The first things you need to do after installing Windows 11

Sun May 3 5:55 pm EDT 2026

Tuning devices

• Change mouse settings.
• Install the latest display adapters.
• Install the latest sound controllers.

Installing a web browser

• Install Chrome.
• Set Chrome as a default browser.

Installing a file archiver

• Install 7-zip.

Installing Python

• Install Python.
• py.exe -m pip install pyautogui
• py.exe -m pip install pillow
• py.exe -m pip install keyboard
• py.exe -m pip install pyftpdlib
• py.exe -m pip install pywin32
• py.exe -m pip install matplotlib

Tuning the File Explorer

• Show file extensions in the File Explorer.
• Show hidden files in the File Explorer.
• Unpin folders from Quick Access in File Explorer.
• Desktop
• Documents
• Pictures
• Music
• Vidoes

Tuning the Taskbar

• Disable the Task View button on the Taskbar.
• Remove the Widgets button from the Taskbar.
• Change the Taskbar alignment.
• Unpin apps from the Taskbar.
• Disable Taskbar grouping.
• Disable snap groups in the Taskbar.
• Disable Snap Assist after snapping a window.
• Disable news feed and weather widgets on the lock screen.
• Turn off search highlights in the Start menu.
• Show seconds on the Taskbar clock.

Managing power settings

• Change the power plan.
• Set the screen timeout value.
• Configure laptop lid close actions.

Display adjustments

• Change the background.
• Change display scaling.

Language & Region management

• Enable location services.
• Enable automatic time zone adjustment.
• Set the language for non-Unicode programs.

Tuning Chrome

• Add extensions to Chrome.
• AdBlock
• Video Blocker
• Video Downloader Professional
• Change Google search settings (language and region).
• Turn off YouTube notifications.
• Set Chrome as a default PDF viewer.

Improving system performance

• Disable the Startup programs