3 Registry Hacks to Customize Windows 10 and Make it Better

The registry is a very important part of Windows as it contains all the information related to the system display, applications, and drivers. You can use it to customize the design of Windows or activate some hidden features that many users will love. If you are a Windows 10 user, you now have the opportunity to customize and modify some things to enhance your usage of this system. However, before we start mentioning any tricks, the registry is not intended to be manually edited and should only be done if you have the necessary experience. You should back up the registry and create a system restore point to revert to in case you make mistakes in following the steps we will mention.

1- Remove the Notification Side bar

Many users do not need the notification side bar in Windows 10. This side bar allows you to access notifications from the system or applications, as well as access some buttons in Windows such as enabling airplane mode or reading mode. You can easily remove this side bar if you don’t need it by copying this line:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell

In the search box at the top to direct you right to the file you want or you can follow this path manually. When you reach this file, you will find on the right side a file named UseActionCenterExperience. Double click on it with the mouse to find a new window that appears in front of you. Change the value written in it to 0, then click OK, and then restart the computer to execute the modifications and notice the disappearance of the notification side bar in Windows.

2- Remove OneDrive Icon from File Explorer

OneDrive is a cloud storage service that is present by default in Windows 10. Many users do not rely on it, so you can delete the OneDrive icon from File Explorer if you don’t need it by typing this line:

{Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6

Then go to the window on the right side and select System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree, then right click on it twice to open another window to edit the value and make it 0, then restart the computer again and you will notice the disappearance of the OneDrive icon from File Explorer.

3- Remove Pagefile.sys File When Shutting Down the Computer

The system creates a file called Pagefile.sys, the size of this file is close to the size of the RAM in your device. This file stores a lot of data for programs to speed up their operation when restarted. This is a great and important feature to reduce the pressure and consumption that RAM can be exposed to if you are working on a lot of programs. However, this feature may be annoying if you have a large amount of RAM and need that space reserved from your partition. So, you can make the system automatically delete this file when shutting down the computer by typing this line:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

or manually search for it and then go to the window on the right side, select ClearPageFileAtShutDown, then right click on it twice to open a window, edit the value written and enter the number 1, then select OK, then restart the computer. Don’t worry, the system will create this file when needed, but it will be deleted every time the computer is shut down.