# retrobar.dev

> Independent, source-checked and hands-on tested documentation for RetroBar (github.com/dremin/RetroBar), the free, open-source program by Sam Johnson (dremin) that replaces the Windows 10 and Windows 11 taskbar with a classic Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP or Vista taskbar. Facts are checked against RetroBar 1.22.122 (released 2026-08-02). Not affiliated with the RetroBar project. Not about the RetroBat emulator front-end. Contact: hello@retrobar.dev

## Key facts

- Latest release: 1.22.122 (2026-08-02), Apache-2.0 license, 4,441 GitHub stars, 917,102 release downloads in total.
- Official downloads: https://github.com/dremin/RetroBar/releases (RetroBar.Installer.zip and RetroBar.Portable.zip); winget id dremin.RetroBar.
- Needs the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime on Windows 10/11 (.NET 6 on Windows 7 SP1 and 8.1). The installer downloads it if missing.
- 19 built-in themes, 47 languages, 41 settings stored in %LOCALAPPDATA%\RetroBar\settings.json.
- RetroBar only replaces the taskbar. Its Start button opens the normal Windows Start menu; pair it with Open-Shell for a classic Start menu.
- RetroBar has no command-line options; change settings.json while it is closed (see /tools/settings-builder/).

## Start here

- [Home](https://retrobar.dev/): Independent, tested guide to RetroBar: download, all 19 themes on real Windows, settings, custom themes and fixes. Checked against RetroBar 1.22.122.
- [Download](https://retrobar.dev/download/): Get the official RetroBar 1.22.122 for Windows 11, 10, 8.1 or 7: which file to pick, SHA-256 hashes, winget, Scoop and the .NET runtime it needs.
- [FAQ](https://retrobar.dev/faq/): Short, checked answers about RetroBar 1.22.122: what it is, whether it is free and safe, Windows 11, themes, Start menu, settings, performance and removing it.
- [How to use](https://retrobar.dev/how-to-use/): A practical guide to RetroBar 1.22.122: right-click menus, Properties, Quick Launch, task buttons, the notification area and clock, moving and resizing.
- [Install](https://retrobar.dev/install/): Install RetroBar 1.22.122 with every installer screen shown on Windows 11: what each option does, the .NET 10 step that can look stuck, and the portable way.
- [Is it safe?](https://retrobar.dev/is-retrobar-safe/): Is RetroBar safe to install? Open source, unsigned, what it changes, its only network request, our Defender scans and hashes for 1.22.122, and where to get it.
- [Uninstall](https://retrobar.dev/uninstall/): Remove RetroBar 1.22.122 completely: the uninstaller's questions, what it leaves behind (we checked), the portable version and a taskbar that keeps hiding.

## Site

- [About](https://retrobar.dev/about/): Who runs retrobar.dev, how we test RetroBar on real Windows, how we check facts against its source code, and how we keep the pages current.
- [Contact](https://retrobar.dev/contact/): Report a mistake on retrobar.dev, suggest a page or a community theme to test, or ask a question.
- [Disclaimer](https://retrobar.dev/disclaimer/): retrobar.dev is an independent guide. It is not the RetroBar project, not Microsoft, and not RetroBat.
- [Privacy](https://retrobar.dev/privacy/): What retrobar.dev collects: no accounts and no ads; Google Analytics counts visits. The tools run in your browser and send nothing to us.
- [Terms](https://retrobar.dev/terms/): The terms for using retrobar.dev, its guides, scripts and browser tools.

## Compare

- [Alternatives](https://retrobar.dev/alternatives/): RetroBar compared with StartAllBack, ExplorerPatcher, Windhawk's Taskbar Styler, Open-Shell and Stardock: what each changes, price, what to combine.
- [Taskbar history](https://retrobar.dev/history/): The Windows taskbar from 1995 to today: what each version added, from Quick Launch to the Vista orb, shown with real screenshots of RetroBar's matching themes.
- [Review](https://retrobar.dev/review/): Our RetroBar 1.22.122 review after testing it on Windows 11 and Windows Server: what it does well, what it cannot do, performance, and who it is for.
- [RetroBar vs ExplorerPatcher](https://retrobar.dev/vs/explorerpatcher/): RetroBar vs ExplorerPatcher, both installed and photographed by us on Windows 11 and Server 2025: Windows 10 taskbar vs classic, Start menu, uninstall.
- [RetroBar vs StartAllBack](https://retrobar.dev/vs/startallback/): RetroBar vs StartAllBack, both run by us: StartAllBack's Remastered 7, Kinda 10 and Proper 11 styles next to RetroBar's themes, price, how each works.
- [RetroBar vs Windhawk](https://retrobar.dev/vs/windhawk/): RetroBar vs Windhawk's Taskbar Styler, both run on Windows 11 and Server 2025 by us: XP, Vista and 7 looks side by side, layout, Start menu, memory, setup.

## Taskbar how-tos

- [Classic taskbar on Windows 11](https://retrobar.dev/classic-taskbar-windows-11/): Get the classic taskbar back on Windows 11: which old features Windows 11 now has itself (2026), which it does not, and how RetroBar brings back the rest.
- [Move the taskbar](https://retrobar.dev/move-taskbar-windows-11/): Move the Windows 11 taskbar to the top or side: Windows' new Taskbar position setting, its limits, and RetroBar for a classic vertical or top taskbar.
- [Never combine](https://retrobar.dev/never-combine-taskbar-windows-11/): One taskbar button per window, with its title, in Windows 11: Windows' own Never combine setting, and RetroBar's classic taskbar.
- [Quick Launch](https://retrobar.dev/quick-launch-windows-11/): Windows 11's taskbar has no toolbars, so the old Quick Launch trick is gone. RetroBar has a real Quick Launch: adding, ordering, choosing the folder.
- [Clock with seconds](https://retrobar.dev/taskbar-clock-seconds-windows-11/): Show seconds in the Windows 11 taskbar clock: where Microsoft moved the setting, and seconds in RetroBar's classic clock.
- [All monitors](https://retrobar.dev/taskbar-on-all-monitors/): The taskbar on every monitor: Windows 11's own setting, RetroBar's multiple-display options (which windows show where), and the flicker fix.
- [Multiple rows](https://retrobar.dev/windows-11-taskbar-multiple-rows/): Windows 11 has no setting for a taskbar with several rows. RetroBar brings it back: two to five rows or more, set in Properties or by dragging.
- [Windows XP taskbar](https://retrobar.dev/windows-xp-taskbar-windows-11/): Three steps to the Windows XP taskbar on Windows 11 with RetroBar, the XP Start menu with Open-Shell, and how it compares with Windhawk's WinXP taskbar style.

## Reference

- [Languages](https://retrobar.dev/languages/): Every language RetroBar 1.22.122 ships, how complete each translation is, how RetroBar picks your language, and how to add or fix a translation.
- [Releases](https://retrobar.dev/releases/): All 24 RetroBar releases from 1.0.8 to 1.22.122: what each added, download counts, which version added which feature, and what is coming next.
- [Settings reference](https://retrobar.dev/settings/): All 41 RetroBar 1.22.122 settings: what each one does, where it is in Properties, its settings.json name, default and allowed values.
- [Start menu](https://retrobar.dev/start-menu/): RetroBar has no Start menu of its own. Add Open-Shell with our three tested presets matching RetroBar's 95, XP and Vista themes, and fix a dead Start button.
- [Test results](https://retrobar.dev/tested/): How retrobar.dev tests RetroBar 1.22.122 on Windows 11 and Windows Server: the machines, every step the script runs, what we measured, and the raw logs.
- [Windows 11](https://retrobar.dev/windows-11/): RetroBar 1.22.122 on Windows 11 25H2 and Windows 10, tested: Arm64, the Windows 11 taskbar, Start, Wi-Fi and tray icons, widgets and multiple displays.
- [Windows 7 & 8.1](https://retrobar.dev/windows-7/): RetroBar 1.22.122 on Windows 7 SP1 and 8.1: the separate .NET 6 build, the Windows update a fresh Windows 7 needs, what differs from Windows 10 and 11.

## Retro makeovers

- [Windows 11 like 10](https://retrobar.dev/make-windows-11-look-like-windows-10/): Make Windows 11 look like Windows 10: ExplorerPatcher (free) or StartAllBack (paid) restore its taskbar; RetroBar's Windows 10 Dark theme is a lighter option.
- [Windows 11 like 7](https://retrobar.dev/make-windows-11-look-like-windows-7/): Make Windows 11 look like Windows 7: the free route with a community RetroBar theme and Open-Shell (tested), the paid StartAllBack route, the limits.
- [Windows 11 like 95](https://retrobar.dev/make-windows-11-look-like-windows-95/): Make Windows 11 look like Windows 95, 98, Me or 2000: the grey taskbar and classic Start menu (free, tested), the teal desktop, and what will stay Windows 11.
- [Windows 11 like XP](https://retrobar.dev/make-windows-11-look-like-windows-xp/): Make Windows 11 look like Windows XP: the XP taskbar and Start menu (free, tested), what window frames need, and what cannot change. An honest checklist.

## Themes

- [All themes](https://retrobar.dev/themes/): Every built-in RetroBar 1.22.122 theme from Windows 95 to Vista, in real screenshots: what each looks like, what it is based on, and how to switch.
- [Custom themes](https://retrobar.dev/themes/custom/): Where RetroBar loads .xaml themes from, why downloaded themes lose their Start button or crash, the fix we tested on Windows 11, and every theme key.
- [Community gallery](https://retrobar.dev/themes/gallery/): Community RetroBar themes we downloaded, installed as their authors describe and tested on Windows 11 and Server: Windows 7 Aero, Windows 10 Dark, Flat Dark.
- [Windows 7 theme](https://retrobar.dev/themes/windows-7/): RetroBar has no built-in Windows 7 theme, but a community Windows 7 Aero theme exists: we installed and tested all five variants. How to install it.
- [Windows 95 to 2000](https://retrobar.dev/themes/windows-95-98/): The classic grey taskbar in RetroBar: Windows 95-98 (the default), Me and 2000 in real screenshots, how they differ, and a matching Start menu.
- [Windows Vista](https://retrobar.dev/themes/windows-vista/): RetroBar's Windows Vista themes in real screenshots: Aero and its orb, Basic, Classic, Longhorn, the blur setting and a Vista Start menu.
- [Windows XP](https://retrobar.dev/themes/windows-xp/): RetroBar's eight Windows XP themes, Luna Blue to Zune, in real screenshots, plus the settings and Start menu that make Windows 11 look like XP.

## Tools

- [All tools](https://retrobar.dev/tools/): Free browser tools for RetroBar 1.22.122: build settings.json or a theme-switch script, check a custom theme before installing it, and pick the right download.
- [Retro Makeover](https://retrobar.dev/tools/makeover/): Pick Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista or 7 and get one script that sets RetroBar's theme, an Open-Shell Start menu and a desktop colour, with undo.
- [Settings Builder](https://retrobar.dev/tools/settings-builder/): Build a RetroBar settings.json in your browser, or get a PowerShell script that changes the theme and settings for you. Checked against RetroBar 1.22.122.
- [Theme Studio](https://retrobar.dev/tools/theme-studio/): Make your own RetroBar theme: start from a built-in theme, change colours, font and height with a live preview, and download a .xaml that loads the tested way.

## Fix it

- [Troubleshooting](https://retrobar.dev/troubleshooting/): Fixes for RetroBar 1.22.122: Windows taskbar still showing, full-screen apps, Start menu, missing Wi-Fi icon, won't start, theme crashes, resetting it.