Is it still possible to turn on the classic Alt+Tab interface in Windows 11, especially Windows 11 24H2? The short answer is NO. Despite what you might read on Reddit and the internet, Microsoft has blocked all safe paths to enabling the classic Alt+Tal interface in Windows 11.
Windows 11’s polished appearance looks nice, but long-time users, especially those who have witnessed the transition from Windows XP to the present, crave some old elements.
One such element is the classic Alt + Tab dialog that opens when you press the aforementioned shortcut. If you don’t remember, the old Alt + Tab dialog had only icons with a flat icon UI instead of the big icons with thumbnails that are available in 22H2 onwards.
While it was possible to restore it using a registry tweak, Microsoft seems to have blocked it in Windows 11 24H2.
Windows Latest tried all the possible tricks to restore the legacy Alt + Tab layout in Windows 11 24H2 and preview builds, but nothing worked.
Using Windows Registry to restore Alt+Tab in Windows 11
First, we started with the registry tweak of adding a new dialog AltTabSettings Dword value that restores the classic menu.
We tried these steps to force restore the classic Alt+Tab in Windows 11:
- First, we opened Windows Run and launched Registry Editor through the regedit.
- Then, we navigated to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer.
- We right-clicked in the right panel and clicked New > 32-bit DWORD.
- We created a new value named AltTabSettings, and changed its value to 1 by double clicking.
All the tutorials we followed had recommended the above steps, but after restarting the PC, there were no results. The Alt-Tab classic interface didn’t appear in Windows 11.
Then, we tried using open-source Explorer Patcher, which works well with other UI tweaks, such as changing the interface of the Start menu. We also used it for other experimentations. For example, we rrecently used Explorer Patcher to demonstrate removing the “Learn more about this picture” icon on the desktop.
Explorer Patcher has multiple options to restore the old Windows 10, Windows NT, and even a custom simple bar. But that also ended in despair as the option to turn on classic Alt-Tab style didn’t work at all.
Lastly, we tried another popular open-source app to adjust Windows features. Most apps no longer have the option to restore the classic Alt+ Tab dialog.
It could be because Microsoft has finally removed the feature from Windows 11.
Retro look ruined
While the classic Alt+Tab menu was a niche preference, removing it will surely hurt enthusiasts who love to do retro themed PC appearances while enjoying the benefits of a modern system. The next time you try to do the classic XP look or Windows 7 design on your PC, you’ll miss the Alt + Tab dialog.
While talking about menus, it’s hard to forget the classic right-click context menu that caused a major uproar at the time of Windows 11 release. All the above-mentioned apps still offer an option to restore the old menu because it was simply so much better.
Microsoft has been making incremental improvements, such as adding labels to frequently used actions, but it’s an uphill battle to convince everyone.
What about you? Do you miss the classic Alt-Tab in Windows 11? Let us know in the comments below.
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