View source for List of alternative shells for Windows

{{Short description|none}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}

This is a list of [[software]] that provides an alternative [[graphical user interface]] for [[Microsoft Windows]] [[operating system]]s. The technical term for this interface is a ''[[Shell (computing)|shell]]''. Windows' standard user interface is the  [[Windows shell]]; [[Windows 3.0]] and [[Windows 3.1x]] have a different shell, called [[Program Manager]]. The programs in this list do not restyle the Windows shell, but replace it; therefore, they look and function differently, and have different configuration options.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Shell !! rowspan="2" | [[Software license]] !! colspan="9" | [[List of Microsoft Windows versions|Windows versions]] !! rowspan="2" | Development status
|-
! [[Windows 3.1x|3.1x]] !! [[Windows 9x|9x]] !! [[Windows 2000|2000]] !! [[Windows XP|XP]] !! [[Windows Vista|Vista]] !! [[Windows 7|7]] !! [[Windows 8|8]] !! [[Windows 10|10]]
![[Windows 11|11]]
|-
| [[Blackbox#Windows_shell_replacements|Blackbox]] || {{free|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} 
|{{yes2|Yes}}||{{Dropped|Stalled}}
|-
| [[BumpTop]] || {{free|[[Apache License]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} ||  {{yes2|Yes}} 
|{{yes2|Yes}}|| {{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|-
| Cairo Shell || {{free|[[Apache License]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} ||{{yes2|Yes}} 
|{{yes2|Yes}}||  {{Site active}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Cairo Shell Homepage|url=https://cairoshell.com/|publisher=Cairo Development Team|accessdate=25 May 2024|date=30 May 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Calmira]] || {{free|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||  {{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|-
| [[PC Tools (software)#Utilities included|Central Point Desktop]] || {{Proprietary}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|-
| [[Classic Shell]] || {{Proprietary}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}}||  {{Site inactive|Discontinued<ref>{{cite web|title=Classic Shell no longer in development. Source code released|url=http://www.classicshell.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8147|accessdate=3 January 2024}}</ref>}}
|-
| Emerge Desktop ||  {{free|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} ||  {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}|| {{Site inactive|Discontinued<ref>{{cite web|title=emergedesktop.org has shutdown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511035450/http://www.emergedesktop.org/|publisher=Emerge|accessdate=25 March 2017|url=http://www.emergedesktop.org/|archivedate=11 May 2015}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[LDE(X)]] || {{free|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} ||  {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||{{Site inactive|Discontinued<ref>{{cite web|author1=phil|title=The road ahead is a cliff face|url=http://ldex.terica.net/community/comments.php?DiscussionID=19&page=1|website=LDE(x) Forums|accessdate=25 March 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026200020/http://ldex.terica.net/community/comments.php?DiscussionID=19&page=1|archivedate=26 October 2007|date=18 April 2007}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[LiteStep]] ||  {{free|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} ||  {{yes2|Yes}}  
|{{no2|No}}|| {{Dropped|Stalled<ref>{{cite web|author1=Donelle|title=Re: Added .NET Framework interoperability to the core and started a c# binding library|url=https://github.com/lsdev/LiteStep/pull/1#issuecomment-271501364|website=GitHub|accessdate=25 March 2017|date=11 January 2017}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[Norton Desktop]] || {{Proprietary}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|-
| [[Classic Shell|Open-Shell]] || {{free|[[MIT License]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}}|| {{Site active}}
|-
| [[Packard Bell Navigator]] || {{Proprietary}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} ||  {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|-
| [[NewWave]] || {{Proprietary}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||  {{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|-
|-
| [https://github.com/Vortesys/Program-Manager-II Program Manager II] || {{free|[[MIT License]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}}|| {{Dropped|Stalled}}
|-
| SharpEnviro ||{{free|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} ||  {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}|| {{Site inactive|Discontinued<ref>{{cite web|title=Download SharpEnviro|url=https://sharpe.sourceforge.net/Download.html|accessdate=3 January 2024}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[TabWorks]] || {{Proprietary}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|-
| Talisman Desktop || {{proprietary|[[Trialware]]}} || {{no2|No}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{yes2|Yes}} ||{{yes2|Yes}} 
|{{no2|No}}||  {{Dropped|Stalled}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Talisman Desktop|url=http://www.lighttek.com/talisman.htm|publisher=LightTek Software|accessdate=15 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Talisman Desktop News, no updates since Aug 15, 2011|url=http://www.lighttek.com/talismannew.htm|publisher=LightTek Software|accessdate=15 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[Xerox Rooms]] || {{Proprietary}} || {{yes2|Yes}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} || {{no2|No}} 
|{{no2|No}}||{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
|}

==See also==
* [[Comparison of Start menu replacements for Windows 8]]
* [[Comparison of X Window System desktop environments]]
* [[Desktop environment]]
* [[History of the graphical user interface]]
* [[Microsoft Bob]]
* [[Removal of Internet Explorer]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web |url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms838576.aspx |title=Windows XP Embedded&nbsp;– Different Shells for Different Users |last1=Liming |first1=Sean |date=August 2003 |work=[[Microsoft Developer Network]] |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |accessdate=15 November 2011}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alternative shells for Windows}}
[[Category:Desktop shell replacement]]
[[Category:Windows-only software|*]]
[[Category:Computing-related lists]]