How to install Open Shell to restore the classic Start menu on Windows 11

Open Shell is a free software utility that can be used to customize the Windows 11 Start menu to resemble a classic-style menu or a Windows 7-style menu. The Start menu on previous versions of Windows provided users with an easy way to browse the contents of their system.

Basically, Open Shell is a replacement for Classic Shell that provides different user interface elements that help to get the functionality of the latter version from previous Windows versions. Once development of Classic Shell ceased in 2017, it was maintained and developed by GitHub volunteers under the name Open Shell. It is compatible with Windows 11 and can be used to customize the user interface according to your needs.

If you're looking to get back to the classic Start menu on your Windows 11 PC, you've landed in the right place. In this article, we provide detailed steps to download and install Open Shell on Windows 11.

Step 1 – Download Open Shell for Windows 11

Step 1. Click here to go to Open Shell's GitHub page.

Step 2. Find the version tagged latest version.

The latest version is 4.4.170.

Step 3. Scroll down to the "Assets" section at the bottom of this release.

Step 4. Click OpenShellSetup_4_4_170.exe to download it.

Step 5. You will be prompted to choose a location on your PC to save the downloaded file.

Step 6. Select a folder and click to save.

Step 2 – Install Open Shell Windows 11

Step 1. Go to the folder containing the downloaded exe file.

Step 2. Double-click this file to start the installation process.

Step 3. On the main welcome screen, click Next.

Step 4. In the End User License Agreement screen, check the box next to "I accept the terms in the license agreement".

Then, click Next.

Step 5. In the Customize Settings screen, you can change how features are installed on your computer.

You can also use the "Browse" button to change the location where the program is installed.

Step 6. Finally, click Install.

When UAC prompts for permissions, click "Yes".

# Step 7. After installation and opening the shell, click to complete.

Step 3 – Customize the Windows 11 Start Menu

Step 1. Click the Windows key and type Open Shell in the search box.

In the search results, click Open-Shell Menu Settings to customize the Start menu.

Step 2. Go to the Start Menu Style tab.

This can be done by selecting the "Classic" style or "Classic with two columns " or "Windows 7" Style to change the style of the Start menu.

Step 3. If you want to replace the Start button, check the box at the bottom next to Replace Start button.

Then, select the style "Aero" or "Classic" or "Custom".

Step 4. Finally, click OK to apply the settings.

Now you will see the Start menu at the left end of the taskbar.

Step 5. Go to the Basic Settings tab to customize key and mouse functionality.

This contains options for changing the Start menu behavior for left-click, shift-click, Windows key, etc. You can choose any of the listed options as per your choice.

Step 6. Using the Skin tab you can change the appearance of your Start menu.

To do this, select any skin from the drop-down list.

After you select a look, you can use different options to further customize the appearance of your Start menu. You can check or uncheck the option to modify your settings

Step 7. Using Open Shell, you can also change the appearance of the taskbar.

Go to the Taskbar tab.

Here, check the box next to to customize the taskbar.

There are different options to change the taskbar appearance, taskbar opacity, taskbar color, tasks Column text color etc.

Step 8. The Customize Start Menu tab allows you to further customize the menu items in the Start menu, such as adding or removing items, editing menu items, and creating submenus. You can click the

icon

of a specific menu item to further edit its settings.

In the Edit Menu Item dialog box, you can change the commands for

menu items

, labels, prompts, and icons. It also provides options to sort submenu items, track recently used items, hide extensions, and more.

If a menu item has

"Don't show this item

" in the "Show" column, it means it won't show up in the "Start" ” menu. To make it visible, use the drop-down list in the Show column and select Show as Link.

After making the necessary changes to the settings that open the shell, click OK. You will now see your customized Start Menu

.

#If you no longer want Open Shell to customize your Start menu, you can remove this program from your computer. Please follow the steps below to

uninstall Open Shell

from your computer. step 1. Press

Windows R

to open "Run". Step 2. Type

ms-settings:appsfeatures

and press Enter to go to the Installed Apps page.

Step 3. On this page, search for "

Open Shell

" in the list of apps. Step 4. Click the

three-dot menu

associated with Open Shell and select Uninstall.

#Click Uninstall

again at the confirmation prompt.

Step 5. Wait for the program to be uninstalled.

You will now have the Windows 11 Start Menu.

The above is the detailed content of How to install Open Shell to restore the classic Start menu on Windows 11. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!