If you're sticking with Windows 10, use this trick to make it look a bit more like Windows 11 for free

For many people a new version of Windows is about little more than a slightly updated look and feel. With the average user hardly scratching the surface of the operating system's features, looks can be one of the most important things.

You may be one of the many people who see little reason to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, or it may be that hardware requirements make it impossible. Whatever your reason for continuing to use Windows 10, you can treat your eyes to some of the Windows 11 aesthetics using a neat trick.

See also:

• Windows 10 KB5040525 update patches a slew of WDAC problems, fixes Windows Backup, and addresses many more issues
• Intel finally determines cause of processor instability issues and has a patch in the pipeline
• Microsoft brings new archive format support, Copilot improvements and new emoji to Windows 11 with the KB5040442 update

While there are numerous skinning and theming apps out there that can be used to make Windows 10 look like Windows 11, the method we're looking at does not require any software. What you will need, however, is access to a Windows 11 PC as you're going to be copying some files to your Windows 10 machine.

Thanks to the compatibility of the theming engines used in Windows 10 and Windows 11, it is possible to migrate some of the design elements of the newer OS to the older one. This is something that was noted by X users Bob Pony:

As the post points out, getting some of the look of Windows 11 in Windows 10 is a simple matter of copying the Resources folder. You will need the help of a tool such as Iobit Unlocker to copy the files as they are in use by Windows.

As both Bob Pony and XDA Developers (to whom thanks for sharing the tip) note, the effect is subtle; you will notice updated scrollbars and button stylings, for instance.