How can I make Windows 10 look more like Windows 7?

Elizabeth’s new laptop has Windows 10 but she prefers Windows 7. What are her options?

Windows 10 is an improvement in most ways but those who wish it looked or behaved more like Windows 7 have a few options. Photograph: Simply Signs/Alamy

Windows 10 is an improvement in most ways but those who wish it looked or behaved more like Windows 7 have a few options. Photograph: Simply Signs/Alamy

Last modified on Thu 6 Jun 2019 08.01 BST

I now have a Lenovo laptop which has Windows 10 installed, but to be honest with you, I preferred Windows 7, which was on my last two computers. What would you suggest? Elizabeth

As most Windows 7 users know – and if they don’t yet, Microsoft will nag them about it soon – Windows 7’s support stops in January 2020. After that, there will be no more security updates, except for companies that pay an annual fee that doubles every year. This is a powerful incentive to migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

My best suggestion is just to get used to Windows 10. Some people cling to obsolete versions of Windows but eventually most of them recognise they would have been better off if they had moved earlier. New versions of Windows always provide more stability and better security, even if they get other things wrong. (Full screen apps in Windows 8 is a classic example but Microsoft fixed that in Windows 10.)

I shared your love of Windows 7: I recommended people to move to it as soon as possible and stick with it for as long as possible. I kept it on my desktop PC, which doesn’t have a touchscreen, instead of moving to Windows 8. I changed my mind after using Windows 10 for some time, because it did more and worked better. That persuaded me to stick with the free upgrade.

Try using Windows 10 for six months before having a play with an earlier version. Hindsight often makes the old stuff look clunky and out of date.

What have you lost?

Microsoft Paint remains after an outpouring of affection from fans. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Do you miss any features from Windows 7? Microsoft dumped several things in the transition via Windows 8. The main ones were the Windows Media Centre, the bundled games, the desktop gadgets and the built-in DVD compatibility. The separate Windows Live Essentials suite, including Windows Live Mail and Movie Maker, was terminated with extreme prejudice.

Windows Media Centre was the home theatre software launched with XP and not many people used it. (It is not to be confused with the Windows Media Player, which continues.) The desktop gadgets introduced with Windows Vista also perished but most people only used the nice clock.

For some Windows 7 users the games were the biggest loss. Happily, there are free clones of Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Hearts, FreeCell (the best!) and Minesweeper. Microsoft also has some free but ad-supported versions in the Microsoft Store. Chess Titans, developed by the now-defunct Oberon Games, is harder to replace but Chess Giants (€9.90) is pitching for that market. Otherwise, Windows XP games run in Windows 10 and (so far) Windows updates do not remove them.

Games, Live Mail and some other programs were casualties of Microsoft’s shift from traditional desktop programs (which use the Win32 applications programming interface) to packaged Microsoft Store apps (which use the new WinRT or Windows Runtime API). Store apps are easier to install, update and remove because they don’t use the Windows Registry. They are also touch-friendly, more secure, and can be suspended in the background to save resources.

However, not all the old Win32 utilities are dead. Microsoft Paint and Internet Explorer still ship with Windows 10, despite being replaced by Paint 3D and Edge. The Control Panel lives on because not everything has been transferred to the Settings app. Windows Live Mail mostly works despite being replaced by the Mail app.

If you desperately miss an old Windows 7 program, you may be able to get it back via Sergey Tkachenko’s Winaero Tweaker. This includes Windows Photo Viewer and old versions of Calculator, Sticky Notes and Task Manager.

Looks matter

Users have always been able to change Windows’ appearance, and you can easily make Windows 10 look more like Windows 7. The simplest option is to change your current background wallpaper to whatever you used in Windows 7. The standard offering was a wavy Windows logo in the middle of a blue sky but you probably changed that to something prettier.

Microsoft also changed the Taskbar. This used to be a semi-transparent blue with an orb at the left end and no search box. Windows 10 has a black Taskbar with a tiny white flag at the left end, plus a search box.

You can make the search box disappear by right-clicking on the Taskbar, selecting Cortana and then Hidden on the drop-down menu. After that, if you click the white Windows icon and start typing something, the search box will reappear. Frankly, I think usability is improved by having a search box that you can see.

You can change the colour of the Taskbar by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Personalise. This brings up the Personalisation page in the Settings (cogwheel) app. Select Colors then scroll down to the More Options section. Tick the two boxes there to show accent colours on the Taskbar and in title bars and windows borders, then select a colour from the array provided. I think it’s worth ticking only the second box, to add an accent colour (eg navy blue) to title bars but the Taskbar looks better in black.

The Settings app also has separate pages for the Start menu and Taskbar. Use these to choose which programs to show.

Back to Start

The Start menu on Windows 10 makes it easier to get to your most-used programs. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Some people seem desperate to get their Windows 7 Start menu back, or an earlier “classic” menu, though I don’t understand why. Today, all your most used programs should be on the Taskbar, where you can run them with one click, or by hitting WinKey-6 or whatever (that will run whichever program is sixth in line). You can run less-used programs by double-clicking their desktop icons, or by clicking the Start menu and then the program’s Live Tile. That’s still only two clicks.

Live Tiles are big, so they are easy to hit, even with a blunt finger. You can make them bigger or smaller, position them in groups and remove all the ones you don’t want. (Right-click, select “Unpin from Start”.) There’s no rational reason for wanting to scroll through extended menus of tiny text. You should switch to Windows 10’s simpler, faster approach.

However, menu masochists will be pleased to learn that the two most popular Start menu replacements from the Windows 8 era are still available. Classic Shell is no longer being developed but you can still download it from the original site. Alternatively, try the Open Shell version that is being developed by volunteers. Meanwhile, Stardock has developed Start8 into Start10, which costs $4.99 after a free trial period.

Classic Shell takes over the otherwise useful right-click on the Start menu to access its settings. For a fuller Windows 7 effect, use these settings to change the white icon to an orb and change the Skin entry from Metro to Windows Aero.

Back to reality

Don’t mess with the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 as it’s a crucial element needed by the operating system for smooth running. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

You may be happier if Windows 10 looks and works more like Windows 7 but don’t go mad and start crippling its functionality. It’s foolish to remove the Notifications panel, rather than just using the Settings to remove any links you don’t need. It’s even more foolish to use Internet Explorer today unless a website won’t work in anything else. It’s a waste of time to remove apps you don’t think you want because it won’t save any space or increase performance. You can hide or remove their icons and forget about them but you’ll still be able to run them from the search box if you need them. In particular, don’t mess with the Microsoft Store.

Windows 10 runs an SIHClient – for Server-Initiated Healing – which tries to repair any damage to the operating system. I sometimes wonder if it spends more time protecting the OS from users than from external threats. Unless your name is Mark Russinovich, the less you mess around with Windows 10’s internals, the better it will work.

How to make Windows 10 look (and sound) like Windows 7

By Cat Ellis 14 January 2020

Bring back the classic Start Menu and more

Windows 7 has reached End of Life (EOL), which means it’s not going to receive any more security updates from Microsoft. You really can’t put off upgrading to Windows 10 any longer, but it looks so different to Windows 7 that making the change might be a daunting prospect.

Thankfully, you can make the change less jarring by using free software to bring back the look of the operating system you know and love. All of these tips are easy to try, and can make Windows 10 far easier to get to grips with.

Before you get started, we recommend making a folder where you’ll store all the wallpapers, icons and other files you’ll be downloading along the way. This will make them easier to find, and if you decide you want to switch to Windows 10’s standard look, you can easily erase them all in one go.

1. Get the wallpaper

The easiest way to get WIndows 10 looking more familiar is to grab one of the classic wallpapers, and WPArena has compiled a list of all the official Windows 7 backgrounds for you to download. Just save your chosen design somewhere convenient, right-click it and select ‘Set as desktop background’.

Can’t settle on just one design? Right-click an empty space on your desktop and select ‘Personalize’, select ‘Background’ from the menu on the left and choose ‘Slideshow’ from the drop-down menu. You can now choose a set of different wallpapers to rotate at regular intervals.

2. Restore the Start Menu

Microsoft tried getting rid of the Start menu altogether in Windows 8, replacing it with a colorful screen of rectangular tiles much like your phone’s app selector. The Start Menu returned in Windows 10, to the relief of many, but it still looks quite different to the one you know and love from Windows 7.

Thankfully, you restore the menu to its former glory using a free tool called Open-Shell-Menu (formerly known as Classic Shell). To try it, download the latest release and run through the installer as directed. There are no potentially unwanted programs to worry about.

Launch the program, click the ‘Start menu style’ tab and select ‘Windows 7 Style’. Click ‘OK’, then open the Start menu to see the change.

You can also right-click on the taskbar and uncheck ‘Show task view’ and ‘Show Cortana button’ to hide two tools that weren’t present in Windows 7. You can also change the ‘Search’ option to ‘Hidden’ (the Search bar will still appear in the Start menu).

3. Get the Start button

Open-Shell-Menu doesn’t include the classic Windows 7 start button, but you can download a copy from the old Classic Shell forums. Download the file BtartButtons.zip from the top post and extract the contents somewhere convenient.

In Open-Shell-Menu, select the ‘Start button’ tab and check ‘Replace Start button’. Click ‘Custom button’ then select ‘Button image’ and browse to the location where you saved the icons and experiment with the different options to find one you like.

4. Recreate the Aero theme

One of Windows 7’s most attractive features was its Aero Glass theme, which gave windows and toolbars a soft, translucent appearance. Yes, it was more resource-intensive that Windows 10’s plain design, but it looked great and modern PCs should have no trouble handing the effect.

Open-Shell-Menu can help recreate this look for the Start menu. Select the ‘Skin’ tab and choose ‘Windows Aero’ from the drop-down list to apply the effect.

For the Taskbar and other windows, a little program called Glass2K can help. Download and run the software, and use the slider at the bottom of the window to adjust the transparency of the Taskbar. You can also right-click on any window to change its opacity, but bear in mind that this will affect the entire window, not just its title bar.

5. Restore the startup sound

This final tip is far from essential, but it’s fun. Download the cheery Windows 7 startup sound as an MP3 (the different download options are on the right) then use Online Audio Converter to convert it to WAV format.

Now type ‘regedit’ into Windows 10’s search box to open the Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > AppEvents > EventLabels > WindowsLogon. Double-click ‘ExcludeFromCPL’ and change the value data from ‘1’ to ‘0’. Close the Registry Editor.

Search for ‘Sound’ to open Windows’ audio options, and select ‘Sound control panel’ from the right-hand side. Click the ‘Sounds’ tab and check the box marked ‘Play Windows start-up sound’. Select ‘Windows log on’ from the list of sounds above, then click ‘Browse’ and navigate to the Windows 7 startup sound you downloaded.

Click ‘Test’ to check that it works and click ‘Apply’, then restart your PC and bask in the nostalgia.

How to Make Windows 10 Look and Feel Like Windows 7

Windows 10 offers a number of benefits over its predecessors, including improved boot and wake-from-sleep times, the ability to run Universal apps, the Cortana voice assistant and Xbox game streaming. It even has a Start Menu, a key feature that is infamously missing from Windows 8. But what if you like the improved performance and features of Windows 10, but you prefer the look and feel of Windows 7? While you can’t make everything look identical to Microsoft’s old operating system, you can change many key elements, including the Start Menu, wallpaper and taskbar.

I. Install a New Start Menu

Windows 10 brings back the Start Menu . . . sort of. While there is a Start Menu, it’s very different from the one in Windows 7 and you may not like the differences. Instead of providing a list of icons and folders, the new Start Menu has a set of flashy, but space-wasting, live tiles on its right side and a list of frequently used apps on the left side. You can add live tiles, but you cannot pin a simple icon to the left side like you could in Windows 7 and XP. Fortunately, you can install a third-party Start Menu that looks and functions the way you want it to. There are a couple of Windows 10-compatible Start apps out there, but we like Classic Shell, because it’s free and very customizable.

Download and install Classic Shell version 4.2.2 or higher. As of this writing is 4.2.2 is in beta and available for download from the Classic Shell forums. Earlier versions don’t work properly with Windows 10.

Deselect Classic Explorer and Classic IE during the install process. You can try those programs if you want, but we didn’t find them particularly useful.

Open Classic Start Menu settings. If Classic Shell is already running, you will see a Shell icon in the lower right corner and can right click it and select settings. Otherwise, you can search for «Classic Start Menu Settings.»

Check Show All Settings if it is not already checked.

Navigate to the Start Menu Style tab and select Windows 7 Style if it is not already selected.

Download the Windows 7 Start button image from this thread if you want your Start button to look authentic. There are several custom buttons available. Then navigate to the Start Button tab, select Custom button and browse to the image. If you don’t see a Start Button tab, make sure Show All Settings is checked.

Navigate to the Skin tab and select Windows Aero from the pulldown menu.

Click Ok. Your Start Menu should look something like this.

II. Hide the Cortana / Search Box

On its taskbar, Windows 10 has a prominent search box which invokes Cortana when you click in it. While this box is actually quite useful, it doesn’t exist in Windows 7 so you may want to get rid of it. Besides, if you install Classic Shell or another Start Menu replacement, that will come with its own built-in search box. To hide the Cortana box:

Right click on the search box. A context menu appears.

Select Hidden from the Cortana menu.

III. Get Rid of the Lock Screen

The Windows 10 lock screen you get when you boot up or wake from sleep looks attractive but wastes your time. You have to click or swipe to get rid of it, and then you still get hit with the login prompt. In Windows 7, you boot straight to login prompt and you can do the same in Windows 10 if you make a simple registry edit.

Hit Windows +R to bring up the Run dialog.

Type «regedit» and hit Enter.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows in the registry tree.

Right click in the right pane and select New > Key. A new key (looks like a folder) appears in the left pane.

Rename the key to Personalization and select it.

Right click and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value in the right pane.

Rename the new value to «NoLockScreen.»

8. Double click on it, set the value to 1 and click Ok.

IV. Add Windows 7 Wallpaper

Nothing makes a computer look like Windows 7 more than using the default Windows 7 wallpaper with the bright blue background and the giant Windows logo in the middle.

Acquire the Windows 7 wallpaper. Windows 10 doesn’t come with the old wallpaper, but you can get it a couple of ways. If you still have access to a computer with Windows 7 on it, you’ll find the wallpaper at C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows\img0.jpg. You can also download the wallpaper from various places that have posted it online, including here.

Right click on your desktop and select Personalize.

Click the Browse button and select the wallpaper file.

V. Give the Window Bars Colors

Windows 10 allows applications to select their own title bar colors, but most programs don’t have a custom color set and end up with a depressingly bland white bar. While you can’t get back the transparent aero effect in title bars, you can make them show a nice Windows 7 blue. Here’s how.

Right Click on the desktop and select Personalization.

Select Colors from the left pane.

Toggle «Automatically pick an accent color from my background» to off if you want to choose a custom color. Or leave it / toggle it to on to have it change colors based on your wallpaper.

Select a color if you chose to pick a custom color. We recommend the dark blue in the second row for the most Windows 7-like shade.

5. Make sure «Show color on title bar» and «Show color on Start. » are toggled to on.

VI. Replace Edge with Internet Explorer

Windows 7 came with Internet Explrorer as its default browser, with the IE icon pinned to the taskar. If you don’t like Edge browser, Chrome or Firefox, you can easily go back to using Internet Explorer as your default browser in Windows 10.

Right click on the Edge browser taskbar icon and select Unpin.

2. Search for Internet Explorer in the search bar. By the time you type Internet, you should see the icon for it.

Right click on the Internet Explorer icon and select Pin to Taskbar. The IE logo will appear on your taskbar. You might want to drag it to the left so it sits next to the Start button.

Launch Internet Explorer.

Select Internet Options from the menu.

Navigate to the Programs tab and click «Make Internet Explorer the default browser.» A new window opens with a list of programs.

Select Internet Explorer in the left pane and click «Set this program as default.»