Enable the Old Volume Control in Windows 10

If you're not comfortable with the new style and changes brought by Windows 10, it's possible to adapt the computer to the older ways of Windows with the aid of simple registry tweaks.

Unless you want to spend a lot of time exploring the Internet for instructions on how to make edits to the registry, which could lead to serious stability issues if you don't know what you're doing, there's an app for that.

For example, if you miss the classical applet of the system's volume control, you can take the opportunity to download and install a tiny script, which gives you the possibility to enable the old volume control in Windows 10.

In fact, the downloaded archive contains two registration entry files (.reg format): for activating the old volume applet as well as for reverting to the default style of Windows 10 if you later change your mind.

It's quite convenient to toggle these two modes since it's only necessary to double-click one of the files, confirm administrative rights if you have User Account Control (UAC) enabled, allow the tool to make the registry modifications, then confirm the notification window which says it's done.

To check and see if it worked, you can just click the volume control's icon in the systray. To go back to the Windows 10 style, you have to go through the same basic procedure with the other .reg file. Additional actions are not required and that includes having to restart your computer (which is necessary in more serious registry tweaks).

The only requirement is that you have to be the computer's administrator, or that you know the credentials of the admin. Thanks to this little script as well as the fact that the original applet is still hidden somewhere on the computer, anyone can activate the classical look of Volume Control (before Windows 10).