Windows 11 may not be the perfect operating system, but it's certainly a modern one. With that comes security updates and support for features needed in 2025.
But what happens if you want the security and updates of Windows 11 but the look of a version of Windows from yesteryear? In comes Windhawk to save the day.
A new theme for Windhawk called Windows Vista 2025 Edition allows you to customize your Windows 11 PC to look like it's running Windows Vista.
Getting Windows Vista 2025 Edition onto your PC takes a bit of a process. You need to install Windhawk, download several mods, download a set of files from Google Drive, and customize the settings of your mods.
Link Vegas has a YouTube video that shows off the theme and guides you through installation. That video also links to the needed files for the theme.
What is Windhawk?
Windhawk is a customization marketplace for Windows and other programs. Through Windhawk, you can find mods to customize the look of Windows 11.
Windhawk is an open-source platform with a robust library of mods shared by developers. Those mods tweak certain parts of Windows, such as the taskbar or Start menu.
Here are some of the most popular mods available through Windhawk:
- Windows 11 Start Menu Styler
- Taskbar height and icon size
- Windows 11 Taskbar Styler
- Windows 11 Notification Center Styler
- Taskbar Volume Control
- Taskbar Clock Customization
- Better file sizes in Explorer details
- Slick Window Arrangement
Is Windhawk safe?
As with anything that modifies a system, there are risks in using Windhawk and the mods made available through the platform. If you know what you're doing and follow good practices, such as backing up your system, you can likely use Windhawk without any issues.
Sticking with the most popular and well-reviewed mods will likely result in a more stable setup as well.
Some programs will not like it if you use Windhawk on your PC. Certain pieces of antivirus software may flag up Windhawk.
Unfortunately, using Windhawk can affect your ability to play certain PC games, since some anti-cheat software does not get along well with Windhawk.
Windows Vista in 2025
The biggest changes when using the theme to make your PC look like it's running Windows Vista alter the taskbar and Start menu.
To be completely honest, the theme looks more like a mashup of Windows Vista and Windows 11 than a Vista clone. That's reasonable considering the mods tweak Windows 11 and have to accommodate app icons.
It's interesting that when you mash together several versions of Windows design you can see what aspects have been carried over throughout the years. The Vista theme also reminds me of Windows 7 and Windows 10, especially when it comes to the apps list.
Windows nostalgia
I always find it a bit funny that so many people hate certain parts of Windows when they come out and then years later people are nostalgic for classic versions of Windows. But that will happen when hundreds of millions of people use an operating system, some will hate it and some will love it.
Tech nostalgia is real, and it's a big reason we find any excuse we can to talk about Windows Phone. Heck, I even wrote about someone cramming iPhone parts into a Lumia 1020 this month.
I hear about people longing for the days of Windows Phone more than I hear calls to bring back Windows Vista, but there are people passionate about older versions of Windows.
Most of the time I hear people mention Windows Vista it's to discuss problems with the operating system. Maybe taking Windows 11 and modding it to look like Windows Vista is the perfect solution.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
