Open-Shell

ApplicationOpen-Shell team

Also called classic shell, open shell menu

Open-Shell teamSystem

A classic Start menu. Classic Shell is the old name. The process is StartMenu.exe. It is not StartAllBack.

What you need to know

Open-Shell is Classic Shell's fork. StartAllBack is a paid Windows 11 restyle.

Open-Shell continues Classic Shell. Get it from GitHub. StartMenu.exe is the menu host. StartAllBack is a different paid product from StartIsBack.

What is it?: A classic Start menu. Classic Shell's fork
Same as StartAllBack?: No. StartAllBack is a paid Win11 restyle
Old name?: Classic Shell

Feex says

If you want Classic Shell on a current PC, I would install Open-Shell from GitHub. I would buy StartAllBack if the goal is a Windows 11 taskbar restyle. They are not the same app.

What is Open-Shell?

Open-Shell draws a classic Start menu. StartMenu.exe is the host. StartAllBackCfg.exe is StartIsBack's paid Windows 11 restyle. They are different products.

If you have never used it

If you want a Windows 7-style Start menu, Open-Shell is the community continuation of Classic Shell. Download it from the Open-Shell GitHub. Classic Shell is the old name Ivo Beltchev stopped shipping. It is not StartAllBack, which is a paid Windows 11 Start and taskbar restyle.

What is it used for?

Classic Start menu styles

Windows 7 / XP-like menus. StartAllBack aims at Windows 11 taskbar and Start looks, not this 2017 fork's menu skins.

Replace the Start button behavior

Settings live in Open-Shell Menu Settings. That dialog is not StartAllBackCfg.

Keep Classic Shell habits

Old Classic Shell settings often move over. A StartIsBack license does not apply here.

Who is it for?

People who miss Classic Shell
Windows 10 users who want a 7-style menu without paying StartAllBack
Anyone who should not mix this with a StartAllBack trial

Current status

Open-Shell (2017) is a current start menu replacement from Open-Shell team. The vendor still points Windows users at https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu.

How old is it?

Classic Shell began in the late 2000s. Ivo ended it in 2017. Open-Shell forked that year. StartAllBack arrived in 2021 for Windows 11. A "download Classic Shell" page that is not GitHub is often stale or junk.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Open-Shell GitHub release

Classic Shell (old name, unmaintained)

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Windows 10 or Windows 11, per current Open-Shell releases
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Low except when the menu opens
RAM demand: A small shell extension plus StartMenu.exe

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
StartMenu.exe	Classic Start menu host

Startup components

Open-Shell loads with the shell so Start works. That is expected, not a leftover.

File locations

Common Open-Shell locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Open-Shell\

File formats

XML settings you can export

Common problems

Two Start mods at once

Uninstall one. Open-Shell plus StartAllBack fight the same shell. That is a conflict, not a Windows bug.

Stale Classic Shell installer from 2017

Use the Open-Shell GitHub release. Ivo's last Classic Shell build is not the maintained fork.

Getting unstuck

Install from github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

A "Classic Shell 2026" ad is not the fork. StartAllBack is startallback.com if you wanted the paid Win11 restyle.

Open Open-Shell Menu Settings from the Start button

That is this product's dialog. StartAllBackCfg.exe is the other app's options.

If Explorer crashes after install, uninstall Open-Shell or the other Start mod

Shell extensions stack badly. Do not keep both.

Alternatives

StartAllBack for a paid Windows 11 look. Explorer Patcher is another community path. In-box Start is the Microsoft default.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu Official installer or vendor page
Help	github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/wiki Vendor support
Official site	github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

A working Explorer shell matters more than a GPU name. This is a Start-menu hook.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Open-Shell official site · Vendor product page
Open-Shell help · Vendor support
Open-Shell releases · Official builds
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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