AcrylicMenus

Along the years, user interfaces seem to follow recurring trends according to users’ preferences, and Windows is no exception to this scenario, with its latest iteration including multiple design styles, one of which emulates the spirit of Windows 7’s Aero Glass theme through a translucent background classified as Acrylic, which can be applied to the legacy 32-bit context menus through a lightweight app known as AcrylicMenus.

The portable program is shipped in a zipped archive format containing multiple items meant to greatly simplify the user experience and remove the necessity of interacting with extra application windows, menus or adding another icon to an already crowded system tray area. As such, users can simply run the included executable file temporarily in order to check if the change in the context menu’s background fits their preferences, and terminate the executable from the Task Manager if necessary.

Otherwise, the installation process is handled by two separate batch files customized for both single-user and multi-user computers to bypass any User Account Control pop-ups that may stand in the way of activating the app’s core feature. For times when the original flat and opaque design of the context menu feels more suitable, a dedicated command file can be executed to revert the change without having to resort to the Control Panel’s legacy uninstallation section to do so.

Moreover, since certain updates done to the operating system also tend to include changes to the user interface, a quick shortcut to the program’s repository is provided to let you check for newer versions adapted to the latest iterations of Windows. Finally, since its source code is openly available, those with programming experience can make suggestions or fork the repository to create custom versions featuring changes that fit their preferences.

If Windows’ legacy flat and opaque design does not suit your preferences, and you wish to bring back a part of Windows 7’s Aero theme in the form of translucent context menu backgrounds for 32-bit applications and the File Explorer, AcrylicMenus may be the right program for you, given its commitment to an Acrylic style that matches Windows 11’s default theme.