Create your own Windows themes with Rainmeter 4.0

Rainmeter has earned itself a reputation as one of the finest free PC modding tools around, enabling you to tweak just about every aspect of your operating system. Its offers countless mods, skins, icons and toolbars that can radically change the way Windows looks and works.

The latest version – Rainmeter 4.0 – includes a raft of new tools for creating custom buttons and skins for Windows. It’s brilliant news if you want to get creative yourself, and should lead to an explosion in the number of new user-created themes available to download.

Windows your way

Rainmeter 4.0’s new features include the Shape Meter, which enables you to create vector graphics that can be resized while maintaining quality, plus a streamlined tool for creating drop shadows. It’s also easier to retrieve information about the user’s system, such as the network type, and the New Skin dialog has received a major update.

If you already use Rainmeter, you can install version 4.0 over the top without losing any of your data or settings. Rainmeter 4.0 requires Windows 7 or later, so users of older operating systems will have to stick with version 3.3.

For more details, see the developer's guide to getting started with Rainmeter.

Download here: Rainmeter

Cat Ellis
Homes Editor

Cat is Homes Editor on TechRadar, specializing in kitchen appliances and smart home technology. She's been a journalist for 15 years, and is here to help you choose the right tech for your home, get the best deals, and do more with your new devices. She has previously covered sports technology and software for TechRadar, and was editor on outdoor leisure site Advnture.com.