How to Make Windows 10 Look like Windows 11
Windows 11 is still in its developmental stage, it contains bugs which, at times, makes it unusable. But Windows 11 still has a very aesthetically pleasing look and feel that alone can be reason enough to upgrade your Windows 10 computer to Windows 11.
Although, I had a different reason to stick to Windows 10, my job demanded that I work on a Windows 10 computer specifically. But that didn’t stop me from upgrading the look and feel of my Windows 10 computer. I made sure that it looked like Windows 11 even though I used Windows 10.
In this tutorial, I will share with you the things I did to make a Windows 10 computer look and feel like Windows 11. You can try it too and enjoy the Windows 11 look on your Windows 10 computer.
Creating a Restore Point on Windows 10
Before changing the look of Windows 10 computer, it’s best if you created a Restore Point. That way, in case something goes wrong you can always go back to where it was before you started making the changes. Here’s how to do it:
- From your Windows Start menu, search for “Create a restore point”, then click on Open once you find it.
2. That should open the System Properties window with the System Protection tab open. Here, ensure that the Protection is set to On in the Protection Settings. If it’s not, click on Configure and click on “Turn on system protection.”
3. Next, click on the Create button on the same window.This should bring up a new wizard, enter a meaningful description for the Restore Point, like “pre-win11” or something similar, and click on Create.
This should create the Restore Point on this computer. In case something goes wrong, come back to this System Properties tab and click on System Restore. That should bring up the System Restore wizard from where you can pick out this Restore Point and everything should work fine once again. Now, let’s start redecorating Windows 10.
Changing the look and feel of Windows 10
There is no native app from Microsoft that would help you change the look of Windows 10 computer to Windows 11. You need to install a few third-party apps that would help you do that. It’s a bit of a long list, but we’ll go one step at a time so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
1. Install SecureUxTheme from their GitHub repository using the below link:
https://github.com/namazso/SecureUxTheme
This enabled the Windows 10 computer to run third-party themes. Best part about this tool is that it does not require any separate drivers to be installed, and it is compatible with secure boot. Also, it is an open-source tool which is available for free.
2. Next, install OldNewExplorer to change the look and feel of the Windows 10 explorer menus. You can download it from the Major Geeks website:
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/oldnewexplorer.html
3. The next tool is a freemium tool to change the look and feel of the Start menu of your Windows 10 computer. It is called StartIsBack .
The full version costs $4, however, you would only need to free trial version to use the custom Windows 11 theme that we would use. Even though the trial version comes with limited features list, it can be used indefinitely.
4. We will use Stardock Curtains to round out the corners of the windows on your Windows 10 computer just the way they are on Windows 11. You can download and install this program from this link.
5. Finally, we’ll get RoundedTB from the Microsoft Store. This would help in rounding off the edges of Windows 10 taskbar. I have provided the link to the app below; it would install like any other app that you download from the Microsoft Store.
Installing these programs on a Windows 10 is pretty simple, and all you need to do is to simply follow the instructions on the screen. If you come across any issues, you’ll find a solution in the respective websites of these tools.
Once you have installed the above programs on your Windows 10 computer, it is time to start making the changes. The first thing you need to do is to get the Windows 11 look-alike theme from Windows 10 computer. This is available for free from the below link:
https://www.deviantart.com/niivu/art/Windows-11-for-Windows-10-882819383
Even though the author of this theme has provided detailed installation instructions, and customization steps, I would show you how to do it in a simpler manner. Still, if you want to explore, you can go through the below link:
Step 1. Installing Windows 11 theme: https://www.deviantart.com/niivu/art/Windows-11-for-Windows-10-882819383
Step 2. Customizing Windows 11 theme: https://www.deviantart.com/crcustomization/journal/Introduction-to-Desktop-Customization-Themes-800075399
Follow the steps given below to install the Windows 11 theme easily:
1. Check Windows 10 version by pressing Control+R keys on your keyboard, then type “winver” in the Run dialogue box that opens up, and click OK.
2. Ensure that the version of Windows 10 installed on your computer is between 1903 or 21H1. If not, update Windows 10, else close the window showing the version and move to the next step.
3. Unzip the downloaded Windows 11 theme, and from the unzipped folder find the folder that matches the version of Windows 10 installed on your computer.
4. Open a separate Windows Explorer and go to the below directory on that Explorer:
This PC > C: > Windows > Resources > Themes
5. Now copy all the files from the Windows 11 themes folder into the directory that you opened on the separate Explorer window.
6. Close all the windows, right-click on your Windows 10 desktop, then click on Personalize.
7. Under the “Themes” section, select the downloaded Windows 11 theme from the list and apply it. The changes should take effect immediately.
You should be able to see the Windows 11 look and feel on your Windows 10 computer already. There are a couple of optional steps that you can take to make it look like Windows 11 even more:
1. Download and install the Windows 11 custom icon set.
2. Try OpenStartMenu to make your Windows 10 Start menu shortcuts to look like Windows 11.
3. If you want a better right-click menu, you can also try xoblite.
However, as mentioned earlier, these are optional and without even installing them, Windows 10 computer would look more or less like Windows 11. However, there’s a crucial step that we need to enforce.
Look and feel is not the only strong point of Windows 11, security is. Or at least that’s what Microsoft claims. So, we will try to match that level of security on your Windows 10 computer to make it a step more like Windows 11. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Enable Secure Boot from the BIOS/UEFI settings of Windows 10 computer. The process to enable Secure Boot differs with respect to the manufacturer of your Windows 10 computer, and you can look up their website for more details.
2. Turn on 2-factor authentication and passwordless sign-in option with your Microsoft account.
3. Protect yourself from ransomware using the new update for Microsoft OneDrive.
4. Install a separate password manager.
That’s it! Now your Windows 10 computer should imitate Windows 11 in not only the look and feel department, but also in security to a certain extent. Although, if it is possible to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11, I would suggest you to go for that option eventually.
I have used Windows 11 too and found it to be far more user friendly that Windows 10. But till then, you can apply the above steps on your Windows 10 computer.
