(Credit: Jeffrey Hazelwood/PCMag; Windhawk/Microsoft)
Windhawk is a free and open-source tool that helps you tweak aspects of Windows and your apps in ways that Microsoft and developers would never allow, combining a sophisticated code injection technique with an intuitive interface. The project's developer, Michael Maltsev, says it now has 1.5 million users, and Microsoft employees are increasingly enthusiastic about it, too. March Rogers, partner director of design at Microsoft, recently called it "amazing."
Simply put, Windhawk is the most powerful customization program I've come across in my decades of writing about Windows. But before you install it, here's how this groundbreaking tool actually works, what it can do for your PC, and the safety rules you should follow.
How Windhawk Modifies Windows Under the Hood
Maltsev, who also goes by m417z and publishes under the Ramen Software name, is well-known in the Windows tweaking community for previous projects, including 7+ Taskbar Tweaker. He describes Windhawk as a “customization marketplace for Windows programs," and offers it as a free download for PCs running Windows 10 or 11.
The app lets you download and configure a variety of Windows mods from Maltsev and other developers. How does it work? His original announcement post from 2022 explains that it modifies running programs in memory by injecting code into their processes.
The technique lets you change nearly any aspect of any app or operating system component. Windhawk users have long had the option to move Windows 11’s taskbar to the top of the screen, for example. Mods can also apply themes to the taskbar, Start menu, and other Windows OS components, changing how they look. But Maltsev says "Windhawk is not just about styling Windows," pointing out that the marketplace now has over 500 mods that add new functionality.
The Safety Risks (And Why Most Users Don't Mind)
Yes, Windhawk’s code injection technique is potentially dangerous. Antivirus software sometimes flags it because malware often uses a similar method to tamper with running processes. Still, Maltsev says this is becoming less common: "Mainstream antivirus products don't usually conflict with it." He does note, however, that enterprise security tools typically block code injection, making Windhawk a poor fit for corporate environments.
A poorly written mod or a problem with Windhawk itself could, of course, cause apps or your OS to malfunction, but Maltsev claims that complaints from the project's one-and-a-half million users are rare. "The most common complaints are about mods that stop working, which usually happens when Microsoft makes [OS-]breaking changes." The program displays a warning if a mod crashes and gives you the option to disable it. "Most mods only make temporary changes to the memory of the target process, so there's no permanent impact, and exiting Windhawk undoes all of them," Maltsev explains.
"So far, no malicious mods and no malicious submission attempts have been spotted in the Windhawk marketplace."
Anti-cheat protections in multiplayer PC games might also flag Windhawk for tampering with PC game processes, potentially resulting in cheating-related bans. To counteract this problem, Windhawk avoids injecting its code into programs located in common PC game folders. I haven’t seen any reports of bans from multiplayer games for simply using this tool, but the risk is real. "Windhawk is intrusive, but it doesn't do anything non-standard or try to hide itself, so an anti-cheat that objects to it can detect it and refuse to run," says Maltsev, explaining that he hasn't seen evidence that this is a problem. He continues, "I'm not too concerned about anti-cheat bans, but I wish games handled this more transparently so it wouldn't be an issue in the first place."
As with any software, a Windhawk mod could potentially include malicious code. The source code for each mod is public, but most people can't read C++, let alone identify vulnerabilities. The program wisely warns you to run mods only from developers you trust. "So far, no malicious mods and no malicious submission attempts have been spotted in the Windhawk marketplace," according to Maltsev. He continues, "Every submission, both new mods and updates to existing mods, goes through a thorough AI-based systematic review process." He also says he manually examines each one before it goes live to check for security and stability issues.
7 Essential Mods to Try First
Windhawk lets you install mods in a few clicks, and Maltsev says it's designed to be as simple as installing a browser extension. Here’s just a taste of what’s available in Windhawk’s mod marketplace, in order of popularity:
Windows 11 Taskbar Styler: Customize your taskbar with themes, including everything from a transparent dock-style design to a classic Windows XP-style taskbar.
Windows 11 Start Menu Styler: Transform your Start menu with visual themes that can also change its layout.
Taskbar Clock Customization: Add information to your taskbar’s system clock, including CPU and RAM usage, news headlines, or the weather.
Taskbar Volume Control Per-App: Control an application’s volume by placing your mouse cursor over its taskbar icon and rotating your mouse’s scroll wheel.
Chrome/Edge Scroll Tabs With Mouse Wheel: Use your mouse wheel on a browser’s tab bar to move between tabs.
Windows Animations: Choose custom animations for closing and minimizing application windows.
Taskbar Music Lounge: View and control music playback with a widget on your taskbar.
The list of mods is extensive. Microsoft continues to add more customization tools to Windows, but the company still isn’t scratching the surface of what’s possible with Windhawk.
Running 20+ Mods Without Slowing Down Your PC
As mentioned, Windhawk is a free and open-source application, so it doesn't come with a guarantee of stability. However, despite running Windhawk on and off for several years, I’ve never encountered real problems aside from some minor visual bugs. And when those pop up, I can easily turn off any offending mods. Maltsev says, "My priority is for it to be extremely reliable, with no noticeable stability or performance impact. Windhawk runs on my computer all the time with about 20 mods, and I'd say it lives up to that standard."
Windhawk is remarkably user-friendly for an app that injects DLLs into processes on your system. After installation, it automatically starts at boot and runs in the background. The app uses about 800MB of disk space and under 20MB of RAM in my experience. Simply launch the program window to search for and install mods. After installing a mod, click the Details button and use the options in the Configure tab to customize any available options.
Windhawk warns you about security before installing a mod. As mentioned, mods that show m417z as the author are from Windhawk’s creator and should be just as trustworthy as the main application.
An Open Community Makes Windows Better for Everyone
Windhawk or a similar system could also make it easier to customize Windows with AI. I’ve used AI tools to vibe code custom AutoHotkey scripts for my workflows, and the same would be possible for custom mods.
"Nowadays, it's amazing to see how people with little to no programming experience can create impressive mods," says Maltsev, mentioning a recent mod submission that creates a highly customized taskbar layout with the Start button always positioned in the middle. He continues, "Microsoft is unlikely to ever provide this level of customization (maybe for a good reason), but Windhawk makes it possible."
Maltsev points out that the author noted they were not a software developer, but that they developed the mod for personal use with Claude Code and were sharing it with the community for further development. "Windhawk's goal is to make customization accessible to everyone, and this is a great example of how it can be done."
Why Even Microsoft Execs Are Paying Attention
While Microsoft is focused on OpenClaw AI agents, I’m more excited about the ability to customize the software I use regularly. Windhawk is much closer to what I had in mind for tools to customize and personalize Windows. Meanwhile, Copilot still can't enable dark mode on my Windows 11 PC.
Thankfully, as mentioned, Windhawk is on Microsoft's radar. In a Microsoft podcast from earlier this year, Marcus Ash, who leads design and research for Windows and devices, recalled speaking to a student who was enthusiastic about their Windhawk setup. "We see people just light up," Ash noted when discussing the passion he sees for desktop customization among enthusiasts. But whether and when Microsoft will give users significantly more control over Windows remains an open question, so Windhawk is an excellent alternative in the meantime.
About Our Expert
I've been writing about technology for more than 15 years and using it in earnest for over twice as long. As a member of PCMag's software team, I focus on Windows coverage, but also write about other key desktop operating systems and system apps. (I used Windows 3.1 upon its release and have followed every subsequent release closely).
Prior to joining PCMag, I wrote for How-To Geek starting in 2011, and my articles amassed over a billion page views. I went on to run the publication as editor-in-chief for four and a half years. I have also contributed to Computerworld, Fast Company, PCWorld, Reader's Digest, The New York Times, and many other outlets about everything from AI to PC hardware to Windows. I founded and ran my own direct-to-reader Windows-focused newsletters, Windows Intelligence and The Windows ReadMe, working in partnership with Thurrott.com.
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