How to Unlock Secret Settings in Windows 10

TheWindows registryis a straggle , usually impenetrable options filing cabinet incubate just about every aspect of the operating system and applications programme running on a calculator . A destiny of these options are hidden from the user , but if you know what you ’re doing , you may get into your tweaking and tailor-make Windows in a variety of style . Here ’s how to get started .

To edit the registry , case “ regedit ” into the lookup box in the taskbar and set in motion the program list . It ’s significant to note that you carry out these edits at your own risk . While you should n’t run into problems with the tweak listed below , spiel around with the registry has the potential to cause Windows some serious problems .

The Regedit utility is pretty elementary to utilize . Double - select folders to open them or values to vary them , and right - penetrate to make new keys and values when require . It ’s a honorable theme to make a stand-in of the registry before you go essay any of these tweaks , which you could do by selecting File and then Export from the Regedit card .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

1) Enable the dark theme

There ’s a hidden dreary theme in Windows 10 . voyage to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Themes , create a Personalized key , then create a raw DWORD note value inside it called AppsUseLightTheme and leave the value as 0 .

take over the outgrowth for HKEY_CURRENT_USER SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Themes and when you re-start your auto the new root appears . Delete the two AppsUseLightTheme DWORD values to go back to the light theme .

2) Speed up startup times

Windows put a hold on any apps that boot with Windows to get you up and run with the actual OS more speedily , but you may disenable this if you want . If you do n’t have many apps set out with Windows then , it can trim off some seconds during the boot up process .

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer Serialize ( create the Serialize key if it does n’t be ) , make a newfangled DWORD value called StartupDelayInMSec and set it to 0 . cancel the Serialize Florida key if you need to regress back .

3) Increase the taskbar transparency

you may make the taskbar ( and Start computer menu and Action Center ) vaporous through the Personalization surgical incision of options , but if you want more transparentness than this option hand you , there ’s a register tweak to show even more of the desktop setting .

The registry key you want is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer Advanced . Create a UseOLEDTaskbarTransparency DWORD value inside it , and limit it to 1 . Delete the same DWORD value to loosen the changes .

When you reach the login screen in Windows 10 , you ’ll see the default Italian sandwich image create by Microsoft , but you may disable this if you want to . Head to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Policies Microsoft Windows System and produce a newfangled DWORD value .

Call the value DisableLogonBackgroundImage and set its value to 1 . The same self-colored color you ’ve set for the accent elsewhere in Windows will be localise on the login screen too , but How - To Geek hasan fantabulous guideto exchange this vividness or lend a different image .

5) Hide OneDrive from File Explorer

If you do n’t make much use of OneDrive then you could hide its entering in the piloting pane with a register tweak . The registry key you require to open is HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT CLSID { 018D5C66 - 4533 - 4307 - 9B53 - 224DE2ED1FE6 } ( note Regedit does have a Find function ) .

Locate the System . IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree , double - select it , and set the time value to 0 . This shroud the OneDrive icon from the navigation pane but it ’s still there on your system — go to C : UsersOneDrive if you need to find it again .

Thanks toNeowin , AskVGandGuiding Techfor pointing us to these tweaks .

William Duplessie