Classic Shell

Free

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Editors' Rating:

5 5

Spectacular

Average User Rating:

4.6 4.6

out of 66 votes out of 66 votes

Quick Specs

Version:

4.3.1
Total Downloads:

679,849
Date Added:

Aug. 14, 2017
Price:

Free

File Size:

6.85MB
Downloads Last Week:

575
Platform:

Windows
Product ranking:

#6 in Desktop Customization

Editors' Review

by Tom McNamara / March 20, 2017

Classic Shell is a free desktop-enhancement tool for customizing your Windows Start menu, plus the task bar, file manager, and other parts of the interface. When Windows 8 launched in 2012 without a Start menu, several developers found a way to put a replacement back in, and Classic Shell is one of the most popular choices.

Pros

Truly replicates the Start menu: While most other developers created their own spin on the Start menu, Classic Shell makes a lot of effort to look and feel exactly like the classic Windows 7 menu. This is beneficial if you want to minimize your learning curve and get back to a familiar environment.

Loads of customization: If the regular Windows Start menu does some things that have always bothered you, Classic Shell has 15 tabs of settings to tweak it to your liking -- far beyond anything that Microsoft ever provided for this part of the interface. You can also save your settings to a file, restore settings from another file, and reset everything to its default if you lose track of which levers you were pulling.

It's free and doesn't spy on you: Classic Shell relies on donations to fund development. There are no mandatory fees, no subscriptions, and no user data collection.

Windows Explorer tweaking bundled for free: You also get Classic Explorer, which has a number of tweaks for the OS's file manager. Every tweak has a tool tip that explains what it does. A setting becomes bolded when it's changed from the default, so you can quickly scan what you've done.

Cons

May not get patched quickly: As of this review, it's been eight months since Classic Shell was last updated. Granted, sometimes there aren't enough issues to justify a patch. But with the Windows 10 Creators Update arriving imminently, Classic Shell users with this OS wouldn't be blamed for wondering if they're going to encounter some bugs.

Bottom Line

Even if you already have Windows 7 or Windows 10, Classic Shell offers loads of customization that you won't get from Microsoft, so it's worth a download, especially since it's free.

Publisher's Description

From Ivo Beltchev:

Classic Shell is a collection of features that were available in older versions of Windows but are removed from Vista and Windows 7. It has a classic start menu for Windows 7. It adds a toolbar for Windows Explorer. Classic Shell adds some missing features to Windows 7 and Vista like a classic start menu, toolbar for Explorer and others.

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5 stars

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"Much better than any Windows version Start Menu!"

tdaso October 03, 2016 / Version: Classic Shell 4.3.0

2016-10-03 14:04:09 | By tdaso

Pros

1. Customizable & skinnable
2. Works perfectly with Windows 10
3. No problems with installation
4. No messing with other programs
5. Free

Cons

Not a single thing!

Summary

Don't miss it! This program really rocks!

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5 stars

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"Works with Windows Server 2012 R2"

rolly0412 July 01, 2016 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.5

2016-07-01 09:01:34 | By rolly0412

Pros

Replaced clunky Windows 8 Start Menu with Windows 7 style Start Menu.

Cons

None so far.

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5 stars

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"SAVED ME DITCHING WINDOWS 8."

joy.division February 17, 2016 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.5

2016-02-17 02:44:05 | By joy.division

Pros

Its free, easy to install.Love it.

Cons

None I love it.

Summary

I had a new windows 8 pc 5 months ago.Hated the pc without the classic start menu.Found this on a forum, downloaded it and saved my Windows 8 pc.Its now similar to using my older Windows Vista. I am now sticking with Windows 8 and not wanting the free upgrade to Windows 10.Thank you developer!!

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5 stars

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"I LOVE IT, thank you!!!"

HelenTaylor58 January 26, 2016 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.5

2016-01-26 00:13:52 | By HelenTaylor58

Pros

I was one of those who hated Win 8s stupid interface with a passion. Then came Classic Shell, which makes Win 8 / 10 instantly invisible ITS MAGIC!!! No more metro screen or useless apps and a great retro start menu. ((sings)) Its Windows 7 once more ... :)

Cons

None at all, its one of the best programs I ever downloaded

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1 stars

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"DO NOT INSTALL ON WINDOWS 10"

njgymaholic December 22, 2015 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.5

2015-12-22 14:14:19 | By njgymaholic

Pros

None. Simply does not work.

Cons

Lasted about 15 minutes before it royally hosed my PC. Installed it, pinned native Calculator the StartMenu, and then lost all menu functions. Several reboots later still no functioning StartMenu. Removed - reinstalled the utility ... no change. Had to permanently remove it before I had a useable PC again.

Summary

DO NOT INSTALL ON WINDOWS 10

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5 stars

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"A huge thank you to the developers of this software!!"

Kariput December 10, 2015 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.5

2015-12-10 12:18:29 | By Kariput

Pros

Works on Windows 10.
Eliminates ALL the junk from Win10 Start Menu
Easy to customize with intuitive set up
Works flawlessly

Cons

None that I can find

Summary

This is a great piece of software. It was indispensible for Windows 8. When I saw that Windows 10 resurrected the Start Menu I thought I wouldn't need this. WRONG!!

I immediately hated the tile section of the Win10 menu. There were also some things I couldn't seem to get into the position I wanted them. Overall, Win10's Start Menu was a huge disappointment for me.

I decided to check and see if my old friend Classic Shell was compatible with Win10. Lo and behold, it was!! I quickly downloaded and installed it and now my Start Menu looks just the way I want it to. No annoying oversized and clunky tiles with ads or features I'll never use; just a simple list of the programs and tools I need to access on a regular basis and configured in a way that makes sense to me.

If you are a fan of the old Windows Start Menu, this program is for you!

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4 stars

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"Using with Windows 10"

bonjo August 15, 2015 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.4

2015-08-15 16:23:18 | By bonjo

Pros

Works well with Windows 10 to look and act more like Windows 7.

I tried to uninstall Windows 10 but no matter what I tried, it won't go back to Windows 7 (yes, the Windows.old file IS there but the Recovery process in Windows 10 refuses to find it) so this Classic Shell® is a very nice feature to have.

Cons

As a previous reviewer commented, it is a tad sluggish.
Windows 10, without Classic Shell®, seems to run a bit faster than Windows 7.
I noticed after installing Classic Shell® that Windows 10 slowed down a bit.

Summary

One of our HP Pavilions updated to Windows 10 using the Windows Update (vs downloading via Microsoft to a flash drive) and now cannot go back to Windows 7.
The Windows.old file is in my C:\ drive but Windows 10 Recovery states that it has been deleted. It has not (I've since changed the file name so Windows doesn't automatically delete it at the end of the month).

I really don't like anything off the Start button in Windows 10 nor do I like the Edge Browser, so I tried to uninstall it. I'm stuck with it on my main PC that I use daily, but the other three computers running Windows 8.1 & Windows 7 will stay as they are.

I actually did install Windows 10 to one of the Windows 7 PCs using the download from Microsoft to a flash drive and was able to uninstall it. But the PC that was updated using the Windows Update, is stuck with Windows 10 so Classic Shell® has eased my Windows 10 anxiety a bit

Updated on Aug 23, 2015

Update:
Right after I had installed the latest version of Classic Shell, a newer version was available (version 4.2.4), which does not appear to be sluggish at all, so I would now rate this as "5 stars" if I could change my review.

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5 stars

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"Windows 8 is actually nice...if you use this!"

kh44567 April 04, 2015 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.0

2015-04-04 04:42:47 | By kh44567

Pros

-Makes windows 8 feel like an improved OS rather than making you feel like you would do anything to get 7 (and I tried)
-You can easily customize the start menu, there are a few main options that give a range of styles. I'm sure you can go more in depth.
-You never have to see the horrible windows 8 tablet style start screen (unless of course you are on a tablet...but little old Microsoft being a small operation can't afford to make two separate, optimized operating systems ; )

Cons

-Maybe a tad sluggish (I notice this more the first time I click on the start menu).

Summary

This makes windows 8 feel great. I hated using it and was desperately trying to find a way to download 7, but this actually makes me happy to have 8. Its sad that Microsoft won't listen to its customers and just offer this simple option built-in. I specifically have 8.1 and it does allow you to choose something closer to the old style (having a desktop, avoiding the new screen with randomly shaped squares), showing that they could customize. But, the built in option is still bulky and random looking. I tried one other, Pokki, and this just feels more like the original and allows me to totally never see the new 8 start screen!!

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5 stars

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"Great Piece of Software"

grey gohst February 26, 2015 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.0

2015-02-26 07:41:00 | By grey gohst

Pros

No problems
Clear instructions
Easy download
Does not interfere with other programs

Cons

None I can find!

Summary

Makes Windows 8 and 8.1 almost acceptable!

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5 stars

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"Lifesaver must have app"

February 08, 2015 / Version: Classic Shell 4.2.0

2015-02-08 10:08:04

Pros

Restores all the functionality lost with windows 8.1. Why MS offers Win8 as a paired down tablet OS for PC's is beyond my understanding. No fear, with classic shell I can play/work the same (better) way I always have.

Cons

Sure classic shell adds a few milliseconds to each navigation just as windows would if those features were included.

Summary

Go ahead! Buy a new PC with windows 8, with classic shell you'll think you had a full featured desktop OS.

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Full Specifications

What's new in version 4.3.1
Official support for the Creators Update version of Windows 10 Added a setting to clear icon cache Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

General
Publisher	Ivo Beltchev
Publisher web site	http://ibeltchev.users.sourceforge.net/
Release Date	August 13, 2017
Date Added	August 14, 2017
Version	4.3.1

Category
Category	Desktop Enhancements
Subcategory	Desktop Customization

Operating Systems
Operating Systems	Windows Vista/Server 2008/7/8
Additional Requirements	None

Download Information
File Size	6.85MB
File Name	ClassicShellSetup_4_3_1.exe

Popularity
Total Downloads	679,849
Downloads Last Week	575

Pricing
License Model	Free
Limitations	Not available
Price	Free

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Previous Versions

Classic Shell 4.3.0Classic Shell 4.2.5Classic Shell 4.2.4Classic Shell 4.2.1Classic Shell 4.2.0Classic Shell 4.1.0Classic Shell 4.0.6Classic Shell 4.0.5Classic Shell 4.0.4Classic Shell 4.0.2Classic Shell 3.6.8Classic Shell 3.6.7Classic Shell 3.6.6Classic Shell 3.6.5Classic Shell 3.6.4Classic Shell 3.6.3Classic Shell 3.6.2Classic Shell 3.6.1Classic Shell 3.5.1Classic Shell 3.5Classic Shell 3.4.1Classic Shell 3.3Classic Shell 3.2Classic Shell 3.2Classic Shell 3.2

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Classic Shell

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