Windows 11 is usable out of the box, but you'll have a much better time after customizing some settings. Spending some time in the menus disabling annoying behaviors, automating tedious aspects of PC management and enabling practical features is well worth the investment. Set your default apps Windows keeps track of default apps for every kind of file.

If you've installed alternative browsers, image viewers, text editors, PDF readers or similar, you should set them as default. Otherwise, you'll have to right-click and choose your preferred app from the Open with menu every time. Press Win + I to open Settings, then browse to Apps > Default apps.

Enable Clipboard History Normally, the Windows clipboard can only hold one piece of information. When you cut or copy something, whatever you last clipped is removed. A clipboard manager is a vital productivity tool and the solution to this problem: it keeps track of multiple entries so you don't have to go in a copy-paste circle.

It's off by default, so head to Settings > System > Clipboard and enable Clipboard history to start using it. Disable Windows ads and other junk On a fresh install, Windows nags you with all sorts of "suggestions," which are mostly ads for other Microsoft products. You'll need to visit several places to disable them all.

First, browse to Settings > Personalization > Start and disable Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more to prevent apps the company wants you to use from appearing in your Start menu.