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RetroBar vs StartAllBack
StartAllBack is a paid program that changes Windows 11's own taskbar, Start menu and File Explorer to look like Windows 7, 10 or a cleaner 11. RetroBar is a free, separate taskbar in the style of Windows 95 to Vista. We installed StartAllBack on one of our test machines and photographed its three styles.
On this page 6 sections
Short answer
Should I use RetroBar or StartAllBack?
For a Windows 7-style PC, with the taskbar, Start menu and File Explorer all changed by one program, StartAllBack (paid, $4.99 per PC, with a trial). For a Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP or Vista taskbar, which StartAllBack does not offer, RetroBar (free). StartAllBack changes Windows' own shell; RetroBar runs beside it and can simply be closed.
StartAllBack's three styles
Its configuration window offers three ready-made themes, which it describes as “Proper 11”, “Kinda 10” and “Remastered 7”. These are their taskbars on our test machine, at twice the size.
The same idea with RetroBar
RetroBar has no Windows 10 or 11 styles, and StartAllBack has nothing older than Windows 7. Where they meet, at Windows 7, RetroBar needs a community theme and, for the Start menu, Open-Shell:
The differences
| Feature | StartAllBack | RetroBar |
|---|---|---|
| Looks | Windows 7, 10 and 11 styles (Remastered 7, Kinda 10, Proper 11), with many options | 19 built-in themes from Windows 95 to Vista, plus community themes |
| What it changes | Windows' own taskbar and Start menu, plus File Explorer and context menus | Only the taskbar: a separate program; Windows' taskbar is hidden while it runs |
| How it works | Registers components that Explorer loads (we saw its DLLs inside Explorer) | Its own program; nothing is loaded into Explorer |
| Start menu | Its own, Windows 7-like | Opens your Start menu; add Open-Shell for a classic one |
| Price | $4.99 for one PC, with a trial | Free, open source (Apache-2.0) |
| Code signature | Signed (valid in our test) | Not signed (details) |
Which to choose
- StartAllBack if you want Windows 7 (or 10) across the taskbar, Start menu and File Explorer, are happy to pay a few dollars, and are comfortable with a program that changes Explorer.
- RetroBar for Windows 95 to Vista looks, Quick Launch and text task buttons, or if you want something free that leaves Windows untouched.
- Not together: both replace what you see at the bottom of the screen. If you try RetroBar with StartAllBack installed, turn off StartAllBack's taskbar changes first (why two taskbar tools clash).
How we tested StartAllBack
On 31 October 2026, with our script startallback.ps1:
- Read Microsoft's winget catalogue entry for StartAllBack 3.9.28 and downloaded the installer from the address it lists. Its SHA-256 matched the catalogue (
a760f333f6e3305e7f0e4a09982da129d01003752aa2260513a583f5e5be7b29) and its code signature was valid. - Installed it for the current user (the catalogue's
/silentswitch). It registered 8 components for Explorer under the user's own settings, with no startup entries or scheduled tasks. Explorer did not load them, even after we restarted it. - Removed that copy and ran the setup again, choosing Install for everyone. The same 8 components were registered for the whole PC, and Explorer loaded StartAllBack straight away (
StartAllBackLoaderX64.dll,StartAllBackX64.dll,DarkMagicX64.dll). - In its configuration window, chose each of its three styles in turn, closed the window and photographed the taskbar and the Start menu (Windows key).
Windows Server 2025, build 26100.33650 (Windows 11's taskbar), 2026-10-31. On our Windows 11 Arm64 machine the install for everyone did not finish within three minutes, so there are no Arm64 results. Raw results: results.json, log.
Questions
Is StartAllBack free?
No. It costs $4.99 for one PC on its official store, after a trial. RetroBar, Open-Shell and ExplorerPatcher are free.
Can StartAllBack look like Windows XP or 95?
No: its styles are Windows 7, 10 and 11. For XP, Vista or the classic 95 to 2000 look, use RetroBar.
Is StartAllBack safe?
The installer we downloaded, from the address in Microsoft's winget catalogue, matched the catalogue's checksum and carried a valid code signature. Like ExplorerPatcher and Windhawk, it works by loading its own code into Explorer, which is how it can change Windows' own taskbar.
Keep going
Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us at hello@retrobar.dev and we will fix it.