What you need to know
- DISCLAIMER: Running third-party scripts may potentially harm or render your device unusable. Proceed with caution.
- A script called Revert8Plus can transform Windows 11 or 10 with visual aesthetics from Windows 7 or Vista without functional differences.
- Tamper protection in Virus and Threat Protection Settings in Windows must be turned off for the script to work.
According to StatCounter's January report, Windows 10 still dominates the market share with 66.47%, followed by Microsoft's two-year-old OS, Windows 11, which holds a 27.83% market share. This is a significant improvement from December's 26.54%, which could indicate that users are transitioning to Windows 11 ahead of Windows 10's end-of-support, which is slated for October 2025.
Users have outrightly highlighted the design flaws consistent with Microsoft's latest OS, especially in the Start menu, coupled with strict minimum requirements to run the OS, as some of the main reasons for their hesitance to upgrade to Windows 11. Windows 10's Live Tiles, a popular and favorite feature among most users, is also seemingly missing in action in Windows 11.
As a result, there's an emergence of third-party apps designed by developers to solve some of these issues, including Stardock's Start11 or the Files app. And now, there's a new way to transform your Windows 11 or 10 into older and unsupported Windows operating systems, including Windows 7 or Vista.
Users can achieve this via a third-party script dubbed Revert8Plus, as spotted by BetaNews. The installation process is pretty straightforward; you only need to launch the Run box and enter the script. The transformation process takes some time, depending on the features you'd like to include while overhauling your OS.
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It's critical to note that you must manually turn off tamper protection in Virus and Threat Protection Settings if you're running Windows 11 on your device. However, the third-party script will do this automatically if you're using Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 8.
A dated theme for Windows 11
When you opt for the Windows 7 aesthetic during the transformation process, your OS will spot Windows 7's taskbar, Start menu, login dialog, dated boot screen, and more. The transformation process also ships with neat features and tools like the beloved Windows Media Center.
The same also applies to Windows Vista. Revert8Plus only changes the look and feel, not other functional elements of the OS (think of it like a traditional theme).
WARNING: When installing this third-party script, you potentially run the risk of rendering your device unusable. As such, we strongly recommend that you exercise caution.
You may also encounter some issues with Revert8Plus since it's not fully compatible with all Windows versions, as highlighted in the list below:
- Windows 8 -- Fully Supported -- 100%
- Windows 8.1 -- Fully Supported -- 100%
- Windows 10 1809 -- Fully Supported -- 100%
- Windows 10 21H2 -- Fully Supported -- 97%
- Windows 10 22H2 -- Fully Supported -- 97%
- Windows 11 21H2 -- Supported -- 80%
- Windows 11 22H2 -- Supported -- 80%
- Windows 11 23H2 -- Supported -- 80%
Finally, when running the script, you can revert to your operating system setup by uninstalling the theme-related programs installed on your device.
Would you use it? Are your nostalgic feelings for Vista strong enough to go back in time? It's straightforward enough if you do, so let us know in the comments or share some screenshots of your results!
