalities such as Windows personalization applications, access to new product launches and updates, exclusive invitations to try new betas, among others. This Suite is priced at 54.99 euros, although it is currently reduced to 32.99 euros .
Alternatives to change the appearance of Windows 10
If you want to customize the graphical interface of Windows 10 Stardock Curtains is a good option, but if you are not interested we propose a couple of alternatives to consider:
WindowBlinds
It is an application that allows us to customize the aesthetics of Windows 10. For this, we can configure and change the menu bar, the taskbar, start buttons, etc. WindowBlinds is a paid application that has a price of 10.99 euros, although we can test it by downloading a free trial version from its website.
Start10
With this tool we can change the appearance of Windows 10 and recover the famous Windows 7 start menu. With it, it incorporates all the functions, such as the Start menu, quick links and maintains some services such as Cortana. Star10 is a free application that we can download directly from its official website.