How to customize UI windows in WoW: Shadowlands

World of Warcraft (more commonly abbreviated as WoW) has seen many acclaimed expansions, with Shadowlands being one of them. The eighth expansion pack also introduced many tweaks and changes to gameplay, often for the better, to make WoW as user-friendly as possible. One such addition is the introduction of customizable UI and HUD elements.

This way, players have complete control over their gameplay experience. Here is how to do it.

---

WoW Shadowlands' inclusion of changeable UI adheres to the MMORPG's mantra of player freedom

Follow the steps below to change the HUD as you see fit:

• Press Esc on your keyboard to bring up the menu.
• Now press Edit Mode to bring up the UI editor.
• This brings up two key things: a pop-up options screen for toggle onscreen elements and the remaining tweakable UI elements that can be selected and changed as needed. The former lists all items that users can pin to the screen.
• To alter UI, select the element that needs to be customized.
• This grants options to scale and resize it.

Let us use the Action Bar as an example. This is one of the most used elements of WoW as it lists player skills in an easily accessible manner. Follow these steps:

• Select the Action Bar after going into Edit Mode.
• This highlights it in yellow and brings up a second pop-up with options pertaining to said HUD element (i.e., the Action Bar).
• In the case of the Action Bar, this brings up a number of elements to change.
• Alter any required options and close the second window. Players may also Revert changes or Reset them to default.

They are as follows:

• Orientation: Choose between a horizontal or vertical Action Bar
• # of Rows: Change the Action Bar from a single line to a box (up to 4×3)
• # of Icons: Tweak the number of listed icons (between 6-12)
• Icon Size: This increases the size of the icons within the Action Bar, increasing the size of the UI as well
• Icon Padding: Action Bar kerning
• Hide Bar Art: Allows removing graphic art on the Action Bar
• Hide Bar Scrolling: Removes arrows that allow Action Bar shifting

---

Can layouts be saved between characters?

Yes, they can. Not only that, but WoW also allows importing these UI layouts between friends and guilds as well. Here's how to do it:

• Press Esc and open the Edit Mode
• Select the dropdown which unveils New Layout Import and Share options
• New Layout: Allows players to create different loadouts of layouts
• Import: Allows bringing over layouts from other users. This brings up data to be pasted in a notepad format which is how it is imported
• Share: Allows sharing your custom layout with others

Users can also toggle between the new or classic UI using the editor.

---

World of Warcraft is developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment and is exclusively available on PC. The latest update is Wrath of the Lich King Classic. On the other hand, players are waiting with bated breath for the Dragonflight release, coming November 28, 2022.