Customatic: better Windows 10 customization

Martin Brinkmann
Aug 2, 2016
Updated • Mar 28, 2018
Software, Windows 10
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Customatic is a new program for Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system that promises better customization by introducing new options and features.

Customatic adds several new or improved features to Windows including desktop live tiles, theme support, app lauchers, or universal Windows platform theme support.

Update: The Customatic team announced that it decided to cancel the project and refund all users who backed the Kickstarter campaign. The reason given was that "supporting all the Windows 10 versions [was] harder than [the team] thought" and that updates could not be delivered fast enough.

A Kickstarter campaign is currently underway to get funding for the program. While the program appears almost complete, funding ensures that the program will remain compatible with future Windows 10 updates and receive new features on top of that. You can grab a copy on Kickstarter for $10 Canadian Dollars.

Customatic

One of the big features that Customatic adds to Windows 10 is full theme support. The program ships with seven ddefault themes including a Glass theme.

There is also a Theme Editor but it won't be provided with the basic version of the program for $10 CAD.

One of the most interesting features of the application is support for live tiles on the desktop. Instead of having to open the start menu to look at live tiles, they may be placed directly on the desktop instead.

This resembles gadgets that were part of Windows 7 and Windows Vista somewhat. The main advantage of displaying tiles on the desktop is that they are visible all the time and not only when you open the start menu.

The app ships with options to change the scale and opacity of tiles on the desktop.

Customatic ships with three launchers that you may make use of. This includes a Windows 7 start menu like launcher, and the two minimal text and icons launchers.

Developers may create custom launchers or themes using XML, provided that they have access to the Theme Editor.

Another interesting feature is support for Universal Windows Platform themes.

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Several other tweaks and options are included in the initial version of Customatic. You may use the program to center the taskbar for instance, support for Windows 7 style context menus, jump lists and live previews.

Also, users may resize and move the Action Center and other windows such as the Network window.

Here is the promo video created for the Kickstarter campaign:

Closing Words

Customatic is an interesting program that adds several new customization options to Windows 10. While not free, a price of about $7.6 puts it in the same price range as  StarDock's Start 10 program which is highly popular.

The program will launch in September according to the Kickstarter campaign.

Summary
Customatic: better Windows 10 customization
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Customatic: better Windows 10 customization
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Customatic is a new program for Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system that promises better customization by introducing new options and features.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. JerrySmith said on August 26, 2016 at 2:50 pm
    Reply

    Looks like an interesting utility. Too bad it isn’t actually free.

  2. ARMA said on August 18, 2016 at 10:35 pm
    Reply

    MS should hire these guys or buy the app from them!

    Looks astonishing!

  3. Zoey Barkow said on August 3, 2016 at 5:52 pm
    Reply

    OS themes’ went out with Mac OS 8 Aaron 1.5.1, give it up or you risk an unstable system in a production environment. but hey, you do what you want. If you like an unstable system, then you can keep your unstable system. just don’t expect to get and real work done. that’s so 20 years ago. the mac has been there and done that.

  4. ARMA said on August 3, 2016 at 12:10 pm
    Reply

    Look very good!

  5. TomW said on August 3, 2016 at 8:59 am
    Reply

    Love the dark themeing of the file explorer there, I think that part would make it worthwhile for me.

  6. seseorang said on August 2, 2016 at 2:19 pm
    Reply

    It looks nice!, but nah!

    I remember customizing Windows 7 theme a while ago, it was fun at the beginning and then after a while got bored and back to the default theme, even if that mean a clean install.

    For Windows 10, Classic Shell is more than enough for me.

    ,

  7. CHEF-KOCH said on August 2, 2016 at 1:00 pm
    Reply

    The problem isn’t that this is just another all-in-one tool like Stardock’s, it’s more problematically because theming itself, which allows possible infection. That#s the reason not like theming in general. I understand this point but on the other side I also wish some control over several things and this isn’t as easy as in the earlier days.

  8. Adrian Miller said on August 2, 2016 at 10:10 am
    Reply

    Oh, another launcher and themeing engine, honestly grown men need to give up “prettying up” windows….sheesh

    Spoken by an old geek who doesnt playing pokemon fricking go either

    1. Dan T said on April 4, 2017 at 3:22 am
      Reply

      Right – Never occurred to you some people may want to adjust things because they work really long hours at their PC and want to ensure they’re minimising eye strain.

      Also, what do you mean “another launcher and theming engine” – There is a total lack of theme creators for Windows 10.

      If you’re an ‘old geek’, then act your age, use your brain, and quit the whiny posts – It’s beneath any grown man.

    2. Anonymous said on September 11, 2016 at 7:21 am
      Reply

      Maybe I like as much black and grey on my explorer windows as i possibly can.

    3. Velocity.Wave said on August 4, 2016 at 2:41 am
      Reply

      Indeed Adrian Miller: You are a far superior and better man than I’ll ever be, because I ascribe to the infantilism that it’s a good thing people are getting outside/outdoors and enjoying life and the new Pokemon-Go game, as well as feeling it’s fun to try to jazz up the look of Windows (a tool that people use all day long).

      Hopefully one day I can rise above such childish feelings, and become greater and more cynical like you: a man who just might be the hero of our generation and save us all by his great example of extreme negativity.

    4. JohnMWhite said on August 3, 2016 at 5:53 pm
      Reply

      Well done, you are better than other people because you don’t like some stuff. Your medal is in the post.

    5. Sojiro84 said on August 2, 2016 at 10:44 am
      Reply

      Some people have different tastes for how they like their Windows to look like. I hate the flat and almost borderless theme Windows 10 ships with. I am also disappointed that Microsoft keep removing options for the user to customize their OS.

      I don’t mind if they have a certain theme enabled by default but also give a option to people to use other themes. Alas, Microsoft knows best and thus we have to resort to us/ the userbase, to fix their OS.

      I am defo backing this tool. I mean, it actually has a working and great looking Windows 7 theme. It even skins the thumbnail pop-ups! This is something Stardock has failed at this far with their WindowBlinds. And Stardock has years of experience with skinning.

      Odd that this team can do something Stardock somehow manage to fail at the past year.

      This is my new skinning tool!

      1. Martin Brinkmann said on August 2, 2016 at 11:22 am
        Reply

        I agree, it is about giving people choice. Since this is a third-party application, anyone who likes to customize Windows may use it to do that. Those not interested may simply ignore it.

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