How To Run Old Programs On Windows 10 With Compatibility Mode

Introduction

Compatibility mode is a built-in feature in the Windows family that supports the running of older programs comfortably. We can also use this feature in Windows 10 to run older programs with compatibility mode.

Compatibility mode is a method that can help older programs run on newer versions of the operating system. For some older programs or apps that do not work well with newer versions of the Windows operating system, users can find and fix any issues by changing their compatibility mode settings.

When we need to run older programs in the latest version of the Windows operating system, we have different options for running them, such as Program Compatibility, Troubleshooting, and Compatibility Mode.

This tutorial will show you various ways how to run old programs in Windows 10 with compatibility mode.

Method 1. Through program compatibility troubleshooter

With the help of Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, the user can easily find and fix problems of older programs running on Windows 10.

Step 1. From the search, open the "Program Compatibility Troubleshooter" by typing "Run programs made for previous versions of Windows".

Step 2. The "Program Compatibility Troubleshooter" window will appear on the screen and click on the "Advanced" option to proceed.

Step 3. Click on the "Run as Administrator" option then, click on the "Next" button to proceed.

Step 4. After ascertaining the possible issues, the list of various programs will be shown. Now, select the app or program in which you have a problem.

Note. If the user does not see their program in the list, they must select the "Not Listed" option and browse to the location of their desired program.

Step 5. Select the "Try Recommended Settings" option.

Step 6. Now, you need to test the program by clicking the "Test the program" option to ensure that these new settings solve the problems, and click on the "Next" button to proceed.

Step 7. Now, the troubleshooting has been completed and you can click on the "Yes, save these settings for this program" option to save all these settings.

Method 2. Using the compatibility mode

By changing the Compatibility mode, the user can run an older app or program on Windows 10.

Step 1. Navigate the program or the ".exe" file of the program that you want to run.

Step 2. Right-click on it and select the "Properties" option.

Step 3. Click on the "Compatibility" tab. And, under the Compatibility mode section, select (check) the "Run this program in compatibility mode for" option.

Step 4. For the selected program, choose the appropriate version of Windows from the drop-down menu on which you want to run the program and click on the "Apply" button.

Note. To run particular older programs, the user can also change the display settings under the Compatibility tab.

Conclusion

By following any of the above methods, you can run an old program or app with compatibility mode in Windows 10.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Follow C# Corner to learn more new and amazing things about Windows 10.

Thanks for reading this article.