How to Make Windows XP look like a Mac

Macs come with a really pleasing look. The interface is so polished that pretty much every Windows user envy it. If you’re on a PC longing for a Mac but can’t afford it yet, here is some free software to make your Windows PC look like a Mac. Keep in mind, these visual enhancements require additional processing power. So if you have a slow system you would probably do better without them.

Docks

We’ve covered Windows desktop docks before. Desktop docks are just indispensable if you want to make your PC look like a Mac. Docks can be used to launch programs and could well replace your Windows taskbar.

Widgets

Widgets are little objects that lie on your screen and do tiny tasks such as fetching weather data, displaying system statistics, showing time, etc.

To mimic the OS X Dashboard, you can try the Yahoo! Widget Engine and get lots of widgets on to your desktop (check their widget gallery here). MakeUseOf has its own widget as well. Or you could get Google Desktop which doubles as a desktop search engine. The former is a bit cooler and slicker. Some more alternatives can be found in 6 widget platforms for your PC.

Tool Bar Icons

To decorate Windows Explorer with Mac-like toolbar icons, you can download and install Y’z Toolbar software from here. Then, get this skin for Y’z Toolbar. Windows Explorer icons now resemble that of a Mac.

Drop Shadow

Use Y’z Shadow to add drop shadow effects to Window borders. Y’z Shadow can also make menus transparent. You can, of course, specify the thickness of the shadow by using the parameters in the Y’z Shadow settings.

FlyakiteOSX

We’ve mentioned this before, and this is an all-in-one transformation pack that applies a lot of changes to the Windows shell. It adds plenty of eye-candy to make Windows look like a Mac. Boot Screen, Login Screen, Wallpapers, Screensavers, Sound effects are all altered to mimic a Mac Desktop. If you’re looking for an all-in-one pack, FlyakiteOSX is the way to go. Download here.

Firefox Themes

As Kaly pointed out in this post, there are quite a number of themes available for Firefox that make it look like Safari. Here’s the list: iFox Smooth, iFox Metal, Macfox II, Macfox II Graphite, Cobalt Firefox.

Or you can just download Safari for Windows from Apple’s website here.

Icons

Mac has an amazing set of visually pleasing icons that are really very pro-looking. You can grab the icons from here and here and set them as a default icons for some of your Windows apps.

Get iTunes

iTunes is the default music management software for the Mac. Although it’s quite heavy on system resources, it comes with a nice Mac-ish look. Plus it has a number of really cool third party addons. Download iTunes from here.

Let us know in the comments if you make use of any other Windows software to make Windows look like a Mac.

(By) Shankar Ganesh, a 16 year old Blogger and Freelance Writer from India. He writes about computers and software at Killer Tech Tips

Tagged: desktop enhancements • How-To Articles • windows tips

Shankar Ganesh

A 16 year old Techie, High School Student, Blogger and Part Time Freelance Writer from India. He writes about computers and software at Killer Tech Tips

Gerald

Why on earth would anyone want to??
shortcherriez

I agree with the post below…why would you want to do this to Windows!
http://bllindgrls.officiallydumb.com/blog/ Jessie

Well I for one would like to keep both Windows properties and Mac’s pleasing aesthetics. Like the best of both worlds you know? Nice post Shankar.
sjdkasd

Another person agrees. These are all fairly terrible tips (except possibly the dock, but keystroke launchers are better anyways).
lukemill

Cause windows sucks… that’s why
ken

Am I the only one that thinks OS’s are headed in the wrong direction?
Vista, OSX are just way to Fisher Price for my taste. Heck even the default XP is seems rather childish and silly.
I’ll stick with XP in “classic mode” (ala Win2000/98) thank you very much.
http://ajabgajab.blogspot.com dai

Improving looks in the cost of memory and performance?
http://www.techzilo.com Sumesh

I’ve been using Flyakiteosx, iTunes, Cobalt(a Mac-like Firefox theme) and Y’z shadow for ages. Flyakiteosx installs Rocket Launcher, which is pretty slick too.

I don’t remember where I came to know of Y’z shadow, coz its been a long time.

Good post, Shankar. Stumbled.
Pelly

No offence here but ….
Isn’t it just easier to buy a Mac if you want this so badly ?

http://ubuntulinuxtipstricks.blogspot.com Mackenzie Morgan

“Easy” and “fun” have a tendency to be mutually exclusive.
http://jb84.wordpress.com Jonathan Bennett

“Isnâ€™t it just easier to buy a Mac if you want this so badly?”

Last time I checked it’s easier to install some software than it is to spend $1,000.

http://something.com Josh

I agree with you its alot easier for people who are regular working people

JO

wow the person who said “isn’t it just easier to just buy a mac” or whatever you said have you ever realized that were in an ECONOMY CRISIS!!!!!!!
udhtari

No offense either but they are damn expensive

rogun

Hmmm… No thanks.
CavGirl

$1,000.00 for a Mac? Where?
I know, here in Canada, there well over $2,000.00
My BF installed the Mac look on both of our laptops and we love it. To each their own right?
David

If you want a Pc to look like a mac just download and install ubuntu
Julio Sepia

“If you want a Pc to look like a mac just download and install ubuntu”

Ubuntu doesn’t look like Mac OS by default. Dreamlinux does.
johnny

thanks
keith

some people with company laptops want a MAC but are not allowed. So the next best thing is to emulate the looks and feel of a MAC.
nick

this is a pretty good guide but like all guides it has its problems and difficulty’s like when it tells you that you need to download a dock it just has a listing of available downloads witch sucks because you don’t know witch one to download the best one to download is called rocket dock and has many more features than all other window’s docks. if you need the link here it is:http://rocketdock.com/download
David Acquistapace

I am a professor of computer graphics at a college that will not support macs. My students turned me on to the mac look for vista, and having been a die hard mac user until I took this position, I was delighted to see how well it worked on their notebooks. I am going to ask my techs to look into installing it in our lab so that my students will work with the closest look and feel of what they will experience when they get out into the real work world where almost all design studios and ad agencies use mac.
DA
RJ

Dont forgot Finderbar http://landvermesser.tripod.com/
Cicerone Pavaloi

Another “missing feature” in Windows is the ability of Mac systems to eject and load the cd/dvd tray using the Eject key of the keyboard. Since PC keyboards do not have such a key, one can download and use the cdEjectLoad free app available here: http://cdejectload.blogspot.com.

It uses the Pause key as the hotkey and has the same visual feedback as the Mac.
(Version 1.0 works only with the first cd/dvd drive)
Gabriel U.

Adjusting the volume on Mac is much nicer than on Windows. It’s a silly little thing but there’s an app that makes adjusting your volume much easier and look just like it does on a Mac. With shortcuts using your NUMPAD you can easily raise (ALT & +), lower (ALT & -), and mute (ALT & *) your system sound:
http://gabrielu.posterous.com/keyvolume-update-151
BOB

why should I buy mac.they’re expencive and not the best.XP RULES
Cicerone Pavaloi

cdEjectLoad version 1.1 is now available for download at the same link as above. Support for custom hotkeys and multiple cd/dvd drives are the main features of the new version.