OldNewExplorer

OldNewExplorer is a free shell extension by Tihiy that allows you to return elements of the familiar Explorer from Windows 7 to Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. It does not replace Explorer, but changes how some of its parts look and behave. "Returning" the old shell is literally one click away: just run the OldNewExplorer configuration tool and click on the "Install" button. You can then select which parameters to change. For example, the program allows you to restore the classic drive grouping in This PC, use libraries and hide folders from This PC, switch to the classic command bar instead of the Ribbon panel, hide the caption text and icon, remove the Up button, show the details pane at the bottom and choose the appearance and status bar styles. If for some reason you are not satisfied with the results of the program, you can quickly undo all the changes by pressing the "Uninstall" button. The installation and uninstallation processes require the user to have administrator rights.

OldNewExplorer has no setup program: you extract the archive to a folder that all users can access and run the configuration tool from there. The shell extension is registered for all users, while settings are stored per user, and no changes are enabled by default. Also keep in mind that sometimes you may need to restart Explorer or log off to apply changes. The developer calls the tool experimental, it has not been updated for years and Windows 11 is not officially supported, so use it at your own risk. The program is completely free and does not contain any paid functions.

OldNewExplorer lets you easily revert to the familiar Windows 7 Explorer interface in newer versions.