Most power users go to great lengths to customise their PCs. Now sure their desktops look very cool, but it also takes a lot of effort and knowledge required to get there. However, ever since its release, Rainmeter has changed that.

Rainmeter is a desktop customisation utility that can show information such as volume, network stats, battery level and so on in the form of tiny widgets. Think of widgets from Windows 7, except these are much cooler and have a lot more customisation.

Rainmeter has hundreds of community-made skins to choose from, which can show information on just about anything ranging from how the weather is to what percentage of your CPU is being utilised.

Most, if not all, of these skins, are available for free on various sites across the internet. In this article, we’re going to take a look at how to install these skins and get up and running with Rainmeter.

Unfortunately, though, Rainmeter is only available for Windows. Mac users will have to make do with GeekTool, a popular Rainmeter alternative for Mac. You can show some basic info with widgets but you’ll need to know how to code. 

Also read: How to check which Motherboard you have in Windows 10?

How to install Rainmeter?

Before we get started with installing skins, we need to have Rainmeter up and running. If you haven’t already, here’s how you can install Rainmeter on your PC.

Step 1: Head over to the official Rainmeter website and download the latest release.

Step 2: Run the downloaded setup file and follow the on-screen instructions. We recommend that you don’t change any settings or the Rainmeter installation location unless you know what you’re doing as it makes installing skins easier.

Step 3: Leave the Destination Folder unchanged and make sure to select Launch Rainmeter on Startup. Click Install to finalise the settings and finish the installation.

If you’re installing Rainmeter for the first time, you’ll see the default Rainmeter skin show up on your desktop (or your primary monitor if you’ve got a multiple monitor setup).

Since I already had Rainmeter installed, it just updated to the latest version for me.

Also read: Top 5 Windows Software/Apps for power users to boost productivity and experience

How to install Rainmeter skins?

Now that we have Rainmeter up and running. Let’s find a skin that goes alongwith our setup. There are numerous sources where you can find skins and most of them are just a Google search away.

However, we recommend getting skins from DeviantArt as it’s by far the largest and most active site when it comes to Rainmeter skins. Most skins are free. So go ahead and pick a theme you like. 

Step 1: Once you’ve picked a theme of your choice, click on the download button to download the .rmskin file we need. The theme might also give a wallpaper alongwith it, download that as well. 

Step 2: Double-click the downloaded .rmskin file to open it in Rainmeter. A skin installation window will open. Just click Install to install the skin,

And it’s that easy to completely revamp the look of your desktop using Rainmeter. If you want, you can even combine different elements from separate skins and turn them into your own skin.

Also read: How to host a Zoom meeting, schedule it and invite people?

How to install Rainmeter themes manually?

Some skins are available as a zip archive rather than a rmskin file. In such cases, we’re going to have to install the skins manually. To do so follow the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Head over to C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins.

Step 2: Move the downloaded skin files in this directory. You’ll see all your installed skins here as well. 

Step 3: Fire up Rainmeter and click on the Refresh All button. Now you’ll be able to use your skin just like you would with a rmskin file. 

Also read: 6 must-have Apps for PC gamers