Windows Tutorial: Consistent Windows 10 Start Tiles using TileIconifier | (XML and GUI)

TheNawab

TheNawab

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I open many programs using Windows Start Tiles, and the inconsistencies and irregularities in the color scheme, icon size, and font alignments have been bugging me for many months.

Finally, I asked the folks over on the Windows 10 subreddit for solutions and found this nifty tool that generates custom XML files for each Start Tile and is great for applying a similar theme to a batch of tiles at once.

The XML format is easy to understand, but the tool also has a GUI to help layman users.
I haven't settled on a theme and color scheme yet but I will be tinkering with custom icons and background colors a lot in the coming days to make it look like I want.
Anyway, here is the temporary application I did over my current icons to test it out!

Before.png

This is the default look of the various programs I had pinned to the Start Tiles. Notice how inconsistent the icon sizes are, on top of that some tiles have different background colors despite having set a single custom accent in the Windows Personalization. The text on the medium icons is centered differently on each icon and notifications are not shown correctly on some of the icons as well.

The tool I decided upon from the subreddit recommendations was TileIconifier.
It creates and stores an XML file for each program shortcut tile in the following format: (Example is Visual Studio 2022)
XML: 
<Application xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<VisualElements
  BackgroundColor="#2D2D30"
  ShowNameOnSquare150x150Logo="on"
  ForegroundText="light"
  Square150x150Logo="Assets\\VisualStudio.150x150.png"
  Square70x70Logo="Assets\\VisualStudio.70x70.png" />
</Application>

We can use its GUI release to first set it up and a single theme can be moreover applied in batch to all of the programs you choose to.

01.png

Modifying the size, color variables & icons (you can import your own as well).



Custom Shortcuts Manage.png


Custom Shortcuts.png

You can also create and store custom shortcuts using the tool which gets stored in the TileIconify directory in Start which can be especially useful for Windows Store apps that are not traditionally a .exe

Batch Operations.png

Batch operations after setting up the initial XML profile for the shortcut tiles.


Final Result​

Final.png
 
Since you are into these kinds of things. Do you know anyway to stop the white flash screen that chrome throws at you when you start it up. The flash becomes annoying if you have dark mode enable on windows.
 
Heisen said:
Since you are into these kinds of things. Do you know anyway to stop the white flash screen that chrome throws at you when you start it up. The flash becomes annoying if you have dark mode enable on windows.
Click to expand...
I experimented a little and running Chrome off a shortcut with the 'Run: Minimized' option set subsided the issue.
a.png
 
Last edited:
Nice, it worked, but after selecting the profile, the chrome resumes back to minimized state. One click is required to open the chrome again. Good enough for me, as long as that ugly white screen does not pop up in my face.

Windows and it's shenanigans :banghead:
 
Heisen said:
Nice, it worked, but after selecting the profile, the chrome resumes back to minimized state. One click is required to open the chrome again. Good enough for me, as long as that ugly white screen does not pop up in my face.

Windows and it's shenanigans :banghead:
Click to expand...
Vivaldi is a good chromium browser that can be fully customized down to its system fonts and icons.
You can migrate from Chrome pretty quickly if Chrome bothers you.

I have been a Firefox user for years but my family members use Vivaldi and they say it's better than chrome.
 
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