How To Make Windows 10 Look Like Windows XP

Windows XP was one of the most loved versions of Windows ever. It was stable, and everything was perfect. Users who are on Windows 10 miss that about Windows XP almost as much as they miss Windows 7. Windows 10 has improved in terms of stability and if you miss XP a lot, you can make Windows 10 look like Windows XP with an app.

Resources

To make Windows 10 look like Windows XP you need to download the following;

• The original Windows XP wallpaper in 4K
• The Windows XP start menu button
• Taskbar Texture
• An app called NeoClassic-UI

Windows 10 To Windows XP

Install the NeoClassic UI app and run it. Enable the ‘Show all settings’ option.

Start Menu

Go to Start Menu Style tab. Select the “Classic Two Column” option.

Click the ‘Select Skin’ option under it. On the next screen, open the dropdown and select the “Windows XP Luna” skin.

Return to the Start Menu Style tab, and click the ‘Replace Start Button’ option at the bottom, and select a start button from the ones you downloaded.

Taskbar

Go to the Taskbar tab. You will need to change quite a few things here. Enable the ‘Customize Taskbar’ option, and select ‘Taskbar Texture’. Browse for and select the texture file you downloaded.

Next, under the ‘Horizontal stretching’ option, select ‘Tile’.

Right-click the Taskbar on your desktop and uncheck the ‘Show Taskview button’ and under Cortana, select ‘Hidden’.

Color Adjustment

Open the Windows 10 Settings app. Go to the Personalization group of settings, and go to the Colors tab. Select the blue swatch that’s located on the first column of the third row.

Make sure you’ve enabled options to show color on the accent bar, start menu, and action center. Turn Transparency effects on.

Wallpaper

Go to the background tab on the Settings app under Personalization and set the Windows XP bliss wallpaper.

Here’s what it looks like when everything is done.

This works on Windows 10 1803. The app used to make Windows 10 look like Windows XP is a fork of the ClassicStart app which has been discontinued and is no longer compatible with 1803. NeoClassix UI is in active development and it should work flawlessly on the next Windows 10 build i.e., Redstone 5.

There are some limitations to this new UI. The File Explorer windows, and other UWP app windows are not changed. They follow a different design convention and hence their appearance cannot be altered.

To revert the changes, all you need to do is right-click the Start button, and select ‘Exit’ from the context menu. This will exit the NeoClassic-UI app and undo most of the changes. You will need to change the wallpaper and the accent color yourself.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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