Windhawk: free, open-source mod marketplace for Windows 11

This article was first published on 2023/08/29 by the LIZHI.SHOP WeChat official account (shumalizhi), and has since been synced and appropriately adjusted.

Nowadays, the Windows computers people buy basically come with Windows 11 preinstalled, but it seems many users don't like it or aren't used to it.

Windhawk, a system enhancement plugin marketplace designed for Windows, gives you the chance to change that.

It brings together many open source plugins (mods) that optimize the system experience and software features, and you can enable them directly without any complicated configuration.

For anyone who wants to enhance Windows 11's system features and improve their daily experience, Windhawk is a tool worth knowing about.

It also thoughtfully provides code templates and an editor, helping users who know C / C++ quickly create custom plugins.

Below are a few of the plugins I think are pretty good. You can find the download link on the official website at the end of this article.

Close apps with the middle mouse button

Corresponding plugin: Middle click to close on the taskbar

After installing the plugin, move your pointer over a taskbar icon and click with the middle mouse button (press down on the scroll wheel) to close the app that the icon belongs to.

Switch tabs with the mouse wheel

Corresponding plugin: Chrome / Edge scroll tabs with mousewheel

After installing the plugin, hover your pointer over the tab bar of a browser such as Edge / Chrome and roll the mouse wheel to quickly switch between tabs (it's very handy when you're looking things up and end up with a pile of open sites).

In the plugin's settings there's also a reverse scrolling option (click in order: Details > Settings).

Adjust the taskbar volume

Corresponding plugin: Taskbar Volume Control

After installing the plugin, hover your pointer over the system volume icon and roll the mouse wheel to adjust the system volume directly.

Adjust the taskbar appearance

After installing the Large Taskbar Icons plugin, you can customize the taskbar height and icon size in the plugin's settings.

After installing the Taskbar Labels for Windows 11 plugin, text labels are added next to taskbar icons.

Windhawk also includes several feature enhancement plugins built for software such as Visual Studio and VS Code, so if you have such needs, give them a try.

All plugins provide detailed source code that you can read through on your own. For users who care about plugin security and transparency of origin, this is a fairly important trait.

If you know C / C++, why not try modifying or creating custom plugins — the built-in code editor is actually quite comprehensive (code highlighting, autocomplete, breakpoint debugging, and more).

That's all for today.

If you're interested in Windhawk, this open source system enhancement plugin marketplace, head to the official website to learn more and try it out.

To learn more about Windows software with clear origins and reliable licensing, you can also browse the LIZHI.SHOP software store.

Official website: https://windhawk.net/

What else about Windows 11 do you find annoying? Feel free to sound off in the comments.