Optional tweaks

Personalize your Windows interface with these optional tweaks: File Explorer, context menus, lock screen, and more.

Most configuration files listed here are in the 4. Interface Tweaks folder within the Atlas folder on your Desktop. Delivery Optimization is in 3. General Configuration. If you can’t find the Atlas folder, see our guide to restore the Atlas folder.

Restart required

Most tweaks require a restart to take effect. These are cosmetic and functional preferences; they don’t affect stability.

Delivery optimization

When to use: Enable if you want faster Windows Updates by sharing data with other Windows devices on your local network.

Delivery Optimization speeds up Windows Updates by sharing update data with other Windows machines on your local network. AtlasOS disables it by default to reduce background network usage.

To enable Delivery Optimization, run the Enable Delivery Optimization.cmd script in 3. General Configuration Delivery Optimization and restart.

Info

Delivery Optimization only shares data with devices on your local network, not the internet. It can significantly speed up updates if you have multiple Windows devices.

File Explorer customization

Personalize how File Explorer looks and behaves with these options.

Compact view

When to use: Disable if you prefer the default Windows 11 spacing with more padding.

Windows 11 introduced larger padding in File Explorer. AtlasOS uses compact view by default to show more content in the same space.

To revert to default spacing:

  • Option 1: In File Explorer, go to View Compact View to toggle it
  • Option 2: Run the Disable Compact View.cmd script in File Explorer Customization Compact View

When to use: Enable if you want Windows 11’s gallery feature for viewing images in File Explorer.

The Gallery feature provides an image viewing experience in File Explorer. AtlasOS disables it by default.

To enable Gallery, run the Enable Gallery.cmd script in File Explorer Customization Gallery and restart.

Quick Access

When to use: Remove if you don’t use pinned folders and prefer a cleaner File Explorer sidebar.

Quick Access shows your pinned folders at the top of File Explorer. It’s enabled by default.

To remove Quick Access, run the Remove Quick Access.cmd script in File Explorer Customization Quick Access and restart.

Removable drives in sidebar

When to use: Enable if you want to see USB drives and other removable devices in the File Explorer sidebar.

By default, removable drives may not appear in the File Explorer sidebar. Enable this to make them visible.

To enable, run the Enable Removable Drives in Sidebar.cmd script in File Explorer Customization Removable Drives in Sidebar and restart.

Lock screen

When to use: Disable if you don’t want a lock screen when waking your system.

AtlasOS enables the lock screen by default. Disable it to go directly to the sign-in screen.

To disable the lock screen, run the Hide Lock Screen.cmd script in Lock Screen and restart.

Info

Disabling the lock screen skips the background image and time display, going directly to sign-in.

Run with priority in context menu

When to use: Enable if you want to control application priority from the right-click menu.

This tweak adds an option to set application priority (high, normal, low, etc.) directly from the context menu when right-clicking executable files.

To enable, run the Add Run With Priority In Context Menu.cmd script in Context Menus Run With Priority and restart.

Tip

Useful for running specific applications with higher or lower priority to manage system resource allocation.

Send to context menu

When to use: Use if you want to clean up the “Send to” menu by removing unnecessary items.

Reduce clutter in the “Send to” context menu by removing default items you don’t use.

To clean up the menu, run the Debloat Send To Context Menu.cmd script in Context Menus Send To.

Shortcut icon

When to use: Change if you prefer classic shortcut arrows or want a different visual style.

Customize how shortcut icons appear. Options include Windows default, classic style, or no indicator at all.

Options:

  • Windows Default - Current default style
  • Classic - Traditional shortcut arrow indicator
  • None - No visual indicator (not recommended)

To change to classic style, run the Classic.cmd script in Shortcut Icon.

Security Risk

Disabling shortcut icons entirely (“None” option) is a security risk because you won’t be able to visually distinguish shortcuts from regular files. This could make you vulnerable to malicious files disguised as shortcuts.

Shortcut text

When to use: Enable if you want to see text labels on Start menu shortcut icons.

AtlasOS disables shortcut text labels by default. Enable this to show text under Start menu shortcut icons.

To enable shortcut text, run the Restore Shortcut Text.cmd script in Shortcut Text and restart.

Windows 11 context menu

When to use: Enable if you prefer Windows 11’s modern context menu over the classic right-click menu.

AtlasOS uses the classic context menu by default for faster access to options. Switch to Windows 11’s modern context menu if you prefer its appearance.

Default: Classic context menu

To use Windows 11 context menu:

  1. Run the New Context Menu.cmd script in Context Menus Windows 11
  2. Restart your system

Tip

The modern context menu has a cleaner look but requires an extra click (“Show more options”) to access some features. The classic menu shows everything immediately.

Explorer Patcher

When to use: Install if you want to restore UI elements from previous Windows versions (like Windows 10 Start menu on Windows 11).

Explorer Patcher is a tool that patches File Explorer and other Windows components to restore UI elements from previous Windows versions. This allows you to use Windows 10’s Start menu on Windows 11, for example.

The Atlas folder includes a shortcut to Explorer Patcher for easy access. Learn more about Explorer Patcher and its features.

Info

Explorer Patcher is a third-party tool that requires installation. It’s included as a convenient shortcut for users who want to customize their Windows interface further.

Additional tweaks

The Atlas folder contains more interface tweaks not documented here, including Old Flyouts (Battery, Volume, Date/Time), Snap Layouts, Verbose Status Messages, Edge Swipe, Unlock Recent Items, and App Icons on Thumbnails. Explore the 4. Interface Tweaks folder to discover and try them.