Windows 95 Is Now Available As an App. Literally.

We have seen Windows 95 run on almost all kinds of modern devices, including smartwatches with tiny displays. But a developer has now turned Windows 95 into an actual app that you can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Felix Rieseberg, a developer working at Slack built an Electron-based app that emulates Windows 95. The app itself lets you enjoy a trip drown memory lane with the full Windows 95 experience. It lets you use almost all the apps, including things like Paint, Notepad, Minesweeper, Recycle Bin, Control Panel, and many more.

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Rieseberg is a well-known developer in the Electron world who developed a bunch of different projects for Electron app development. The Windows 95 emulator is also based on Electron (and open-source), which means it is cross-platform and works across Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you are interested, you can give the emulator a try by downloading it right here.

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Conversation 23 comments

  • quackers82

    23 August, 2018 - 12:37 pm

    <p>The sad truth is, it has a better start menu than Windows 10. It has a better Control Panel/Settings than Windows 10, and it has a better looking GUI over all than Windows 10. </p>

    • X911ty12

      23 August, 2018 - 12:40 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#303865">In reply to quackers82:</a></em></blockquote><p>Better is subjective. It is at least consistent. Which WIN10 is NOT.</p>

    • Saxwulf

      Premium Member
      23 August, 2018 - 1:22 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#303865">In reply to quackers82:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>How's the WiFi in your cave?</p>

    • MrKirbs

      Premium Member
      23 August, 2018 - 1:42 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#303865">In reply to quackers82:</a></em></blockquote><p>The hottest of takes</p>

    • Ron Diaz

      23 August, 2018 - 1:46 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#303865">In reply to quackers82:</a></em></blockquote><p>Lol, I actually agree…</p>

    • warren

      23 August, 2018 - 3:04 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#303865">In reply to quackers82:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>The only thing the Windows 95 start menu is good for is giving yourself RSI in your mousing hand. </p><p><br></p><p>The ability to put programs you used most often right on the main Start menu wasn't in 95…. nor was there a quick launch bar on the task bar….. nor could you just type what you wanted to open…… literally every application you wanted to run involved going through multiple precise mouse motions.</p><p><br></p><p>It wasn't until Windows 98 that it became really usable.</p><p><br></p>

      • Winner

        23 August, 2018 - 5:21 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#303900"><em>In reply to warren:</em></a></blockquote><p><em>…every application you wanted to run involved going through multiple precise mouse motions.</em></p><p><br></p><p>Kind of like what the Ribbon makes me do in Word/Powerpoint/Project where I used to be able to do far simpler things, including right-click and now I need to go to that damn ribbon.</p>

      • hrlngrv

        Premium Member
        24 August, 2018 - 1:14 am

        <p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/windows/166343/windows-95-now-available-app-literally#303900&quot; target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em>In reply to warren:</em></a></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. . . The ability to put programs you used most often right on the main Start menu wasn't in 95 . . .</span></blockquote><p>Definitions.</p><p>Any shortcuts (.LNK files) placed in <strong>Start Menu</strong> folder as opposed to its <strong>Programs</strong> subdirectory did appear in the top portion of Windows 95's Start menu, which is one reasonable definition of <em>right on the main Start menu</em>.</p><p>If you set AppPaths in the registry, you could use the Run dialog to run pretty much anything, though no search functionality.</p><p>However, even back then the quickest way to launch anything was to assign a keyboard shortcut in its .LNK file under the Start Menu hierarchy.</p>

  • thalter

    Premium Member
    23 August, 2018 - 12:38 pm

    <p>I'll do you one better: Here is full VM with Windows 95 that runs on in a web browser using just a JavaScript port of DOSBox (no server). <a href="https://win95.ajf.me/&quot; target="_blank">https://win95.ajf.me/</a&gt; It is amazing what you can do in a web browser these days. </p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      23 August, 2018 - 7:17 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#303866">In reply to thalter:</a></em></blockquote><p>Crashed when playing the startup sound :(</p>

  • spacein_vader

    Premium Member
    23 August, 2018 - 12:44 pm

    <p>If MS haven't sanctioned this expect it to be lawyered out of existence with extreme prejudice.</p>

    • fbman

      24 August, 2018 - 12:53 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#303869">In reply to spacein_vader:</a></em></blockquote><p>MS will do nothing, Windows 95 is considered abandonware and is available as free download across the net. Actually all windows versions up to 2000 are basically freely downloadable for retro computing enthusiast. </p><p><br></p><p>There is an unoffical thing, that all software released before the year 2000 is considered abandonware. The Site that I get my abandonware computing goodies (Winworldpc.com) from, have said the only software MS have had an issue with, was Office 2000. They actually received a take down order from MS.</p>

  • lvthunder

    Premium Member
    23 August, 2018 - 2:21 pm

    <p>Wow. That guy must have really been bored.</p>

  • chrisrut

    Premium Member
    23 August, 2018 - 4:43 pm

    <p>Hilarious! Bravo!</p>

  • Oasis

    Premium Member
    23 August, 2018 - 5:31 pm

    <p> If I want Windows 95 I will hook a monitor up to my old desktop computer, which I am using as a monitor stand for my XP/Vista/Lubuntu computer, The Windows OSes are neutered, but there are games on those that are fun to play. If I remember correctly that unit has a 518MB HDD and 12MB of RAM. Some Phones(all) would give that a severe beat-down.</p>

  • JustDavid

    23 August, 2018 - 7:18 pm

    <p>The Comment in the Properties of the icon it puts on the desktop:</p><p> Windows 95, in an app. I'm sorry.</p><p><br></p><p>Wow!<img src=""></p>

  • bharris

    24 August, 2018 - 12:26 pm

    <p>I wonder how much effort this took. Let's face it, most people are going to look at it once, chuckle and never run it again. </p>

    • mrdrwest

      26 August, 2018 - 3:16 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#304127">In reply to bharris:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Regardless, the programmer/team technically benefitted.</p>

  • gmanny

    24 August, 2018 - 12:29 pm

    <p>Recently the JsLinux link that runs Windows 2000 resurfaced in my Twitter feed and I was amazed that Windows 2000 actually consumes about 50 MB of RAM after logging in, so it was feeling quite comfortable in a browser tab. </p>

  • Jeff Jones

    25 August, 2018 - 1:08 am

    <p>There needs to be one of these for every major version of Windows .</p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    27 August, 2018 - 3:31 am

    <p>I haven't looked, but is it just an app, i.e. it emulates the way the standard Windows 95 works, or is it a real emulator, where you can install original Windows 3 / Windows 95 software? I've still got Office 95, Plus! and Visual Studio 6 licenses kicking around somewhere…</p><p>I can also remember how futuristic the MSN interface felt, after using Compu$erve for several years. I still miss NavCIS, my preferred offline reader for CS.</p>

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