What do you have on your desktop?

Rainmeter enables the display of customizable skins on your desktop, ranging from hardware usage meters to fully functional audio visualizers. Your creative possibilities are virtually limitless.

Rainmeter is freely distributed open-source software, governed by the GNU GPL v2 license.

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Rainmeter is a desktop customization tool for Windows that allows users to create and display customizable skins on their desktops, such as system monitoring widgets, weather information, RSS feeds, and much more. It’s highly customizable and allows users to personalize their desktops with various themes and visual enhancements. Rainmeter skins can be created or downloaded from various sources, offering a wide range of functionality and aesthetic options to suit different preferences and needs.

Installation and Setup

Installing and setting up RainMeter is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to get started with RainMeter on your Windows system.

Download the Installer

  1. On the homepage, click on the “Download” button. You will be directed to the download page where you can choose the latest stable release of RainMeter.
  2. Select the appropriate version (usually the latest stable release) and download the installer file.

Run the Installer

  1. Once the download is complete, locate the installer file (usually in your Downloads folder) and double-click it to run the installation process.
  2. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click “Yes” to allow the installer to make changes to your device.

Choose Installation Type

  1. The installer will present you with two installation options: “Standard Installation” and “Portable Installation”.
  2. Standard Installation: Recommended for most users. This option installs RainMeter normally on your system.
  3. Portable Installation: Installs RainMeter in a self-contained folder, which can be moved around or placed on a USB drive. Choose this if you need a portable version.
  4. Select “Standard Installation” and click “Next”.

Select Installation Options

  1. Choose the installation path (or leave it as default).
  2. You can choose to have RainMeter start with Windows, which is convenient if you want your skins to load automatically on startup.
  3. Click “Install” to begin the installation.

Complete Installation

  1. The installation process will take a few moments. Once it’s done, click “Finish” to exit the installer.
  2. RainMeter will automatically launch, and you will see the default skin on your desktop.
    Initial Setup and

First Launch

  1. Upon first launching RainMeter, a default skin called “Illustro” will be displayed on your desktop.
  2. This skin provides basic information like CPU usage, RAM usage, and disk space.

RainMeter Manager

  1. Open the RainMeter manager by right-clicking on any skin and selecting “Manage skin”. This will open the RainMeter manager, where you can control all aspects of your skins.
  2. The manager interface consists of several tabs: “Skins”, “Layouts”, “Settings”, and “About”.

Loading and Unloading Skins

  1. In the “Skins” tab, you can see a list of installed skins. To load a skin, expand its folder and click the “Load” button.
  2. To unload a skin, click the “Unload” button.

Setting Up RainMeter to Start with Windows

  1. If you didn’t choose the option to start RainMeter with Windows during installation, you can enable it later in the RainMeter manager.
  2. Go to the “Settings” tab and check the option “Run RainMeter on startup”.

Saving and Loading Layouts

  1. In the “Layouts” tab of the RainMeter manager, you can save your current skin arrangement as a layout.
  2. To save a layout, enter a name in the “Save as” field and click “Save”.
  3. To load a saved layout, select it from the list and click “Load”.
  4. By following these steps, you’ll have RainMeter installed and configured on your system, ready to customize with your favorite skins and widgets.
  • Download
  • 4.5.20 Release
  • August 27, 2024
  • Release notes
Download Mirror

Rainmeter-4.5.20 Release

August 27, 2024

Need Help with Localization

June 26, 2021

Rainmeter

Need help?

Read through the Getting Started guide to get up and running with Rainmeter. Also, check out the Documentation for more information.

For help, visit the forum, join the unofficial Rainmeter Discord, or participate in the #rainmeter IRC channel on Libera.Chat.

 
Rainmeter

Discover

Rainmeter includes basic starter skins, but the community mainly focuses on installing custom skins onto your system.

Explore the discover page for top sources where you can find and customize new skins.

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