[citation needed] It is localized into more than 30 languages, including right-to-left support for Arabic and Hebrew.

These include showing the menu next to the taskbar when it is vertical, multi-monitor support, launching multiple programs at once, custom shutdown-related actions, Universal app launching, expanding any file folder as cascading menus, and additional keyboard shortcuts.

Classic Start Menu can also modify Windows 8's new UI features, such as hot corners only on the desktop without disabling them inside Universal apps.

Features include: Classic Shell began as a tool for personal use,[11] and saw its first public release in 2009.

[7] Open-Shell has remained functionally similar to Classic Shell, but it has added some small features and addressed several bugs, many caused by new versions of Windows.

[17] It has seen coverage in such publications as Lifehacker,[18] Neowin,[4] Ghacks,[19] ZDNet,[20] PC World,[21] TechRepublic,[22] MakeUseOf,[23] and Betanews.