Windows 7’s end-of-life date was on January 14, 2020. That means Microsoft is no longer offering technical support, bug fixes or security updates. It’s high time to upgrade to Windows 10, but we’ve noticed that some people are resistant to the change. Read on to learn how to make Windows 10 look like Windows 7.
How to Make Windows 10 Look Like Windows 7
Before we start, a quick disclaimer: most people take a liking to Windows 10 after they’ve gotten used to it. Additionally, the following customizations don’t make Windows 10 look and feel exactly like Windows 7, but they’re close.
Additionally, if you’re searching around the internet for similar content, some articles will tell you to set Internet Explorer as your default browser. This is one change we recommend against—Internet Explorer is slower and less secure than Microsoft Edge, Windows 10’s new default browser.
1. Start Menu
The Start menu represents one of the biggest changes from Windows 7 to Windows 10. It has a more modern interface featuring what Microsoft calls “tiles,” which are actually super easy to customize and organize.
However, if you’re still seeking that Windows 7 feel, a program called Open Shell gives you the option to turn Windows 10’s Start menu into a virtual replica of Windows 7’s.
2. File Explorer
File Explorer on Windows 10 isn’t terribly different, but its default settings can be updated to more closely replicate how it worked on Windows 7:
- Open File Explorer
- Click File > Change folder and search options
- Under “Open File Explorer to:” change the dropdown to “This PC”
- Uncheck both boxes under “Privacy”
- Apply the changes
This isn’t a huge change, but it will most likely feel a bit more intuitive to long-time Windows 7 users.
3. Taskbar
Windows 10 adds some extra items to the taskbar (that blue bar along the bottom of the screen), and some people feel it looks cluttered compared to Windows 7.
You can unpin two of the new items, Cortana and Task View, by right-clicking on the taskbar and unchecking both “Show Cortana button” and “Show Task View button.”
You can remove other icons, such as the Microsoft Store, by right-clicking them and selecting “Unpin from taskbar.”
4. Wallpaper
Although it doesn’t actually affect the functionality, no blog on how to make Windows 10 look like Windows 7 would be complete without instructions for updating the wallpaper.
There are both official and unofficial lists of Windows 7 wallpapers. Find a design you like, save it to your computer and right click it to set it as your background.
5. Color Scheme
The default colors in Windows 10 are darker than they are in Windows 7. Luckily, Windows 10 lets you customize them as well:
- Right-click in a blank space on your desktop
- Click “Personalize”
- Select “Colors”
- Select the blue that you feel looks most like Windows 7’s
- Scroll down to “More options” and check the Start, taskbar and action center and the Title bars and window borders boxes
Your changes will be applied automatically.
We hope this blog helps you understand how to make Windows 10 look like Windows 7.
{{cta(‘c0d7838f-8620-484d-a2e8-4d9841b42faa’,’justifycenter’)}}