Compatibility Mode

How to Run a Program in Compatibility Mode in Windows 7​

   Information

Compatibility mode allows a older program written for an earlier versions of Windows to possibly run in Windows 7. You can also use Compatibility mode to always have a program to Run as an administrator.

   Note

32 bit Windows has emulation for 16 bit programs built in. 64-bit Windows only has emulation for 32 bit programs. If the program ran on 32-bit Windows 7 and not 64 bit, then chances are it's a 16 bit program and you may have to use something like DosBox or XP Mode to be able to run it in 64-bit Windows.

   Tip

If changing the Compatibility settings does not fix the problem, go to the program manufacturer's website to see if there is an update for the program.

To see if your software is compatible with Windows 7, check it here: Windows 7 Compatibility Center home

   Warning

Do not use Compatibility mode on antivirus programs, firewall programs, disk utilities, or other system programs because it could cause data loss or create a security risk.

You only want to use these type of programs for the Windows listed in their system requirements.

OPTION ONE

To Set Compatibility Mode of Application in Properties Page

1. Right click on the program's shortcut (LNK file), .EXE file, BAT file, CMD file, or MSI file.

2. Click on Properties.

3. Click on the Compatibility tab. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If the Compatiblity options are grayed out, then it is a 64 bit program and cannot be changed.

4. To Run a Program in Compatibility Mode in Only your User Account
NOTE: Runs the program using settings from a previous version of Windows. Try this setting if you know the program is designed for (or worked in) a specific previous version of Windows.A) Check the Run this program in compatibility mode for box. (see screenshot below)

B) Click on the drop down menu arrow and select which version of Windows the program was made for. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Always pick the latest Windows version the program was written for to have a better chance of it running properly in Windows 7.

   Warning

MSI files (right screenshot below) will only have the Previous version of Windows option available for it. This option will allow Windows 7 to automatically use the previous version compatibility mode it thinks is best for the MSI file to run properly as. You will not be able to do steps 5 and 6 below.

5. To Change the Settings for a Program in Only your User Account
NOTE: These settings will be grayed out and not available for 64-bit programs.A) Check or uncheck the settings you want for the program. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: See the table below the screenshot for a description of each setting.

Setting	Description
Run in 256 colors	Uses a limited set of colors in the program. Some older programs are designed to use fewer colors.
Run in 640 × 480 screen resolution	Runs the program in a smaller-sized window. Try this setting if the graphical user interface appears jagged or is rendered improperly.
Disable visual themes	Disables themes on the program. Try this setting if you notice problems with the menus or buttons on the title bar of the program.
Disable desktop composition	Turns off transparency and other advanced display features. Choose this setting if window movement appears erratic or you notice other display problems.
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings	Turns off automatic resizing of programs if large-scale font size (DPI) is in use. Try this setting if large-scale fonts are interfering with the appearance of the program.

6. To Change the Privilege Level of a Program in Only your User Account
NOTE: Runs the program as an administrator. Some programs require administrator privileges to run properly. If you are not currently logged on as an administrator, this option is not available.A) Check or uncheck the Run this program as an administrator box to enable or disable this option. (see screenshot below)


7. To Change These Settings for All Users
NOTE: You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this step. A) Click on the Change settings for all users button. (See screenshot below)

B) Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 in this new window to apply them to all users on the computer, and click on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Changes made here will override and gray out the same setting in the window used in step 4, 5, or 6 above.


8. Click on OK to apply the changes. (see screenshot below step 3)

OPTION TWO

Set Compatibility Mode of Application using "Troubleshoot compatibility"

NOTE: This option opens the Program Compatibility Assistant wizard to let Windows 7 help decide what is best to try and make the program compatible.1. Right click on the program's shortcut (LNK file), .EXE file, BAT file, CMD file, or MSI file, and click on Troubleshoot compatibility. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You will not have the Troubleshoot compatibility option available for pinned items in the Start Menu or on the taskbar. You will only have the Troubleshoot compatibility option available for 3rd party programs in the Start Menu - All Programs area instead.

2. You will see this for a moment while Windows 7 is detecting what the issues may be with the program. (see screenshot below)

3. The wizard will now give you a list of choices to choose from. Select the option you would like to try, then follow the rest of the onscreen instructions until you are through troubleshooting the compatibility issue with the program. (see screenshot below)

OPTION THREE

To Set Compatibility Mode of Application in Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu, then type regedit in the search box and press Enter.

2. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

3. In regedit, navigate to each location below one at a time and do the steps below for each location. (see screenshot below)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

4. To Run a Program in Compatibility ModeA) In the right pane of Layers, right click on a empty area and click on New, then on String Value. (see screenshot below)

B) Type in the full path of the program's exe file and press Enter, then right click on the full path and click on Modify. (see screenshot below)

C) Type in a single or combination of Data values (see tables below) for how you want to run the program as, and click on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you use more than one Settings, then you must add them in the order they are in the table below.

[Compatibility Mode (only one)] + space + [Settings (one or more with a space inbetween)] + space + [Privilege Level]

   Tip

EXAMPLE ONE:
To run a program as if it was in Windows Vista SP2 (Compatibility Mode), and Run in 256 colors (Settings), and to run as administrator you would type:

VISTASP2 256Color RUNASADMIN

EXAMPLE TWO:
Say you also wanted to Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution (2nd Settings) with the above example, you would type:

VISTASP2 256Color 640x480 RUNASADMIN

Compatibility Mode	Data Value
Windows 95	WIN95
Windows 98 / Windows Me	WIN98
Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 5)	NT4SP5
Windows 2000	WIN2000
Windows XP (Service Pack 2)	WINXPSP2
Windows XP (Service Pack 3)	WINXPSP3
Windows Server 2003 (Service Pack 1)	WINSRV03SP1
Windows Server 2008 (Service Pack 1)	WINSRV08SP1
Windows Vista	VISTARTM
Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)	VISTASP1
Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)	VISTASP2
Windows 7	WIN7RTM

Settings	Data Value
Run in 256 colors	256Color
Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution	640x480
Disable visual themes	DISABLETHEMES
Disable desktop composition	DISABLEDWM
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings	HIGHDPIAWARE

Privilege Level	Data Value
Run this program as an Administrator	RUNASADMIN

5. To Stop a Program from Running in Compatibility ModeA) In the right pane of Layers, right click on the full path Name and click on Delete. (see screenshot below)

B) Click on Yes to confirm deletion. (see screenshot below)


6. Close regedit when done.
NOTE: Some programs may require you to restart the computer for this to be applied.



That's it,
Shawn Brink

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Turn Internet Explorer Compatibility View On or Off for a Website
• How to Display All Websites in Compatibility View in Internet Explorer
• How to Disable Desktop Composition for a Program
• How to Create a Program Compatibility Troubleshoot Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Windows 7 Program Compatibility Assistant
• How to Add or Remove "Troubleshoot compatibility" from the Context Menu in Windows 7
• How to Add "Run as administrator" to VBS File Context Menu
• How to Add "Run as administrator" to MSI File Context Menu
• How to Add or Remove "Compatibility" Tab in Properties Page in Windows

 

[dazzap1989]

thanks so if program is compatible with vista but not windows 7 i should be able to run installation under vista compatibility

 

[Brink]

Correct. It should work, but it's still no guarantee. Some utility or security type programs will only work with the OS that they were designed for no matter what.

 

[Niizmo]

Wooop Thanks.

 

[TC2010]

UAC control of programs in compatibility mode

Hi:
I have Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit
on a PC shared by multiple
users.
I am testing a 30-day trial version
of a 32-bit photo editing software
(capture NX2), which is is very buggy
and freezes quite frequently.
I can minimize the freezing if I set the
program to run under Win XP SP3 compatibility
mode.
In this case, however, even if I uncheck
the "run as admininstrator" checkbox in the
property settings, all standard users
get a UAC prompt for administrative privileges
when running the program. This happens because
the program running in Windows XP compatibility
mode appears as coming from unknown publisher
to the OS.
This means that I would need to distribute the
administrator password to all users. That's not
acceptable.
Is there a way to avoid this, without suppressing
UAC control on program execution ? Can one set
an unknown publisher program to run without a
request for upgraded privileges in windows 7 ?
Thanks

 

[Brink]

Hello TC, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You might see if creating a elevated program shortcut like in the tutorial below may be able to be used by the standard users. However, you might consider a different program if that is that buggy, or if they have newer version that works better.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11949-elevated-program-shortcut-without-uac-prompt-create.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[TC2010]

Thanks

Thank you very much, Shawn, for the tip.

I'll try your suggestion to see whether it can fix the problem.

It is nuisance, however, that there is no way in windows 7 to
allow permanent access to a program that has the "unknown
publisher" tag.

Thanks for your help.

Tom

 

[chowbiz]

I have Win 7 x64 Home Premium and am trying to install the Win95 version of (I know, a lot dated) Myst. Since I have Home Premium, I do not have the tab for running compatibility mode, but I do have the compatibility troubleshooter (right clicking on the install file for "troubleshoot compatibility"). I then click troubleshoot program/that the program used to work/then Win95, but the button "Start the Program" does NOTHING (ok, spins the new timer, but no results). Am I missing something?

 

[Brink]

Hello Chowbiz,

Compatibility Mode is available in all editions of Windows 7. Are you doing this on the program's installation file, shortcut after installing, or EXE file?

 

[chowbiz]

I'm using the installation file from the CD-ROM. And thanks for the quick response. These forums are helpful.

 

[Brink]

If you can't do it on the installation file, can you install it and do it on the shortcut instead?

Since it's so old, it just may not be compatible at all with Windows 7 though.

Windows 7 Compatibility Center search results - myst

 

[Jonathan_King]

Nice tutorial Shawn. Have you considered adding a part about right-clicking and selecting Troubleshoot Compatibility?

 

[Brink]

Hello Jonathan,

Yeah, I was thinking about it, but was debating if it would be as helpful as manually doing it. Thank you for reminding me. I'll get it added later on today.

 

[Brink]

Ok, it as been added.

 

[Jonathan_King]

Great. Good job as always, Shawn.

 

[Brink]

Anytime Jonathan. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[PackJac]

How do I use compatibility mode for a printer?

thanks, just installed w7 yestarday and I was having trouble setting up my printer at work. Follow your instructions and it worked perfect.

I don't understand this. I'm trying to use my HP LaserJet 1000 printer which has no Windows 7-64 bit driver. It's my workhorse and it has worked great with XP. How do I use compatibility mode for a printer driver? I have Windows 7-64 Home Premium.

PackJac

 

[Brink]

Hello PackJac, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Since it doesn't have a 64-bit Windows 7 driver, see if it has a 64-bit Vista (preferred) or 64-bit XP driver to install instead.

If that driver doesn't install normally in Windows 7, then try installing it using compatibilty mode on the driver installation file by using OPTION ONE in the tutorial and selecting the OS (step 4) that the driver was for instead.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[PackJac]

Hello PackJac, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Since it doesn't have a 64-bit Windows 7 driver, see if it has a 64-bit Vista (preferred) or 64-bit XP driver to install instead.

If that driver doesn't install normally in Windows 7, then try installing it using compatibilty mode on the driver installation file by using OPTION ONE in the tutorial and selecting the OS (step 4) that the driver was for instead.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thanks, Shawn. I'll try that soon and let you know how it works.

PJ

 

[PackJac]

Installing HP LaserJet 1000 printer driver in Windows 7

Nope, doesn't work, Shawn. I downloaded drivers (tried a number of them besides the LaserJet 1000 - which is only an xp driver and not 64 bit - and while it looks like the driver installed, the printer would not work.

This seems to be a universal problem with the LaserJet 1000 and Windows 7-64. Lots of other people - folks who love their LaserJet 1000s - are really upset at HP for not supporting their workhorse printers.

PackJac

 

[Brink]

That stinks.

Looks like it may be time for a new printer if they do not want to support new drivers for it.