Windows 11 Version 23H2 Personalization First Steps

After you upgrade to or install Windows 11, or have signed into a new Windows 11 PC for the first time, you should make sure that everything is working properly and prepare your PC for the work ahead. This chapter can help: Here, we provide a list of several post-install tasks to perform as soon as you finish the Windows Setup Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) and arrive at the Windows 11 Desktop for the first time.
The tasks in this chapter are grouped logically and can generally be completed in any order.
Configure the Desktop
When you first view your new Windows 11 Desktop, it's likely that you will see several things that were configured for you by Microsoft or your PC maker that you wish to change immediately. The tasks in this section can help you decide which changes to consider across the Desktop itself, plus the Taskbar, Start, File Explorer, OneDrive, and more.

Configure the sound
Microsoft inexplicably configures Windows 11 to output sound at a very high volume by default. To lower it, open Quick settings by clicking the Volume icon in the system tray and use the volume slider. (Some PCs have volume keys on the keyboard as well.)

You can also open Quick settings by typing WINKEY + A.
You can learn more about Quick settings and its volume slider and sound output capabilities in the Quick Settings chapter.
Windows 11 is also configured with a sound scheme, set of sounds that play in response to certain events like notifications, device connections, and the like. But if you find these sounds irritating, as we do--the most common sound we seem to hear is related to typing errors and other mistakes--you can disable the default sound scheme.

To do so, open Start, type sounds, and select "Change system sounds" from the results to launch the Sound control panel.

Then, change the sound scheme to "No Sounds" and click "OK."
Configure the date and time settings
In decades past, new Windows installations would often default to Pacific Time (where Microsoft's headquarters are) or to whatever time zone your PC maker may have configured. But Windows 11 tries to automatically detect your location and then set the time and date accordingly. This usually works, but it's smart to make sure.

First, check the time/date display in the far right of the Taskbar.

Even if both are correct, right-click the date/time display and select "Adjust date and time" in the context menu that appears to open the Settings app to its Time & date settings page.

Here, you should examine two options, "Set time zone automatically" and "Set time automatically" to make sure both are set to "On." If not, make that change.
Turn off Do not disturb
New to Windows 11, Microsoft enables a feature called Do not disturb the first time you boot into your new Desktop. It's not clear why it made this change, but you will not receive most notifications until you disable it.

To do so, select the date/time display in the far right of the Taskb...