Configuration - Asteski/WinMac GitHub Wiki

PowerToys

Microsoft PowerToys is a set of utilities designed to enhance productivity and customization on Windows systems. It provides users with additional functionalities to streamline their workflow and personalize their Windows experience. By default, WinMac activates these PowerToys utilities:

  • PowerToys Run - Spotlight-like utility, activated with Ctrl+Space
  • Always On Top - activated with Win+A
  • FancyZones - activated by holding Shift while dragging a window
  • Find My Mouse - find cursor by shaking your mouse
  • Peek - QuickLook-like extension, activated with Alt+Space
  • Image Resizer - right click from File Explorer and instantly resize one or many images
  • Color Picker - activated with Win+C
  • Advanced Paste - activated with Ctrl+Shift+V
  • Workspaces - desktop manager utility for launching a set of applications to custom positions and configurations, activated with Win+Ctrl+`
  • Everything - quick search plugin for PowerToys Run, activated with ?

PowerToys include many other utilities, which are all detailed in MS Documentation.

StartAllBack

StartAllBack is a versatile software that provides users with numerous configuration options to customize their experience. Configuration is accessible in taskbar context menu and start menu under Properties. Here's a breakdown of each configuration option:

  • Taskbar - brings back Windows legacy taskbar, with options to change position, choose taskbar style and Start Orb icon, tweak tasks icons alignment and transparency,
  • Tray Icons - choose between 11, 10 (default) and 7 flyout style, turn system icons on or off and hide/show system tray icons,
  • Explorer - choose between 11, 10 and 7 (default) Explorer styles, turn mica effect on top and bring back classic context menu (default).

You can switch between four File Explorer Styles:

  • WinMac Modern-styled explorer: enable Win 11 Command Bar and disable Mica effect on top in StartAllBack Explorer properties, and enable Windows 11 File Explorer Styler and Classic Explorer navigation bar in Windhawk
  • Default Windows 11 explorer: enable Win 11 Command Bar and disable Mica effect on top in StartAllBack Explorer properties, and disable Windows 11 File Explorer Styler and Classic Explorer navigation bar in Windhawk
  • Default Windows 10 explorer: enable Win 10 Ribbon UI and Mica effect on top in StartAllBack Explorer properties, and disable Windows 11 File Explorer Styler and Classic Explorer navigation bar in Windhawk
  • Classic (Windows 7) explorer: enable Win 7 Command Bar and Mica effect on top in StartAllBack Explorer properties, and disable Windows 11 File Explorer Styler and Classic Explorer navigation bar in Windhawk

Keep in mind that StartAllBack is not a free software and requires license to run permanently. Free version will stop working after 100 days.

WinMac Menu

Start Menu have been replaced with customized Power User Menu called WinX, which can be customized with WinX Menu Editor made by Winaero. This utility only works with Windows 10 taskbar (which is part of WinMac by default).

WinMac menu includes two additional applications:

  • NewModernWinver - modernised version of Winver window, named About Windows within menu
  • Open-Shell - used to assign WinX menu to left mouse click on start orb and Windows key

Menu can be triggered with windows key, ctrl+esc, left, middle and right mouse buttons. Each of the options in WinMac Menu can be run with windows key combination, by pushing the other key after windows key is released, like Win + t for Task manager, Win + n for System settings, or Win + u + r to Restart.

Nexus

Nexus Dock is a customizable dock for Windows that allows users to add shortcuts and widgets for quick access. You can access it by going to Nexus Preferences in tray or Dock context menu. Here are some of the customization options available:

  • Content - minimize windows to the dock, combine dock icons, show/hide running applications
  • Modules - integrate widgets like clock, weather forecast, CPU meter, etc.
  • Position - place the dock on any edge of the screen and adjust its alignment
  • Behaviour - set the dock to auto-hide, stay on top, prevent dock overlapping or behave like a normal window
  • Appearance - adjust dock transparency, dock color and blur effect, icons size, icon shadows, label settings, choose indicators for specific theme and dock position,
  • Effects - add special effects like magnification or bounce on mouse-over
  • Themes - choose from a variety of themes to change the look of your dock,
  • Sounds - assign sounds to different actions like launching item, hiding dock or recycling bin
  • Tasks - adjust appearance of running tasks or permanently hide taskbar
  • Shortcuts - add shortcuts to your favorite applications, files, directories and show their content as list
  • About - change Nexus preference window and dock context menus theme

There are two styling choices you can make:

When Thumbnails for running app is enabled, it can cause some graphical issues (explorer top bar randomly flashes) for apps with mica effect enabled. To fix that, either disable Thumbnails in Nexus preferences in Advanced tab -> Performance Settings -> Advanced -> Disable window thumbnails, or disable mica effect (Taskbar Properties -> Explorer -> disable Mica effect on top.

Nexus has a bug, that doesn't load correct dock separator on the first run, showing a default separator instead. To activate the correct one, simply go to Nexus Preferences -> Themes -> select desired or keep current theme -> click apply and restart Nexus.

Recent Items content can be cleared using:

  • context menu of Recent Items icon in Dock,
  • StartAllBack Properties: Taskbar Properties -> Advanced -> Clear list for either items or programs.

Icons are stored in C:\Users\Public\Documents\Winstep\Icons

For more details on Nexus, please visit Winstep Documentation.

Hot Corners

WinXCorners allows to configure each of the screen corner to trigger specific actions. Advanced settings allow to configure triger delays, showing countdown and disabling hot corners on full screen app.

HotCorners component installs two additonal apps: Simple Sticky Notes and WinLaunch.

Default setup includes two triggers at the bottom corners, with actions:

  • Launchpad (WinLaunch) at bottom left (Custom Command 2)
  • create new note (Simple Sticky Notes alt+n hotkey) at bottom right (Custom Command 3)

WinXCorners already includes many default actions from which you can choose from, like:

  • Show All Windows
  • Show Desktop
  • Start Screen Saver
  • Turn Off Monitors
  • Start Menu
  • Action Center
  • Hide Other Windows

Other custom commands:

  • Custom Command 1 - run file explorer
  • Custom Command 4 - hide unfocused windows as an alternative to Hide Other Windows action if not working

Custom commands supports running executable files, by simply providing executable file path to Custom Command in Advanced settings.

Here's a guide on how to configure custom commands to trigger keyboard shortcuts.

You can easily change Simple Sticky Notes trigger behavior, by changing keyboard shortcut for Custom Command 3. List of available SSN hotkeys.

Stahky

Configuration file is part of Stahky installation directory, which you can access using stack go command. It also includes config subfolder, with config templates and predefined shortcuts.

Usage description

Once custom stack shortcut is created, you can assign different icon in shortcut file properties.

Set iconSize=-1 in stahky.ini for no icons in context menu.

Use Super God Mode to generate shortcuts to all special shell folders, named folders, task links, system settings, deep links, and URL protocols in Windows, which you can use as a context menu entries.

WinX Editor can be used to create control panel shortcuts or other customized shortcuts.

Windhawk

Windhawk includes these mods:

  • Better file sizes in Explorer details
  • Classic Explorer navigation bar
  • CTRL+SHIFT+C quotes remover
  • Customize Windows notifications placement
  • Disable Feedback Hub Hotkey
  • Dot Hide
  • Modernize Folder Picker Dialog
  • Name Explorer windows
  • No Focus Rectangle
  • Open With - Remove Microsoft Store Menu Item
  • Remove File Explorer Suffixes
  • Resource Redirect
  • Themed Regedit ListView
  • Turn off change file extension warning
  • Windows 11 File Explorer Styler
  • Windows 11 Notification Center Styler

In order to show an app icon and name in Audio Flyuot, go to Mod Settings in Advanced tab of Windows 11 Notification Center Styler mod, and:

  • icon - replace "controlStyles[4].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed" with "controlStyles[4].styles[0]": "Margin=109,-20,0,-90"
  • name - replace "controlStyles[5].styles[0]": "Visibility=Collapsed" with "controlStyles[5].styles[0]": "Margin=7,-20,0,-90"

Task Scheduler

Each binary file have been configured as tasks with admin privileges, that run on each user login. WinMac task group includes: