Users who remember and like the appearance of Windows XP might not be very impressed by the default look of Windows 10. The appearance can be changed to some extent using UxStyle and third party themes, but in Windows 10, Microsoft prevents the taskbar from being skinned using visual styles (themes). Under the Notifications section, turn off the toggle switch, which will close the notifications from apps and senders on your taskbar. Today, we will see how to skin Windows 10's taskbar to give it a Windows XP appearance without using patches or themes.Īll we need is everyone's favorite Start menu replacement and system enhancement tool, Classic Shell. Click on System and from the left panel list select Notifications & actions. Recently, its developer implemented the ability to skin the taskbar in Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows too. The user can change the taskbar text color, change the color to make it different from the title bar color, change its transparency or set a background image or texture for the Windows taskbar.Īs of this writing, only the beta version 4.2.7 of Classis Shell allows doing this. To proceed, you need to download Classic Shell 4.2.7 from its official web site (use the red button 'Download Beta'):Īfter that, you need to prepare Windows 10 for a better XP look and feel. When the Settings app opens, turn on the option called Use small taskbar buttons as shown below.Right click the Taskbar and pick Settings from the context menu.
