Easy Methods To Make Windows 11 Look Like Windows 10

Your muscle memory disturbs you just after you upgraded (or were nudged) to Windows 11. Your hands still reach for options available on the older Windows 10. You can’t bring the old one back. However, there are still ways to make your newer Operating System look like the old one. While Windows 11 is not 100% reversible, you can still make Windows 11 look like Windows 10 by doing some minor tweaks and adjustments. We are going to share methods so that your Windows 11 will look, feel as well as behave close to Windows 10. Also, you don’t have to break any updates or disturb your IT team. All you can do in minutes and your Windows 11 will give you Windows 10 vibes. It includes easy customizations and some accessibility tweaks.

Let’s begin!

How To Make Windows 11 Look Like Windows 10 (Features You Want)

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Start button on the left
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Align taskbar to Left
Where to change it: Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors → Taskbar alignment
Built-in or tool: Built-in

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Old Start menu layout
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Classic Start with pinned apps list
Where to change it: Use StartAllBack or Start11, or Open-Shell (free)
Built-in or tool: Tool

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Uncombined taskbar buttons with labels
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): “Combine taskbar buttons: Never”
Where to change it: Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors → Combine taskbar buttons
Built-in or tool: Built-in

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Show This PC (drives) on open
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Set File Explorer to “This PC”
Where to change it: File Explorer → “…” → Options → “Open File Explorer to:”
Built-in or tool: Built-in

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Hide Home, Gallery, cloud items
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Turn off recent/frequent, office.com
Where to change it: File Explorer → “…” → Options → Privacy
Built-in or tool: Built-in

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Classic right-click menu
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): “Show more options” or Shift+Right-click (always)
Where to change it: Right-click → Show more options
Built-in or tool: Built-in (no hack needed)

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Drag-and-drop to taskbar
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Restored in modern builds
Where to change it: Keep Windows updated
Built-in or tool: Built-in

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Move taskbar to top/side
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Taskbar on other edges
Where to change it: Use StartAllBack or Start11
Built-in or tool: Tool

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Classic Snipping Tool flow
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Map Print Screen to Snipping Tool, set defaults
Where to change it: Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → “Use the Print screen key…”
Built-in or tool: Built-in

10.

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Simpler Notepad behavior
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): Start fresh every time (no session restore)
Where to change it: Notepad → Settings → “Start new session and discard unsaved changes”
Built-in or tool: Built-in

11.

Windows 10 look/behavior you miss: Sharper text, better contrast
Windows 11 equivalent (what to change): ClearType, text size, contrast themes
Where to change it: Settings → Accessibility → Text size / Contrast themes → Search: “Adjust ClearType text”
Built-in or tool: Built-in

Windows 10 Look Starter Pack (15-Minute Recipe)

Taskbar: Left alignment, labels on (built-in).
Start menu: Install StartAllBack (or Start11) to Windows 10 style.
Explorer: Open to This PC, hide recents, disable Office.com.
Context menu: Use Shift+Right-click for classic options.
Snipping: Print Screen launches Snipping Tool.
Text clarity: Run ClearType, bump Text size to 115%.
Optional: Set a Windows 10 wallpaper and call it a day.

Tools and Tweaks Difference Between Windows 10 & 11

Option 1. Built-in settings only

Left-aligned taskbar, uncombine with labels, “This PC” in Explorer, classic menus via Shift+Right-click, Snap Layout controls, Notepad behavior, Print Screen mapping

Cost: Free

Option 2. Free utilities

Classic Start (Open-Shell), Windows 10-style taskbar & Explorer tweaks (ExplorerPatcher), view defaults per-folder (WinSetView), “SwitchExplorer” style toggle

Cost: Free

Option 3. Low-cost start/taskbar suites

Polished Windows 10 Start, taskbar on any edge, classic context styling, icon sizing, deep taskbar control (StartAllBack, Start11)

Cost: Low one-time (~the price of a coffee or two)

Tip: If you’re in a managed environment (no admin rights), look for portable versions (e.g., WinSetView, some Start/Explorer tools provide non-install modes) and stay within policy.

Ways To Make Windows 11 Look Like Windows 10 (Or Behave Like)

1) Fix the Taskbar First

Left-align everything

You need to go to the Settings and then select Personalization. Now go to Taskbar and then Taskbar behaviors and then select Taskbar alignment to Left.

After doing so, the Start/menu is exactly where your thumb expects it.

Uncombine buttons & show labels

To make Windows 11 look like Windows 10, you need to repeat the same process as above but now in the Taskbar behaviors, set “Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels” to Never.

Now you will have Distinct buttons with names, classic Windows 10 ergonomics.

Remove extra taskbar items

Go to the Taskbar to Turn off Widgets, Chat, Task view (optional).

You can also keep Search if you use it, otherwise call it with Win+S.

Do you want the taskbar at the top/left/right? Windows 11 removed that. You can use StartAllBack or Start11 to restore the feature cleanly.

2) Restore a Familiar Start Menu

Fastest premium route

Install StartAllBack or Start11 from Microsoft Store and choose the Windows 10 Start style to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10.

You can also optionally place Start at bottom-left while keeping app icons centered (Start11 can split alignment). You need to also adjust icon size, transparency, and accent color to match your memory.

Free route

Install Open-Shell (Start menu only).

Once done, you need to choose the Windows 7 style with a flat/Metro skin for a Win10-ish feel. During install, don’t enable Classic Explorer/IE components unless you want them. This is a free method to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10.

3) Make File Explorer of Windows 11 Work Like Windows 10

Open to This PC

Go to the File Explorer to “…” and then Options to “Open File Explorer to:”, set to This PC

Classic context menu

You need to right-click a file to Show more options, or Shift+Right-click to jump straight to it. (Registry hacks exist to force the old menu, but keyboard/“Show more options” is safer and update-proof.)

Per-folder view defaults (like Win10)

It’s recommended to use WinSetView (portable) to set consistent column & view templates (e.g., Details view for Documents).

Prefer the Windows 10 Explorer shell?

ExplorerPatcher can switch Explorer shell features and bring back a Win10-style taskbar and tray behavior.

4) Bring Back Classic Snipping & Print Screen

Go to the settings and then Accessibility. Select Keyboard and set the toggle to “Use the Print screen key to open the Snipping Tool”. Also, in the Snipping Tool (open it, then Settings/gear), choose your default file format and notification behavior to streamline quick captures, very similar to the classic flow.

5) Tame Snap Layouts & Overlays

Settings to System to Multitasking to Snap windows

You need to turn off “Show snap layouts when I hover over a window’s maximize button” if it pops up when you don’t want it.

It’s recommended to keep Win+Arrow snapping (it’s still the fastest way to tile windows).

6) Make Text Look Like Windows 10 (3–6 minutes)

Adjust ClearType

You can search Start for “Adjust ClearType text”, run the wizard across all monitors.

Increase Text Size (without scaling everything)

Go to the settings and then Accessibility and then set the Text size (try 110–120%).

You can also pair with Settings to Accessibility to Contrast themes if you need stronger separation between UI and background. This will make Windows 11 look like Windows 10 in terms of text.

Fonts & icons

If icons feel low-contrast, increase taskbar size via StartAllBack/Start11, or switch to a higher-contrast icon theme.

7) Keep Notepad Simple

Open Notepad and then go to the Settings. Now select the Opening Notepad to Start a new session and discard unsaved changes.

Do you prefer no-frills? Notepad++ (free) is a great plain-text editor without cloud/AI tie-ins.

8) Some Additional Cosmetic Touches To Make Windows 11 Look Like Windows 10

Windows 10 wallpaper: You can also set a classic hero image for instant “feels like home.”
Icon packs: It’s better to replace desktop and shortcut icons via Right-click to Properties to Customize to Change icon… (drives may require a small helper utility).
Rounded corners: Windows 11 doesn’t expose a toggle. So, avoid disabling your GPU. It hurts performance. It’s recommended to use higher contrast + shadow to regain separation instead.