Visual effects can significantly enhance the user experience by making the interface more visually appealing and easier to navigate. In the Windows environment, these effects can range from simple animations to more complex visual enhancements. This article will guide you on how to apply and manage visual effects in Windows, ensuring your system looks good while maintaining optimal performance.

Examples:

1. Adjusting Visual Effects via System Properties:

   • Open the Start Menu and type "sysdm.cpl" to open System Properties.
   • Navigate to the "Advanced" tab and click on "Settings" under the "Performance" section.
   • In the Performance Options window, you can choose from three preset options:
     • Let Windows choose what's best for my computer
     • Adjust for best appearance
     • Adjust for best performance
   • Alternatively, you can customize the visual effects by selecting "Custom" and checking or unchecking the desired effects.

2. Applying Visual Effects using PowerShell:

   • Open PowerShell as an administrator.
   • Use the following command to enable or disable specific visual effects. For example, to disable window animations:

     Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\Control Panel\Desktop' -Name 'UserPreferencesMask' -Value ([byte[]](0x90,0x12,0x03,0x80,0x10,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00))

   • To apply the changes, restart the Explorer process:

     Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force
     Start-Process explorer

3. Using Group Policy Editor:

   • Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
   • Navigate to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel -> Personalization.
   • Here you can configure policies such as "Turn off all Windows animations" to control visual effects across the system.

4. Applying Visual Effects through the Registry Editor:

   • Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
   • Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.
   • Modify the UserPreferencesMask value to enable or disable specific visual effects.
   • Restart your computer to apply the changes.