List of alternative shells for Windows

This is a list of software that provides an alternative graphical user interface for Microsoft Windows operating systems. The technical term for this interface is a 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.

ShellSoftware licenseWindows versionsDevelopment status
3.1x9x2000XPVista7810 11
BlackboxGPLNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYes YesActive
BumpTopApache LicenseNoNoNoYesYesYesNoNo NoDiscontinued
Cairo ShellApache LicenseNoNoNoNoNoYesYesYes YesActive
CalmiraGPLYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo NoDiscontinued
Classic ShellProprietaryNoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesNoDiscontinued
Emerge DesktopGPLNoNoYesYesYesYesNoNo NoDiscontinued
LDE(X)GPLNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNo NoDiscontinued
LiteStepGPLNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes NoStalled
Norton DesktopProprietaryYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo NoDiscontinued
Open-ShellMIT LicenseNoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesNoActive
Packard Bell NavigatorProprietaryYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNo NoDiscontinued
ReactOS ExplorerGPLNoNoNoYesYesYesYesNo NoActive
SharpEnviroGPLNoNoNoYesYesYesNoNo NoDiscontinued
TabWorksProprietaryYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo NoDiscontinued
Talisman DesktopTrialwareNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes NoStalled
Xerox RoomsProprietaryYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo NoDiscontinued

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