There are several applications and projects that promise to enhance Windows 11"s Start menu and taskbar functionality. Some replace the stock taskbar and Start menu with custom-made ones, while other apps port Windows 10 bits to Windows 11. Now, however, there is a new kid on the block, and this one will please those missing the good old times of Windows 7.
Explorer7 is a new third-party project that lets you have Windows 7"s taskbar on modern Windows versions, such as 10 and 11. Although it is primarily targeted at Windows 8.1 (even though Windows 8.1 does not have that many users), Explorer7 also works on Windows 10 and 11.
The app is a public beta, so expect rough surfaces and known bugs. Also, the installation process is not as straightforward as installing a regular application. In addition to the app itself, you need a Windows 7 image file to get the necessary files and components.
The biggest problem with this glorious piece of mad software engineering is that you cannot run "modern" applications on Windows 8.1, 10, and 11. This applies not just to programs from the Microsoft Store but also to stock apps and even the Settings app. Therefore, for Windows 11 users, this is hardly a solid option for daily use. It is interesting to play around on a spare device or a virtual machine.
If you need a more viable alternative to Windows 11"s stock taskbar and Start menu, projects like Start11, StartAllBack, or ExplorerPatcher are much better options.
Other known issues include the following:
Known issues/limitations (General):
- UWP/Metro UI apps won"t run. This is a limitation that we might work on fixing sometime in the future.
- There are no multi-monitor taskbars. This is because Windows 7"s explorer didn"t had that option, making this a limitation.
- utoplay may not function properly.
- Context menu entries for pinning and unpinning internal start menu items are missing.
- 8.x style transparency does not work on the taskbar/start menu.
Known issues/limitations (Windows 10/11):
- All programs list functionality is inadequate and relies on a temporary hack.
- Thumbnails use inactive DWM Colorization. (Only happens on Windows 10 1809+)
- Icon badges for compression are visible.
- Changing accent color does not reflect until you restart explorer.exe.
- Notification icon settings in Control Panel are missing.
- Taskbar may have weird color behavior if your system"s theme filename is "aero.msstyles".
- Searching for an executable by the name of the executable rather than shortcut name will result in the item not opening/responding correctly to user input.
Those curious about trying Explorer7 should visit the project"s forum page on winclassic.net or its GitHub repository.
Image source: @TheBobPony on X