Windows 8: Customize homepage

In Windows 8, you can not only customize and personalize your desktop, but also the homepage. We will show you various options on how you can design your Windows 8 individually.

Change the background of the start page in Windows 8

1. Move the mouse to the top or bottom right of the screen so that the Charm Bar opens.
2. Select the "Settings" at the bottom and then "Change PC settings" again at the bottom.
3. Under the menu item "Customize" you can select the "Home page" at the top right.
4. Here you can now change both the color scheme and the pattern of the background of the start page.

Customize applications on the home screen

The tiles are relatively versatile under Windows 8, so you can also arrange and edit them according to your wishes.

• Add: To add a program or an app to the start page, go to it and press the "Windows" and "Q" keys at the same time. Here you can see all apps and programs that are installed on your computer. Right-clicking on a program opens a bar at the bottom in which you will find the "Pin to start" button on the far left. If you click on this, the program appears on the start page.
• Remove: If you right-click on any app on the start page, a bar also opens at the bottom, on which you can either "detach" or "uninstall" the app.
• Resize: The tiles of programs always remain square. On the other hand, you can right-click to either enlarge or reduce apps.
• Move: You can arrange all tiles as you wish. To make the start page clear, you can create individual groups, between which there is always some space on the screen. Simply drag an app between two others and hold it there for a few seconds, so that a slightly larger gap is formed.
• Live tiles: With a right click on a live tile, you can allow or deny the automatic display of data. This works for example with the photo or news app.

Name the group of tiles

If you have arranged a large number of programs and apps on your homepage, you can name the individual groups for a better overview.

1. On the home page, click the small minus sign at the bottom right of the screen.
2. Now you can right-click on a group and click on the "Name group" button at the bottom left of the screen.
3. Now enter a name and click on "Name".

In this practical tip, you can read how to deactivate Fast Boot in Windows 8.