With Microsoft releasing Windows 11 soon, there are still many people using Windows 7, either because they refused to, or for some reasons, can’t upgrade to Windows 10. The good thing is, you can still make your Windows 7 look and feel like Windows 10 with just a few clicks. Here are some of the best Windows 10 theme that you can install on Windows 7.
Note: before doing anything, it is really important to have a good and complete backup of your system. This helps you to revert back if anything bad happens.
Things You Need
To transform your Windows 7 system to look like Window 10, you need to download some software and also be ready to restart your system. Below is the software you need to follow through.
Windows 10 transformation pack 7.0 (main software to be installed)
Windows 10 theme for Windows 7 (actual additional theme files)
Additionally, install 7-Zip so that you can easily extract the theme files to your desktop.
Transform Windows 7 into Windows 10
The Windows 10 transformation pack works superbly on existing Windows 7 machines. It helps with a safe installation to produce the closest Windows 10 feel. After downloading the software, save it in an accessible folder and extract the .exe file using 7-zip.
You will be greeted by a GUI installer which looks like a replica of Windows 10. Check the default options for virtual desktop, Cortana-like search bar, Start menu, and large aero auto-colorization. Disable the option for immersive UI, as it’s not that developed. Click “Install” to proceed.
The Windows 10-like theme will now be installed on your system. It takes a while, as the system adopts changes for taskbar, apps, settings, and other minor features. This is just a new theme for your Windows 7 device and will not affect your programs and files in any manner.
The whole update takes a generous amount of time. Just wait for the “updating imageres.dll” screen, after which the updates finish more quickly.
After the updates are finished, you only have to restart the PC once to achieve the theme change.
When the Windows 7 system restarts, accept and agree to a desktop license agreement for SysInternals.
The new “Windows 10” theme allows you to work with four virtual desktops. Select the hotkeys. Don’t choose options like “Alt + F4,” as they are system shortcuts. It’s safer to choose “Alt” with numbers.
The new Windows 10-like theme greets you on a Windows 7 desktop. It has two search bars: one on the taskbar and one inside the Start menu. There are tiled placeholders which resemble a “+” sign. You can put any of your favorite apps over these tiles. This is the closest you will get to a Windows 10 theme on a Windows 7 device.
Applying Windows 10 Dark Theme on Windows 7
Using the same above transformation pack, you can have your own customized dark theme. For this, go to the search bar inside the Start menu and search for “themes,” You can use Windows 7’s native “change the theme” option to achieve a Windows 10-like dark theme.
Choose from among the dark themes, such as “high contrast.” If you have previously installed any other dark themes on your system, you can choose one of those as well.
The selected dark theme will work easily with the Windows 10 Transformation pack. You can import more such dark themes from actual additional theme files link on Deviantart. (See the link under the “Things You Need section.)
Uninstall Windows 10 Theme
If you find you do you not like your installed Windows 10 theme, uninstalling it is very easy. Again, go to the search bar inside the Start menu and select “uninstall a program.” Do remember that once you uninstall this useful Windows 10-like feature, you can no longer use the search bar in this manner again. Give the Windows 10 theme a proper try before uninstalling.
Select the Windows 10 transformation pack program to uninstall.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I get Windows 10 features on Windows 7?
Truthfully, the only way to get Windows 10 features is to upgrade your Windows 7 to Windows 10. Other than that, you can’t transform your Windows 7 desktop into a Windows 10 one. Windows 10’s Start menu, search bar, and Outlook/Calendar/OneDrive integrations are impossible to achieve in a Windows 7 device. The theme above can only transform the interface, but not the features.
2. Can I upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10?
Yes, you can upgrade from Windows 7/8/8.1, but it won’t be free any longer. You will have to purchase a separate Windows 10 license. The detailed and complete steps have been covered here. If you’re already using Windows 10, you can always go for a free re-installation using Microsoft’s official Media Creation Tool. This does help in clearing the bugs and slowdowns.
3. Can I migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 11?
No. This is because most Windows 7 systems were designed almost a decade ago. Windows 11 is the latest operating system which is only supported in Trusted Platform Module 2.0-ready devices released in the last few years. However, if you have a Windows 10 device, you can freely migrate to Windows 11, providing it meets the compatibility requirements.
We have seen here how windows 10 themes can be imported to Windows 7. Are you a regular Windows 7 user? Many of us still find this version very dependable for regular computing. Despite the lack of updates, it’s healthy to use Windows 7 with workarounds with its anti-virus, sufficient RAM, and disk management tools.