How to stop AERO on Windows 7

Tom Fraser 0 Reputation points
2026-04-21T15:56:26.9333333+00:00

Suddenly my settings have been changed and windows no longer is simple, it keeps on snapping to the screen tops

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Desktop, Start, and personalization
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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-21T15:56:35.9566667+00:00

    To stop Aero snapping and effects in Windows 7 and return to a simpler desktop, disable the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service. This turns off Aero features such as Snap, Peek, and Shake.

    Follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, type services.msc in the search box, and press Enter.
    2. In the Services window, find and double-click Desktop Window Manager Session Manager.
    3. In Startup type, select Disabled.
    4. Click Stop to stop the service.
    5. Click Apply, then OK.

    Alternatively, from an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator), run:

    net stop UxSms
    sc config UxSms start= disabled
    

    This will stop Aero and prevent it from starting again. If later wanting to restore Aero, run:

    sc config UxSms start= auto
    net start UxSms
    

    References:

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