Windows 11 upgrade

I recently upgraded to Windows 11 from Windows 10. Everything seems to have gone smoothly (I checked the system settings, and it said the computer had Windows 11 Home installed). The only thing I noticed was that the desktop did not change like it did on my other computers I upgraded. It still looks like it did in Windows 10! Does anyone have any idea why that is? I would appreciate any input. Thanks!!!!

11 isn't that different from Windows 10. Do you have custom Windows background Wallpaper?
Take a screenshot or picture with your smart phone and attach it in your next post.
Tell us what you are missing.

Hi, Wally, welcome.

Your desktop isn’t going to change just because you upgraded to Windows 11.
This would be due to your personalised settings in Windows.
Right click on your desktop, select Personalise.
Compare the settings and wallpaper to your other devices (If you wan’t them to look the same)

Here is a photo of the computer I just upgraded (Computer_1) and the other computer I had upgraded before (Computer2). Notice the task bar at the bottom of each.
Thanks. Wally

So the second photo has the Windows 11 task bar - and will have the Windows 11 start menu instead of the Windows 10 start menu It's just kept your files and desktop background. Can you add a screenshot of the start menu for both (probably not as you no longer have Windows 10!) - but you'll see the start menu is different. Also if you look in "Settings" you'll see the settings is different.

Computer 2 is the default Windows 11 look which has the Start button on the Center of the taskbar, You can change this by
Right clicking the Taskbar and selecting Taskbar Settings.
Click the drop down arrow for Taskbar Behaviors.
Under Taskbar Alignment, you can take the drop down arrow and choose Left, if that is where you want the Start button.

Also under drop down arrow for Other System Tray Icons,
You can select which icons you want to view on the taskbar.

If you don't want to see Widgets like Weather, on your taskbar you can turn Widgets off.

You have the same background picture, but you are missing some of your icons on the desktop, which you can find off the Start button or in the C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) folders, right click any .exe file for any app and choose Send to... Desktop to create a shortcut to the app or program on your desktop.

Yeah, that happens sometimes when the upgrade keeps your old desktop layout and theme from Windows 10 — totally normal.

The taskbat is kept to the left in the upgraded computer, while in the fresh Windows 11 installation it is at the center which is the Windows 11 default. You can change that from Settings, Personalization, Taskbar, Taskbar behavior. Also if you look carefully you will see that all the system icons (This PC, folders etc) are a little different. I find the Windows 11 default icons a little nicer than the Windows 10 default icons. However there are customization tools if you like to make them look like Windows 8 or 7. I used Customizer God and Resource Hacker to extract the system icons from the appropriate Windows 7 and 8 system files, and then import them in the respective Windows 11 files, so I have the good old 3D Windows 7 icons in 11.





To replace the system tray icons you must first ungroup power/network/sound icons. I use Explorer Patcher for that. I also use Open Shell for the custom taskbar color and Windows 7 style start button and start menu.