With just a few clicks, you can safely make the Windows 11 taskbar look like the Windows 7 taskbar. Here’s how to do it.
Windows 11 taskbar is a big departure from how it looked in Windows 7. While the 7’s taskbar is minimal and has personality, the 11’s taskbar is a bit bland and has several unnecessary features such as the widgets button and search bar. The good thing is, if you are missing the Windows 7 style taskbar, you can theme your Windows 11 taskbar to make it look like one. It is a pretty simple process. All it takes is a few clicks, and you are good to go. Let me show you how.
Related: How to make Windows 11 taskbar look like Windows XP
Before You Start
- Changing the Windows 11 taskbar style to Windows 7 requires installing Windhawk, a Windows modding software.
- Installing Windhawk requires administrative rights.
- Before proceeding, please download Windhawk from here, double-click the installer, and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
Steps to Make Windows 11 Taskbar Look Like Windows 7
First, open the Start menu, search for “Windhawk,” and click the top result or “Open” to launch the Windhawk application. Once it opens, click the “Explore” option at the top, search for “Windows 11 Taskbar Style,” and click the “Details” under the “Windows 11 Taskbar Style” mod.
Click the “Install” button.
Click the “Accept Risk and Install” button.
The above action will install the mod in Windhawk. Next, go to the “Settings” tab on the mod page. Select “Windows7” from the “Theme” dropdown and then click the “Save settings” button.
Next, open the “Settings” app, go to the “Personalization” > “Taskbar” page, click the “Taskbar behaviors” option, and select “Left” from the “Taskbar alignment” dropdown.
(Optional) On the same Settings page, scroll to the top, expand the “Taskbar items” section, select “Hide” from the “Search” dropdown, and turn OFF the “Task view” and “Widgets” toggles.
That’s it. From now on, your taskbar will look like the Windows 7 taskbar.
To undo the change and revert to the Windows 11 style taskbar, disable or remove the mod in Windhawk.
Write down below any questions, comments, or suggestions you have. I’ll respond as quickly as possible.
More taskbar customization:
- Change taskbar size in Windows 11 using Windhawk
- Steps to change the taskbar position to left, right, top, or bottom
Thank you,
Vamsi.
