What does compatibility mode mean? Setting compatibility mode in Windows. Disabling Compatibility Mode in Windows 10

Without a doubt, Windows 10 gives the impression of a radically new operating system - as evidenced by the version number alone, which differs from Windows 7 by three digits. And all the pre-installed applications are new “universal” ones, not traditional desktop ones. However, those who need traditional desktop programs need not worry. Don't let the unfamiliar design of Windows 10 scare you: if an app worked on Windows 7, it will almost certainly work on Windows 10.

Yes, you can run traditional desktop programs on Windows 10. In terms of its internal structure, Windows 10 is very similar to Windows 8, and that, in turn, to Windows 7. The application security model and driver architecture have not changed radically - there is no such difference as between Windows XP and Windows Vista or Windows 7. In other words, if an app works on Windows 7 or 8, it will almost certainly work on Windows 10. Yes, Windows 10 has a whole new app model, but traditional desktop programs can run in parallel with these new "universal" apps.

What is compatibility mode?

Windows 10 program compatibility mode allows you to run software on your computer that only worked normally in previous versions of Windows, but in the latest OS the program does not run or works with errors.

Many Windows OS users don’t even imagine what a full-fledged ability to use compatibility mode in Windows 10 is, and all because they simply don’t want to understand some of the nuances of operating systems, which leads to ignorance of what they should know every user. Since it is “compatibility mode” that allows you to run the software that you used on earlier versions of Windows, but on Windows 10 you cannot do this. It is for this reason that today I will talk about how you can manually launch compatibility mode for any program that you have installed and does not want to fully function.

By default, Windows 10 offers to automatically enable compatibility mode after program failures, but only in some of them and not always. Manually enabling compatibility mode, which previously (in previous OSes) was performed through the properties of the program or its shortcut, is now not available for all shortcuts and sometimes you need to use a special tool for this.

Automatic detection of program compatibility parameters

Windows 10 has a built-in automatic mode detection utility. For the utility to determine the mode, you must launch the program for execution with this utility. To do this, right-click on the application or shortcut and select “Fix compatibility issues” from the list.

The utility will launch the application itself and try to identify problems with the launch. You also need to select the “Use recommended settings” diagnostic mode.

Then in the window you will see automatically set parameters for launch. Before continuing, run the program and check its functionality by clicking on the “Test program...” button. The application will launch. After checking the functionality, click the “Next” button.

If the application works as expected and the problem does not occur again, click on the “Yes, save these settings for the program” button. The utility will use them to launch in this mode for subsequent launches.

Launching compatibility mode through “Program Properties”

Enabling compatibility mode through the properties of a program or shortcut is very simple. To do this, right-click on the program's shortcut or executable file, select "Properties" and select "Compatibility". True, you won’t be able to do this with every file or shortcut.

You will also need to set compatibility mode parameters: indicate the version of Windows in which the program ran without errors. You can enable the program to run as an administrator or in a mode with a lower screen resolution and reduced color (for very old programs). Then all that remains is to apply the settings you have made. The next time the program will be launched with the parameters already changed.

Running Compatibility Mode via Troubleshooter

To get started, you will need to run the special Windows 10 troubleshooter, Run programs designed for previous versions of Windows. It is very easy to find it through “Search on the Internet and in Windows”.

The Windows 10 software and legacy programs compatibility app will now launch. Please note that it is better to run everything with administrator rights, which will give you the opportunity to apply the settings used even to those folders that have limited user access. All that remains is to click on “Next”:

In the newly opened window, you need to select the program for which you will launch with compatibility. If the program you want to run is not in the general list, then select “Not in the list” and click on “Next”. After that, simply set the path to the exe file of the program that was not in the general list.

Once you select a program to run, you will be asked to select its diagnostic mode. In a new window, select from the list of suggested problems the one that most suits you: “The program worked in previous versions of Windows, but is not installed or does not start now.”

All that remains is to choose which operating system to launch the software under and click on “Next”. The final step to set the program's compatibility mode is to click on "Check program"

Disabling Compatibility Mode in Windows 10

Compatibility mode in a laptop/computer on Windows 10 solves problems with launching applications or drivers. If you do not use this function, you can disable it. This will slightly increase your PC's performance.

There are several options to disable Program Compatibility Mode in Windows 10: through Group Policy, Local Services, and Administration. These settings should also be disabled for those for whom they cause malfunctions, irritate a constantly pop-up window, or generally interfere with the correct installation of programs.

Via Program Compatibility Assistant

Using a combination Win+R call the line Execute, enter services.msc and click "OK". This team services.msc you launch the service management window. Scroll down the list and find “Program Compatibility Assistant Service” in the list. Right-click on this service and select “Stop” from the context list. This operation allows you to stop the service until the next reboot of Windows 10.

A window will appear for a while notifying you of an attempt to stop this service. If everything went well, “Running” will disappear next to the service name. This means it has stopped.

If you want to completely disable the Compatibility Assistant Service, then right-click on it. Choose Properties, in the startup type we select Disabled, and in the Stop state in order not to reboot.

The Assistant Service has now stopped completely. If you need it for some program, you can start this Service by doing everything in reverse order.

Through the Local Group Policy Editor

Call the command again Execute combination Win+R and paste the command gpedit.msc. We go through the path Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - Windows Components - Application Compatibility

On the right side of the window, find “Disable Program Compatibility Assistant”, right-click on the option Change, then we put a “black mark” opposite the word Disabled and confirm your actions. All you have to do is reboot the device for the changes to take effect.

Via Operating System Configuration

Again, let's use the command that is already familiar to us Execute, which can be easily opened by typing Win+R. We write there msconfig and in the window that opens, click on the tab Services. In the list that appears we look for the one we need Service Program Compatibility Assistant. All that remains is to check the box and confirm your action.

This service will now be disabled. True, I had cases when after rebooting the operating system it automatically turned on.

Personally, I mainly use programs that are written specifically for Windows 10. But sometimes I have to connect older devices. Therefore, the skills of enabling and disabling compatibility were very useful to me. I hope that my advice will also help someone.

Most programs written for Windows XP and Vista work with the Windows 7 version, but some older programs may not work correctly or not work at all. If a program written for an earlier version of Windows does not work correctly, you can change the program's compatibility settings manually or by using the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.

If changing the settings does not solve the problem, visit the program manufacturer's website where there may be an update available.

Program compatibility

Program compatibility is a Windows mode that allows you to run programs written for earlier versions of Windows

Notes

Do not use the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter for older antivirus programs, disk utilities, or other system programs because using these types of outdated programs may result in data loss or create a security risk.
Some compatibility issues may be caused by drivers. If an old driver is causing problems, you will need to update it manually.
You can also open the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter by right-clicking the program icon and selecting

Follow the directions in the troubleshooter. If you can't install a program, insert its installation disc and use this tool to locate the program's installation file, usually Setup.exe, Install.exe, etc. Troubleshooter does not support work with programs that have a file name extension MSI

Manually change compatibility settings

To change compatibility settings for a program manually, right-click the program icon, select Properties and then tab Compatibility

Help for selecting parameters

Run programs with the settings of a previous version of Windows. Enable this option if you know that the program is designed for (or worked in) a particular previous version of Windows.

Running in 256 color mode- Limitation of the set of colors in the program. Some older programs use a limited set of colors.

Use screen resolution 640? 480- Launch the program in a reduced window. Enable this option if the graphical user interface has a jagged outline or does not render correctly

Disable visual themes- Disable themes in the program. Enable this option if you have problems with menus or buttons in the program's title bar.

Disable desktop creation- Disable transparency and other additional screen features. Enable this option if windows move erratically or have other display problems

Disable image scaling at high screen resolutions- Disable automatic resizing of programs when using large fonts. Enable this option if large fonts disrupt the appearance of the program.

Permission level- Run the program as administrator. Some programs require administrator rights to function properly. This option is only available when logged in with an administrator account.

Change settings for all users- Select settings that will be applied to all users of this computer.

Let's look at this instruction on how to disable compatibility mode in the Windows operating system. A special compatibility mode allows you to run older programs on the new version of Windows.

Many users use computer software whose latest releases were released quite a long time ago. It happens that the developer has stopped supporting the application, the program is not updated for some reason, and in the meantime a new version of the OS has been released. Until the transition to a new version of Windows, the program works and fully satisfies the user's needs.

After installing a new version of Windows or after installing from previous versions of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, it turns out that some programs do not work on the computer. To run older applications that work normally in previous versions of the operating system, Windows compatibility mode is used.

In some cases, the user needs to disable s. For example, a new version of the application has been released that supports a new version of Windows, or because this mode interferes with the operation of some programs.

Sometimes, messages appear stating that the program is running in compatibility mode, so the user is faced with the question of how to disable this mode for an individual program or disable the mode altogether on the computer.

There are two ways to disable Windows Program Compatibility Mode:

disable program compatibility mode;
disable compatibility mode in the Windows operating system.

In the first case, compatibility mode will be disabled for the individual program. In the second option, the system service responsible for program compatibility on the computer will be disabled.

To disable Program Compatibility Mode in Windows, you can use several methods: from “Manage Services”, disable the “Program Compatibility Assistant Service”, disable it using the Local Group Policy Editor, or by disabling the service in the system configuration.

How to disable compatibility mode for a specific program (method 1)

To disable compatibility mode for a specific program, follow these steps:

Right-click on the shortcut or program file. Select "Properties" from the context menu.
In the Properties: Application Name window, open the Compatibility tab.
In the “Compatibility Mode” section, uncheck the box next to “Run this program in compatibility mode for:”, and then click on the “OK” button.

After this, the compatibility mode for this application will be turned off in the Windows operating system.

Disabling the Compatibility Assistant service in the System Configuration application (method 2)

The easiest way to disable the Program Compatibility Assistant service in Windows is to use the System Configuration program.

Make the following settings:

In the Windows search bar, enter the expression: “msconfig” (without quotes), and then run the system utility.
In the System Configuration window, open the Services tab, find the Program Compatibility Assistant Service service.
Uncheck the box next to “Program Compatibility Assistant Service”, click on the “Apply” and “OK” buttons (In Windows 7, the service is called “Program Compatibility Information”).

Restart your computer.

After the computer starts, the Program Compatibility Assistant service will be disabled in the Windows operating system.

Stop the Program Compatibility Assistant service (3rd method)

Another method is to disable the Compatibility Assistant service in local services in the Windows operating system.

Configure the following settings:

Press the “Win” + “R” keys on your keyboard at the same time.
In the “Run” window, in the “Open” field, enter the expression “services.msc” (without quotes), and then click on the “OK” button to execute the command.
In the Services window, double-click on the Program Compatibility Assistant service.

In the “Properties: Program Compatibility Assistant Service (Local System)” window, in the “General” tab, click on the “Stop” button if the service is currently running.
In the Startup Type setting, select Disabled and then click OK.

Disabling the Compatibility Assistant in the Local Group Policy Editor (method 4)

Users of the Windows operating system in editions: Pro, Enterprise, For educational institutions can use one more method using the Local Group Policy Editor.

Go through the following steps:

Type "gpedit.msc" (without quotes) into the Windows Search box, and then launch Local Group Policy Editor.
In the “Local Computer Policy” setting, open the “User Configuration” section.
Follow the path “Administrative Templates”, then “Windows Components”, find the “Application Compatibility” policy.
Double-click on the Program Compatibility Assistant option.

In the Disable Program Compatibility Assistant window, select the Disabled option, and then click OK.

Conclusions of the article

If necessary, the user can disable Windows Program Compatibility Mode for an individual program or disable the Program Compatibility Assistant service in the Windows operating system in three different ways.

As soon as the user starts the program, the OS automatically turns on the Compatibility Assistant. It is designed to improve system performance, but on devices with minimal technical parameters, one more running utility will cause a crash or slow operation (how to increase PC performance is described in the article “”). Therefore, if you want to speed up your computer, read how to disable compatibility mode in Windows 10.

Shutdown

Windows Compatibility Assistant is designed to track:

programs installed on the computer (read how to remove a program from a PC in the article “”);
failures that occurred previously during application operation;
ways to solve emerging compatibility problems.

It is also designed to run applications written for earlier versions of the OS. But if you don't want to constantly see messages on your PC asking you to install an app with recommended settings, disable this feature.

Using the Services

In Group Policy

Press Win+R and enter the command: gpedit.msc.
Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components - Application Compatibility.
On the right side of the window, find “Disable Program Compatibility Assistant” → RMB → Change → Enabled → confirm changes → restart your PC.

In OS Configuration

Manually launch applications in compatibility mode

RMB on the launch shortcut → properties → “Compatibility” tab.

There are three options available here:

click the “Run Compatibility Troubleshooter” button - the system will automatically try to solve the problems;
in the “Compatibility Mode” block, check the box “Run the program in compatibility mode for” and select from the drop-down list the OS in which the application worked stably;
in the “Parameters” block, specify the values with which the program will be launched in compatibility mode - save the changes.

Good to know! To make the changes made for each user on the computer, click the “Change settings for all users” button (Administrator rights are required).

The video describes the manual start process more clearly.

Automatic parameter detection

To start automatic setup, you can also right-click on the shortcut to launch the program - Fix compatibility problems.
After diagnostics, windows will appear with two options for troubleshooting:
- use recommended parameters;
- program diagnostics.

Conclusion

If a program stops working on Windows 10, use the Compatibility Assistant to start it. If necessary, it can be disabled. But it is not recommended to do this if it does not interfere with the operation of the computer.

Windows Compatibility Mode allows you to run programs on your computer that ran in previous versions of the operating system. With the release of a new operating system, some programs experience problems: the program starts with an error, the application cannot work, etc.
Changes made to new versions of Windows make it impossible to use some programs in this version of the operating system. Not all programs are supported by developers for a long time.
Many programs work fine on your computer for many years, even after support has ended. Due to changes in the Windows code, the application loses functionality in the new OS version. There is no one to rewrite the program code according to the requirements of the new version of Windows, because the developer has stopped supporting the software. Therefore, a way out of this situation is necessary.
Compatibility mode in Windows will come to the rescue. Running in compatibility mode will allow you to run many older programs on your PC that work fine on older versions of Windows.
Windows Program Compatibility Mode is launched in two ways:
from program properties or shortcut for all versions of Windows
Using the Windows Troubleshooter

In the first case, the user right-clicks on the shortcut of the problematic program, or on the executive file (.exe) of the application. The second method involves using the system troubleshooting tool.
Keep in mind that some programs will still not work normally after being turned on in compatibility mode for various reasons. In most cases, old applications will still be able to run on the computer.
In the instructions on this page we will show the compatibility mode in Windows 10. In other versions of Windows (Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1), setting the compatibility mode of old programs with the version of the system installed on the computer works in a similar way.
How to launch a program in compatibility mode from the shortcut or application properties context menu
If the program refuses to work in the new version of the operating system, you should try to fix the problem using the built-in compatibility mode in Windows.
Right-click on the program shortcut or executive file. If there is no application shortcut, then find the file of the program that does not start on your computer. Programs are usually installed on the system disk, depending on the bit depth, in the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders. In very rare cases, programs are installed in the user profile location:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming
In the locations, look for the program folder by the name of the application, or by the name of the manufacturer of this software. Find the program you need, and then right-click on the application file.
Note:
In Windows 10, you can't always use the object properties context menu because the system sometimes doesn't show the corresponding tab for a specific application, so try another method.

In the context menu, click on the “Properties” item.
In the “Properties: application name” window that opens, go to the “Compatibility” tab.
Here, you can run the Compatibility Troubleshooter right away using the Run Compatibility Troubleshooter button, or you can select the appropriate options manually.
To do this, activate the “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” setting, and then select the version of Windows in which this application worked normally.
Adjust additional settings for color, screen resolution, and scaling (these settings may not work on 64-bit systems).
If necessary, check the box next to “Run this program as an administrator.” Some applications require elevated administrative rights to operate.
Here's a real-life example: In Windows 10, you can't install Skype for desktop on your PC. After starting the installation of the program, you will be prompted to download the Skype for Windows 10 application from the Microsoft Store (these programs are different from each other). The only option left is to install Skype for desktop in compatibility mode with Windows 8.

After completing the settings, click on the “OK” button. Check the program in compatibility mode.
How to run Compatibility Mode using the Windows Troubleshooter
Program compatibility mode in Windows 10, in Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 can be launched using the built-in system tool.
To do this, right-click on the shortcut or program file, and in the context menu, click on the “Fix compatibility problems” item.
The second way is to launch the tool from the Control Panel, after selecting “Troubleshooting”. In the Troubleshoot your computer window, click the Run programs designed for previous versions of Windows link.
There is a third way in Windows 10: launch the Settings app, go to Update & Security. Next, open the “Troubleshooting” section, scroll down the list of problems to the “Troubleshoot compatibility issues” option, click on the option, and then click on the “Run tool now” button.
Users of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 can additionally use the Microsoft Easy Fix tool (the tool is built into Windows 10), which performs the same functions, which must be downloaded to your computer by selecting the corresponding problem on the Microsoft website page. Read more about this.
Troubleshooting compatibility issues in Windows
If the tool is launched from computer management tools rather than from a specific program file, the user will need to select the program that is having startup, installation, or performance issues.
After you run the troubleshooter, it automatically searches for compatibility issues on your computer.
In the next window you need to select a diagnostic mode. There are two options to choose from:
“Use recommended settings” - test run the program with recommended compatibility settings
“Program diagnostics” - selecting compatibility parameters based on noticed problems

Test the program and then click on the “Next” button.
In the final window, you need to select the appropriate answer to the question about how to fix the problem:
“Yes, save these settings for the program”
"No, try using other parameters"
"No, please report this issue to Microsoft and find a solution online"

When selecting the “Program Diagnostics” option, the user will be able to offer the troubleshooter specific options for the problems noticed.
In the “What problems have been noticed?” window. You must select one or more of the most suitable options:
“The program worked in previous versions of Windows, but does not install or start”
“The program opens but displays incorrectly”
"The program requires additional permissions"
"I don't see my problem on the list"

In the window “Which version did the program work with?” select one of the suggested versions of the Windows operating system.
If the problems noticed are not on this list, the system tool will prompt you to answer clarifying questions.
You will then be prompted to test the program using the recommended parameters for your system selection.
After checking, in the final window of the tool, answer the question about how to resolve the problem. If the program still doesn't work, try all possible options.