Alex Ruben
How To Prepare for New Settings Changes in Windows 11 2025
Honestly, messing with these new Windows 11 settings can be kinda weird sometimes. If you’re itching to get some of those experimental features before they roll out officially, using ViveTool is kinda the way to go. But yeah, it’s not super straightforward, especially if you’re not used to command-line stuff. So here’s what’s worked for me, and maybe it’ll help someone avoid a headache.
Prerequisites
Before diving in, make sure:
- You’re running a version of Windows 11 that’s in the Dev or Beta Insider channel. If you’re on stable, these features probably won’t show up, and you’ll get errors.
- Got admin rights on that machine — can’t do much without them.
- Downloaded the ViveTool executable. It’s just a handy command-line tool for toggling features.
Step 1: Download and Extract ViveTool
Head over to the link above, grab the ZIP, and then extract it. Don’t be lazy and just click “Extract All” — pick somewhere easy like This PC > Local Disk (C:) > ViveTool. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary by not putting the executable in a simple folder, huh?
- Download the ZIP file.
- Right-click, choose Extract All.
- Pick a straightforward folder (e.g., HTC ViveTool).
- Click Extract.
Step 2: Open Command Prompt as Admin
This is a must-do. No admin means no dice.
- Hit the Windows search bar, type cmd.
- Right-click Command Prompt, and pick Run as administrator. Don’t skip this or it’ll throw permissions errors.
- If your User Account Control asks for permission, click Yes.
Step 3: Change Directory to ViveTool Folder
Now, you gotta tell that command line where ViveTool lives:
- Type this command, replacing the path with where you extracted ViveTool:
- Hit Enter.
cd C:\Path\To\ViveTool
If you’re not sure, it should look something like cd C:\ViveToolFolder. Be exact with the path, or it won’t work.
Step 4: Enable Those Fancy Features
This part is tricky because you need specific feature IDs. Usually, those IDs come from guides or community sources—don’t just guess or you’ll get nowhere.
Use the command:
vivetool /enable /id:XXXXXX
Replace XXXXXX with the actual feature ID you want. Sometimes, you’ll see a success message like Successfully set feature configuration. If not, double-check the ID or your command syntax. For some features, you might need to enable multiple IDs, so repeat this command with different IDs.
Step 5: Restart Your PC
This is kinda obvious, but worth mentioning—after toggling features, reboot your machine. Some features might appear immediately, others need a full restart. On some setups, the second restart actually gets everything to show up properly, so don’t be surprised if it’s a bit stubborn.
Step 6: Check Out the New Settings
After reboot, open Settings. Look at Privacy & Security to find new search options, or peek into Time & Language to see if those experimental features are really live. Not sure why, but sometimes stuff just doesn’t show up right away—might need to dig around or restart one more time.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Things that trip people up:
- Make sure your Windows version is current in the Dev or Beta channel. You can check with
winver. - If a feature doesn’t show up, double-check you typed the ID correctly and ran Command Prompt as admin.
- Occasionally, a second restart is needed—because of course, Windows has to make it more complicated than it should be.
- If ViveTool refuses to do anything, grab the latest version from the official repo or the linked article. Version mismatches can be a pain in the ass.
Conclusion
If you’re brave enough to mess around with these dev features, this process should at least get the ball rolling. Just remember, these are kinda experimental, so expect weird bugs or things not working perfectly—until Microsoft officially adopts them in a future update.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enable these features without being in the Dev or Beta channel?
Nope. As far as I know, these are strictly for Insider builds. If you try on stable, you’ll probably get errors or nothing at all.
What if ViveTool doesn’t do anything?
Check your version and admin rights. Sometimes, simply running a second time, or rebooting, kicks things into gear. Also, verify the feature IDs are correct and match the latest info from trusted sources.
Are these features guaranteed to stay once enabled?
Not really. They’re experimental, and Microsoft can yank them anytime, or they might get baked into the final release. No promises.
Summary
- Make sure you’re on a compatible Windows 11 dev/beta build
- Download and extract ViveTool properly
- Run Command Prompt as admin and navigate to the folder
- Use correct feature IDs to enable new options
- Restart iteratively if needed
- Explore new settings in the Settings app, maybe reboot again if they’re stubborn
Fingers crossed this helps — at least it worked for me on a handful of machines. Good luck messing with those hidden features!