RetroBar

RetroBar is a free, open-source program that replaces the modern Windows taskbar with a classic one in the style of Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP or Vista. It runs on Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11, and it is developed on GitHub by dremin under the Apache 2.0 licence.

Features:

- Classic taskbar layout with Start button, task list and quick launch toolbar
- Start button that opens the regular modern Start menu
- Native notification area with balloon notification support
- Task list with UWP app support and drag reordering
- Show or hide the clock, lock the taskbar or auto-hide it
- Taskbar on any side of the screen, even on Windows 11
- Resizable taskbar with support for multiple rows
- Taskbar, notification area and clock on multiple monitors
- Vista-style window thumbnails
- XP-style collapsible notification area with drag reordering
- Input language and keyboard layout switcher
- Themes for Windows 95-98, Me, 2000, XP (Blue, Olive Green, Silver, Royale and more), Vista, Longhorn Aero and Watercolor
- Custom theme support
- Interface translated into dozens of languages

RetroBar is built on the ManagedShell library, which gives it good compatibility and performance. Its Properties window lets you pick the language, theme and screen location, enable font smoothing, add the Show Desktop button, adjust the taskbar scale up to 200% and start RetroBar automatically at logon. The installer downloads the required Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime if it is missing, and a portable version is also available. Additional themes made by the community can be found on DeviantArt and in the theme channel of the project's Discord server.

RetroBar restores a classic taskbar with Start button, quick launch and notification area on modern Windows versions.