How to Make Windows 11 Look Like Windows 10

Making Windows 11 look like Windows 10 requires tweaking the registry settings and using a third-party tool. Fortunately, you can choose whether you want all or only a few components to look like Windows 10.

For example, you might be annoyed that the Start Menu looks bigger but displays fewer items. Or maybe you don’t like selecting “Show more options” to get the full context menu.

The good news is that you can change all this to what you remember from Windows 10. The bad news is that Microsoft might disable a few registry hacks discussed in this guide with future Windows updates because it wants you to use the newly designed interface.

Before You Start

Before you use any of the methods discussed in this guide, you should know the following:

• Some methods involve tweaking the registry: While changing the registry settings mentioned in this guide is safe, deleting or modifying a vital registry key could lead to significant problems. You should back up your registry before starting.
• StartAllBack is a paid tool: We’ve used StartAllBack as the third-party tool in methods that require one. The tool offers a 100-day trial but isn’t completely free. If you’re looking for a free tool, use Open-Shell from GitHub.
• Create a restore point: When you change a lot, there’s more room for error. You always want the option to undo the changes should you mess something up. Create a restore point before you perform the tweaks in this guide.

How to Make Windows 11 Start Menu Look Like Windows 10

The Start menu is perhaps the most dreaded change in Windows 11. For decades, you had been moving the cursor to the bottom left and left-clicking to open the Start menu—you probably could do it in your sleep.

Suddenly, Windows wants you to position the cursor closer to the center based on how many pinned taskbar icons you have. Worse yet, you see plenty of wasted space on the Windows 11 Start menu.

There are a few easy ways to fix the problem, though.

Position Start Menu to the Left Using the Built-In Tweak

Windows offers a built-in tweak to make the Windows 11 Start menu look like Windows 10 (though it does offer other Start menu customization options). If your primary Windows 11 pain point is the Start menu, you might want to use a third-party tool.

If you’re not comfortable installing a third-party app, you can left-align the Start menu like in Windows 10:

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
2. Expand the section called Taskbar behaviors.
3. Expand the drop-down menu next to Taskbar alignment and select Left.

This will position the Start menu icon to the bottom-left corner of your screen.

Redesign Start Menu With a Third-Party Tool

If you want to redesign your Start menu even more, use a third-party tool like StartAllBack. Downloading StartAllBack and launching the .exe will automatically apply a new theme to your computer. Once you see the changes applied:

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Properties.

2. Select Kinda 10 from the Welcome tab as the theme.

You can also change other Start menu settings by navigating to the Start menu tab from the left. However, those settings are more about improving utility than making the Start menu look like Windows 10’s Start menu.

You still won’t see the tiles, and the design looks more like the Windows 7 Start menu than Windows 10, except for the Windows 10 logo as the Start button.

However, changing the Start menu might still make sense, given it doesn’t waste a ton of screen estate like the new Start menu in Windows 11. So when you apply the settings, this is what your Start menu will look like:

How to Make Windows 11 Taskbar Look Like Windows 10

Windows 11 has a few built-in taskbar tweaks, but you can’t use them to make the taskbar look like Windows 10. You’ll need to use StartAllBack and make registry tweaks to restyle the new taskbar to look like the Windows 10 taskbar.

Redesign Taskbar With a Third-Party Tool

If you like your taskbar at the top of your screen, Windows 11 won’t allow that. Unlike Windows 10, you can’t position your taskbar anywhere but at the bottom. StartAllBack’s taskbar settings can help you reposition and restyle the taskbar (or you can use TaskbarX for more taskbar modification options):

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Properties.
2. Select Taskbar from the left.
3. Select Taskbar location on screen as Top (or any other option you prefer).

Now, you’ll see the taskbar automatically move to the top of the screen:

Another thing you might consider changing is taskbar button grouping. Windows 10 lets you choose not to group taskbar buttons—Windows 11 offers a similar option, but it’s only available on version 23H2 and later.

If you don’t have the latest version of Windows 11 on your computer, use StartAllBack instead:

1. Switch to the Taskbar tab on StartAllBack.
2. Expand the drop-down menu next to Combine taskbar buttons and select Never.

Bring Back the Classic Taskbar With a Registry Tweak

You can switch to the Windows Classic taskbar using a registry tweak. While it makes the taskbar look a lot more like Windows 10 (partly because it also adds the search box), many of the elements in the taskbar don’t function.

For example, selecting the search box won’t do anything. More importantly, the Start menu won’t open unless you use a third-party tool like StartAllBack.

If you still want the Classic taskbar for its look and feel:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
2. Copy and paste the following in the Registry Editor’s navigation bar and press Enter:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShellUpdatePackages

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

4. Double-click on the value, rename it to UndockingDisabled and set the value as 1.

5. Restart Windows.

How to Make Windows 11 Context Menu Look Like Windows 10

Context menus are shorter on Windows 11. Many users don’t appreciate the idea of an extra click to view all options in the context menu. It’s a good thing you can bring back the longer context menu you used on Windows 10 easily using a third-party tool like StartAllBack or tweaking the registry.

Bring Back Older Context Menus With a Third-Party Tool

Select the Explorer tab from the left on StartAllBack. Then, check the box next to Classic context menus in the right pane. That’s all you need to do to return to Windows 10-style, longer context menus.

Once you’ve selected the checkbox, you’ll see the extended context menus.

Bring Back Older Context Menus With a Registry Tweak

To get longer context menus, tweak the registry:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
2. Copy and paste the following into the Registry Editor’s navigation bar and press Enter:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesCLSID

3. Right-click on CLSID, select New > Key, and name it:

{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}

4. Right-click on the new key you just created, select New > Key, and name it:

InprocServer32

5. Double-click the key named (Default) under InprocServer32, remove the value from the Value data field (it won’t have any value by default), and select OK.

6. Reboot your computer.

How to Make Windows 11 File Explorer Look Like Windows 10

Windows 10 File Explorer had a ribbon at the top, which housed a range of functions like copying, creating, and renaming files and folders. Sure—you can use keyboard shortcuts, but some options like System Properties don’t have them.

Unfortunately, Windows 11 File Explorer lacks that ribbon. However, if you’re habituated to using those functions from the top of the File Explorer, you can get it back using StartAllBack.

1. Select the Explorer tab from the left.
2. Select Win 10 Ribbon UI from the section called Choose Explorer style.

When done, you’ll see the ribbon at the top of the File Explorer:

How to Make Windows 11 Corner Icon Flyouts Look Like Windows 10

Windows 11 redesigned almost every flyout for the corner icons, including the calendar, volume, and language. You can, however, use Windows 10 flyouts for some of these icons, provided you’re using StartAllBack as your third-party customization tool:

1. Select Taskbar from the left sidebar.
2. In the right pane, expand the drop-down menu next to Corner icons open.
3. Select Windows 10 flyouts if possible.

Flyouts for icons like volume and calendar will now resemble Windows 10.

However, the flyout for the network icon remains unchanged.

A Final Touch: Windows 10 Wallpaper

Once you’ve made all these changes, your computer should look and feel like Windows 10 to a good extent. However, changing the wallpaper to the Windows 10 default can be an excellent final touch to bring your visual experience closer to Windows 10.

1. Go to an image of the Windows 10 default wallpaper.
2. Right-click on the image and select Save image as. Save the file in your preferred location.

3. Go to the location where you saved the file.
4. Right-click on the image and select Set as desktop background.

Alternatively, you can change the wallpaper from the Settings app.

Windows 11, Redesigned

Windows 11 comes with some significant design changes. While many like the new, curvy interface, other Windows users continue to like the Windows 10 experience. Windows 10 indeed had one of the best interfaces of any version of Windows.

With the methods discussed in this guide, you should be able to use your new Windows 11 PC with all its new features, like Android apps and widgets, but with the Windows 10 Start Menu, taskbar, and File Explorer. Hopefully, you like your Windows 11’s new look.