Disable Aero in Windows 7 or Vista is a simple and effective way to improve the performance of your computer. Aero is a feature that allows you to customize the look and feel of your computer screen. By disabling Aero, you can reduce the amount of time it takes for your computer to start up and run its normal operations.


You can edit the properties of a shortcut and tell Windows to automatically disable Aero as soon as you start that application, and then re-enable it again once the application is closed.

Simply right-click on the shortcut and choose Properties, and then the Compatibility tab:

Now on the Settings block check the box for “Disable desktop composition” in order to disable Aero the next time you use the shortcut.

If you are having other compatibility problems I’d recommend using the compatibility modes on this same dialog. Note that we have covered Win7/Vista compatibility mode before, but I think it’s useful to point this out specifically.