Turn Windows into Mac OS X Yosemite

Martin Brinkmann
Jun 8, 2014
Windows
|
18

Windows users have several options when it comes to modifying the visual appeal of their system. From installing standard themes that do not require any system changes whatsoever but only change some visuals such as the background wallpaper to full themes and total conversions that change it dramatically.

Apple just announced the new version of Mac OS X called Yosemite which features better integration with iOS8 and several interface modifications such as new icons.

It did not take long for someone to create a total conversion package for Windows. Using it you can change the theme of Windows that you are currently running to Mac OS X Yosemite.

Note: It is highly recommended to back up the system before you apply the theme as it will make modifications to the system. If things go wrong, you can restore the backup. We did not notice any issues installing the theme on a Windows 8.1 Update 1 system but that does not mean that you won't So, better safe than sorry. At the very least, create a system restore point.

Installation of the package is actually pretty easy

  1. Download the right package for your system from the authors website. There is one universal version for Windows XP and newer, and one special edition that is only for Windows 7 and newer.
  2. Rename the .zip_ extension to .zip and extract the contents of the 50 Megabyte file on your system.
  3. Run the installer afterwards with elevated privileges. Right-click the file and select Run as administrator from the context menu.
  4. A configuration page is displayed. One thing that you may want to do here is to disable the "make WindowsxLive the homepage" option in the lower left corner.

mac os yosemite transformation

You can configure various features on the page that will be applied during installation. Among them are the following options:

  • Use the system font configuration or select three alternatives.
  • Enable or disable the dock and auto-hide.
  • Select which taskbar you want. You can select system default here if you want to use the Windows taskbar.
  • Enable the Start Orb.
  • Enable left side OS X caption button style.
  • Enable OS  X Yosemite frame UI (not compatible with AERO).
  • Enable Spaces (Ctrl-Alt-Arrow).
  • Dasboard (F12 to display or scroll to bottom left corner).
  • Enable Launchpad.
  • Activate hot screen corners for dashboard and launchpad.

Once you have made your selection here -- and unchecked the homepage change -- you can hit install to apply the theme. The installation takes less than a minute to complete, a restart was not required on Windows 8. This is how it looks like if you install the Mac theme on Windows 8 using the default configuration.

mac os x theme windows

We did not notice any issues using the theme. While some features lead to Windows programs instead of the ones mentioned by the theme -- a click on Safari for instance opens the default system browser instead -- it resembles the new Mac interface.

Verdict

If you like how Mac OS X Yosemite looks like and run Windows, you may want to give this a try. It may take a while to get accustomed to the new features though, especially if you have never worked on a Mac system before. (via Deskmodder)

Summary
software image
Author Rating
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2 based on 13 votes
Software Name
Mac OS X Yosemite Theme
Operating System
Windows
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Comments

  1. TBoxer said on July 16, 2014 at 10:59 pm
    Reply

    Why not simply using bootcamp, if you want windows? I mean…. if you want to use Windows, just do it. If you want to use Mac, just do it.

    Not a fan of “hybrid” system. Every OS has some advantage over the other and a reason when to use it.

  2. Andre G. said on June 10, 2014 at 6:25 am
    Reply

    I think this would be great for a person who moved off Mac to Windows (as long as they are okay with modifying their PC).

  3. Blue said on June 9, 2014 at 9:36 pm
    Reply

    Question: Even after reading the authors website I am pondering. Does this only replace the desktop after we enter the Desktop from the Live Tiles Start page, or does it replace the Start page entirely? So on Windows boot after the Welcome screen this is what we’ll see if we load this in?

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on June 9, 2014 at 10:00 pm
      Reply

      Only the desktop, not the start page. You do get the same wallpaper though.

      1. Blue said on June 9, 2014 at 11:31 pm
        Reply

        Thanks…. pointless unless it replaced the Live Tile Start screen… a replacement for Rocket Dock I suppose but I don’t use Rocket Dock that often as it doesn’t want to stay on screen. Often the GUI hides even though it is set to be displayed all the time but the program resides in memory. I suspect it is a Windows 7-64b problem only, as it didn’t hide in XP, Vista or W8.

  4. Swapnil said on June 9, 2014 at 3:09 pm
    Reply

    Challenge to all the Mac users: Do the opposite (Transform OS X into Windows’ UI). Anyway you want – some app, hacks; apart from just running Windows on Boot camp. As far as I know, you won’t be able to.

    1. InterestedBystander said on June 10, 2014 at 12:51 am
      Reply

      @Swapnil: you’re probably right. Mac: proprietary OS integrated with Mac-specific hardware. Windows: proprietary OS, open API, runs on (or attempts to run on) any hardware. Linux: open-source OS, open API, also attempts to run on any hardware.

      The upshot is that independent Mac developers seem not to have either the codebase or the system access which Windows developers have. And Linux developers have the greatest freedom of all with OS and windowing. And I suspect that Linux users — although a very tiny percentage of desktop users — have created a disproportionately large codebase related to windowing and desktop management. Gnome, Fluxbox, Unity, Enlightenment, KDE, LXDE, XFCE — there are probably three dozen window/desktop managers, though most distros rely on just a few of them.

      Not to bash Mac, Windows, or Linux in any way; nor to boost any of them. They’ve evolved differently, with alternate philosophies and histories, that’s all. All are good.

  5. Doc said on June 9, 2014 at 6:42 am
    Reply

    Let’s see, “taskbar” on the top instead of the bottom, dock on the bottom instead of the top (I use RocketDock), menus on the top of the screen instead of with the window they control, window control buttons on the wrong side….nope, not gonna do it.

  6. jasray said on June 8, 2014 at 8:00 pm
    Reply

    Installing themes created by Anonymous Developer is a great way to screw up a Windows system; it’s hard to believe that a user would trust someone to completely overhaul a UI and guarantee a full working product that can be easily uninstalled if not liked.

    1. InterestedBystander said on June 8, 2014 at 9:45 pm
      Reply

      Maybe so. I have to say, though, Linux has a plethora of very competent windowing systems, and I haven’t seen them screw up the OS. I wish my Win 7 box at work had some of the features of my Linux desktops.

      1. Nilpohc said on June 8, 2014 at 11:01 pm
        Reply

        You’re right, Linux is great for that (too). However, let’s keep in mind that Windows was never designed for such advanced customizations, hence all the hacks, third party tools and potential troubles, depending on how it’s achieved but also on the specific Windows installation it’s applied onto. I tried some Windows X transformation packs in the past, even the previous one, and I never ran into any issue (lucky me !). Still, trusting the guy doesn’t mean trusting the OS, I get your point.

    2. Nilpohc said on June 8, 2014 at 8:27 pm
      Reply

      You’re not wrong but in this case Windows X is not really anonymous since he has already released numerous transformations packs for Windows among many other contributions.

  7. Ravi N said on June 8, 2014 at 7:07 pm
    Reply

    Martin,

    Would a Mac OSX Mavericks user want Yosemite? Is there more to it than eye candy?

    I came late to the Mac Platform – got my first one a couple of years ago. I like the sturdy OS and the integration which gives speed and quiet. But, most of the programs I use are not Apple’s and the continued integration with iOs (which I don’t use at all) is rattling.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on June 9, 2014 at 7:38 am
      Reply

      Interesting question. I don’t really know to be honest.

  8. Dwight Stegall said on June 8, 2014 at 4:48 pm
    Reply

    The xwidgetstarter.exe can’t be found by the system. Also the caption buttons must remain on the right if you use the new Australis version of Firefox. That version autohides the titlebar. If you put the buttons on the left they are hidden behind the tabs.

    But maybe they’ll get all this worked out eventually.

  9. Dwight Stegall said on June 8, 2014 at 4:07 pm
    Reply

    So far I noticed one issue in Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. When I mouseover the top of Windows Explorer just under the URL bar another bar appears with Organize on it. When I move the cursor to the left to click on Organize the toolbar disappears before I can click on it. I have to use ALT key every time I want to select something from the Main Menu. But it’s not a big deal since I rarely need to use those options.

  10. Dwight Stegall said on June 8, 2014 at 3:30 pm
    Reply

    I have an alternate Rocket Dock theme I want to use. But Rocket Dock isn’t installed separately. So I can’t figure out where to copy this theme to.

    1. Blue said on June 9, 2014 at 9:26 pm
      Reply

      Though I too use Rocket Dock, I don’t have it open all the time because it tends to hide itself or not load properly. Both its options and I dragged it into the Start Menu have it set to auto load on Windows start, but once in a while I’ll see it’s running from the task manager but it’s interface isn’t visible, so I must force it close using Task Manager, then opening it again. In the end it was simpler to only open it when I need stuff I put there then to leave it open all the time in Windows 7-64 Home Premium as well.

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