Here are several ways you can personalize your desktop while also making sure you're not abusing the shit out of your PC's RAM;
Custom Icons: Aside from the myriad of options that are currently present on websites like RW-Designer and Icon Archive, it's actually quite easy to create some of your own! Just nab whatever transparent PNG on you, convert it to the ico extension (I usually go to this site), and just go ham. :3
Custom Cursors: Once again, I cannot recommend RW-Designer enough here; not only are the cursors present there completely free and usually encompass an entire set, but, depending on one's luck, they can be of incredibly high quality! Of course, though, there's a myriad of custom cursors here on this very website, and a good chunk of them will allow you to directly support its creators whenever you could, so I also highly recommend this option.
Backgrounds: The most obvious trick in the book, I know, but hear me out for a second; by combining the above two points, perhaps you could get quite the eye-catching combination by using the right resources! There's a myriad of sites out there dedicated to gathering whatever background that floats your boat, but I also recommend looking some up here on Tumblr dot Hecksite.
Retrobar: An odd recommendation, indeed, but a nifty one nonetheless; aside from it replacing your taskbar with that of Windows XP, it's also much less of a hassle to keep up with your open folder tabs. Just make sure you follow this tutorial to a T, and you'll be good to go! I would also recommend combining it with Openshell if you're also incredibly sick of Windows 11's start menu.
(Optional) LivelyWallpaper: This one is more on the "CPU heavy" side and may not be for everyone (myself included since I did test it out a while ago). However, if you want your PC to have a little more pizzazz and wouldn't mind the occasional performance drops, giving it a quick try won't hurt. Just make sure to get it directly from Microsoft Store and not to apply it while you have a slideshow set of wallpapers running- the latter can and will turn your PC into a buggy mess, just trust me .-.
(Optional) WINAMP/WACUP Skins: Again with this program, Dyst? Yes; and I will never tire of telling everyone how it blows whatever customization options there are for Windows Media Player Legacy outta the water. Sure, you are bound to run in to those that are, to some, look quite subpar, but that's the fun in it; you can tell that each and every one of those skins present are made with love by actual users on the net while scouting for those that pique your interest!
⬆️UPDATE: If the style of these skins aren't up to your liking, do not despair just yet, friendo; in certain groups on deviantArt, a wide selection of more modern skins is just around the corner waiting for ya! If you want some of my favorite skins, though, I cannot recommend the following enough; Love is War, WMP Aero 12, and KrazyPlayer!
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Update as of Oct 24th 2025
It appears that both Open Shell and Retrobar have begun to malfunction following recent Windows updates. Until further instructions have been set up by each program's respective creators, I advise you to refrain from these two pieces of software for time being.
In the meanwhile, here are some more resources one can access in order to further enhance their PC's appearance and functionality:
The official Lively Wallpaper subreddit + Repository Github: While using static MP4s is a viable option, it is evident that this program doesn't really offer much when compared to the likes of Wallpaper Engine, at least at first glance. Thankfully, the LW community is full of creatives who are more than willing to test out the full capabilities of this program, and it is still semi-active by the time I am writing this. You can find dynamic backgrounds, audio visualizers, system usage indicators, and whatever else that may float your fancy; but do be sure to support each creator while you're at it! I'll be sure to link some of my favorites in an upcoming reblog :3
Pexels + Pixabay + Moewalls: Of course, if you don't want to send your computer and graphics card to the depths of tartarus, using looping videos is more than acceptable (that is probably why most of us are using LW to begin with, anyway). Just be sure to download the video in your desktop's exact size dimensions; anything less than will cause the video to get blurry, and anything larger will cause your PC to lag to high heavens.
TranslucentTB: Personally, I wouldn't really recommend it if you are aiming to give your desktop a splash of color and a style that is unique to you, but, if minimalism or anything adjacent to it is what you're aiming for, this program is more than capable of doing the job for ya. While the options for how you would like your taskbar to look is rather limited (glassy, transparent, original, opaque, acrylic), what makes this truly program shine is the numerous ways in which you can apply them.
Now, unto the site I see get mentioned a lot but cannot really recommend, VS Themes: To their credit, it does have more than what one may need - from custom cursors to whole live wallpapers for both LW and Wallpaper Engine; all of which are extremely high-quality -, there are reports floating around detailing how several users had their devices infected with all sorts of trojans after downloading some of the resources present on the site. On top of that, it doesn't really bode well whenever you try to browse it using an ad blocking extension; putting 2 and 2 together, it is more than likely that it is these very invasive advertisements that may be the issue. I also saw some wallpapers there that are in support of l0li, so, uh. Yeah. Steer clear from that site.
ETA: acting as further confirmation, one of the cursors I got from there ended up being buggy as shit. I eventually found the same cursor on deviantArt (of all places), and it's running as smoothly as butter gliding on a warm pan, so there's also that.
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Update as of Jan 24th 2026
Retrobar and OpenShell are back in business, y'all! I've also rehashed some of the recommendations above in order to keep this post up-to-date, but do let me know if there are any inconsistencies or issues present, though!
