[Tip] Enable Simplified Quick Settings Layout in Windows 11

If you find the default Quick Settings layout complicated and cluttered in Windows 11, this article will help you in enabling a hidden secret layout called “Simplified” for Quick Settings panel in your Windows 11 device.

Quick Settings is a feature in Windows 11 operating system which shows a flyout or panel containing several system options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. Users can access and launch Quick Settings by clicking on the Network, Volume or battery icons present in Taskbar notification area (or system tray). Quick Settings feature was known as Quick Actions in Windows 10 Action Center.

Quick Settings is similar to the notification panel available on Android or iOS smartphones. Windows 11 users can use Quick Settings flyout to turn on/off various connectivity options quickly and easily.

What is Simplified Quick Settings Layout in Windows 11?

Following image shows a comparison of the default layout of Quick Settings and the tweaked simplified Quick Settings layout in our Windows 11 device:

As you can see in the above image, the new simplified layout contains very few essential icons or options compared to the default layout. The default layout provides access to all available options and many users might find most of these options useless or unnecessary. The addition of these extra icons increases the overall size of the Quick Settings flyout and it starts occupying huge space on your computer screen.

On the other hand, the simplified layout contains only following important icons and options:

• Wi-Fi toggle
• Bluetooth toggle
• VPN
• Accessibility
• Brightness slider
• Volume slider
• Battery indicator icon
• Settings icon

Here is another look of the simplified Quick Settings layout for your viewing pleasure:

If you use the Quick Settings panel to enable/disable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections or adjust screen brightness or volume and always wanted to get rid of other extra bloatware from the panel, here is a good news for you.

Windows 11 comes with this secret “Simplified” layout for Quick Settings panel which is not enabled by default. Users who prefer a minimal look of Quick Settings, can activate and enable this secret layout which can bring a tiny Quick Settings panel to their Windows 11 devices.

How to Enable Simplified Quick Settings Layout in Windows 11

We’ll need to take help of Registry Editor tool to implement a secret Registry tweak which will change the default layout to new simplified layout of Quick Settings panel in Windows 11.

If you also want to try the secret simplified layout of Quick Settings panel in your Windows 11 device, following steps will help you:

STEP 1: Press “WIN+R” key combination to launch RUN dialog box then type regedit and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.

STEP 2: Now go to following key:

STEP 3: Under Windows key, create a new key and set its name to Explorer

STEP 4: Now select Explorer key and in right-side pane, right-click and select “New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value” option. Set the new DWORD name as SimplifyQuickSettings and set the DWORD value to 1

STEP 5: You’ll need to restart your computer to take effects or you can restart Explorer using any method given in this article.

After restart, you’ll see the new simplified layout of Quick Settings panel in your Windows 11 computer.

PS: In future, if you decide to restore default Quick Settings layout, delete the above mentioned DWORD from Registry.

Registry Script to Automatically Enable Simplified Quick Settings Layout in Windows 11

If you don’t want to modify registry yourself, we have created a ready-made Registry script file for you to apply the required Registry tweak automatically.

Download following ZIP file, extract it using 7-Zip or other file archive utilities and run the extracted REG file:

The script file will ask for confirmation, accept it. After applying the Registry script, restart your device or restart Explorer and you’ll get the simplified Quick Settings layout activated in your Windows 11 device.

The ZIP file also contains UNDO file to restore default layout of Quick Settings panel in Windows 11.

Also Check:

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How to Restore or Enable Classic Taskbar in Windows 11 (All Versions)

Disable or Remove Extra Icons and Buttons from Windows 11 Taskbar