How to Turn on Aero in Windows Vista

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Last Updated: September 16, 2021

Windows Aero is a Windows graphical theme that was introduced in Windows Vista. It creates translucent windows and adds effects to minimizing and maximizing. Windows Aero is usually enabled by default, but if it wasn't you can quickly enable it with just a few clicks. If you find that Aero is causing performance problems, you can disable some or all of the effects.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Enabling Aero

1
Ensure your computer meets the requirements. Aero can be a little taxing on your system, so you'll want to be sure you meet the following requirements before enabling it. You can see what your current hardware setup is by pressing ⊞ Win+Pause.
- 1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 GB of system memory
- DirectX 9 graphics card with 128 MB memory
- Windows Vista Home Premium or better (Home Basic and Starter do not support Aero)
Apply.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Toggling Specific Aero Effects

sysdm.cpl and press ↵ Enter.
Advanced tab.
Settings button in the Performance section.
5
Uncheck any effects you want to disable. Disabling certain effects can help increase your performance.
- Disabling "Transparent glass" will give you the best performance increase, but it is also one of the key features that makes Aero unique.
- You can select the "Adjust for best performance" option to disable all of the Aero effects.
Apply after you have made your selections. You may have to wait a few moments for your changes to take effect.

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Question

My system meets the requirements but the Aero theme isn't even available to choose. Why?

Community Answer

The problem is likely not with your system, but that you don't have the latest version of Windows Vista installed.

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Question

What about in VBox? ( short for Virtualbox ) I Cant see the theme in the customization, the Graphics and gaming graphics are 1.0 and my score is 1.0 and doesnt work on 64 bit. help.

Community Answer

Make sure you have Virtual Box Guest additions installed. If it still fails, try out VMware Workstation.

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Tips

To use Windows Flip 3D, press ⊞ Win+Tab ↹, then let go of Tab ↹ while keeping ⊞ Win held. You will see all of your open Windows arranged in a 3D list. To scroll, use your mouse's scroll wheel or the arrow keys on the keyboard. To open one of those windows simply click on the picture.

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Other features include the "Live Thumbnails". Move your mouse pointer over the window in the Taskbar, and a little "thumbnail" will show the window, animations and all.

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Warnings

Using Windows Vista Aero can sometimes slow down your system's performance, especially the Glass effect. Use Aero only if you really want to.

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