I used to have 3D buttons but not in 2026

Question

I used to have 3D buttons but not in 2026

Desmond O'Toole 11

I used to use 3D buttons. These had a kind of drop shaddow effect so they would visualy go up and down. What I have now is just a flat button. On a visual basic forum I was told to

Right click on project and select properties

In application general, I am told to un-check "Enable XP visual styles" option. but I can't find it.

Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 18,975 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T12:14:35.5033333+00:00

Hi @Desmond O'Toole ,

We are currently investigating the issue and will provide an update soon. Thank you for your patience.
Desmond O'Toole 11 Reputation points

2026-08-06T12:18:04.1833333+00:00
Here is what I have already.

http://desmond-otoole.co.uk/3d-Button2.mp4

1 answer

Your answer

Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 18,975 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T12:14:35.5033333+00:00

Hi @Desmond O'Toole ,

We are currently investigating the issue and will provide an update soon. Thank you for your patience.
Desmond O'Toole 11 Reputation points

2026-08-06T12:18:04.1833333+00:00

Here is what I have already.

http://desmond-otoole.co.uk/3d-Button2.mp4

Answer 1

Hello @Desmond O'Toole ,

Thank you for sharing the video.

It is possible that your project is using a modern version of Visual Studio and .NET. In these newer templates, the application settings have been redesigned, which explains why the "Enable XP visual styles" checkbox is no longer available in the Project Properties window.

To restore the classic 3D drop-shadow effect across your entire application, it might be beneficial to turn off the modern visual styles directly within your startup code. If you are using C#, you can try the following steps:

Open the Program.cs file in your project via the Solution Explorer.
Locate the static void Main() method.
Look for a line of code that says either Application.EnableVisualStyles(); or ApplicationConfiguration.Initialize();.
Try commenting out or deleting that specific line.

By running the application without that line, the system should fall back to the older, classic Windows rendering, giving your buttons that 3D look you prefer.

(Note: If your project is in VB.NET, this behavior is usually controlled within the Application Events or Application.myapp settings rather than Program.cs.)

I hope this suggestion helps you achieve the visual style you are looking for. Please let me know how it goes or if you would like me to look into anything else. If you found my response helpful or informative, I would greatly appreciate it if you could follow this guide for your confirmation.

Thank you.