## Description The Claude Windows Desktop app recently updated its UI automatically, and the new layout/design is a significant departure from the previous version. There's no way to revert to the old UI or customize the appearance. ## Request Either: 1. **Provide an option to revert to the previous Desktop UI** — or at minimum allow users to choose between the old and new layouts 2. **Add theme/layout customization settings** — let users control the look and feel of the desktop app (compact

Allow reverting to previous Windows Desktop UI or add theme/layout settings

Status Closed — not planned

Maintainer reply None cached

Activity 4 comments · opened Apr 14, 2026 · closed May 26, 2026

Description

The Claude Windows Desktop app recently updated its UI automatically, and the new layout/design is a significant departure from the previous version. There's no way to revert to the old UI or customize the appearance.

Request

Either:

Provide an option to revert to the previous Desktop UI — or at minimum allow users to choose between the old and new layouts
Add theme/layout customization settings — let users control the look and feel of the desktop app (compact vs expanded, color schemes, etc.)

Why this matters

The UI changed without warning or opt-in — users had no choice
Some users preferred the previous design and workflow
Desktop apps should give users control over their workspace appearance
No downgrade path exists since updates are pushed automatically

Environment

Platform: Windows 11
App: Claude Desktop (Windows)

Thanks!

View original on GitHub ↗

4 Comments

claygeo · 6 months ago

To clarify — this isn't about light/dark mode. That toggle already exists and works fine.

The issue is the overall layout, structure, and visual design of the Windows Desktop app changed after a recent update. The entire UI shell — how conversations are displayed, the sidebar, the spacing, the general look and feel — all shifted without any opt-in or heads-up.

What I'm asking for:

Layout/theme presets beyond just light/dark — the ability to choose between UI layouts (e.g. "classic" vs "new") or at least have some control over the structural design of the app
Version pinning or rollback — if the desktop app is going to push UI overhauls automatically, users should have a way to stay on or revert to a previous version they were comfortable with
Changelogs or opt-in for major UI changes — a heads-up before the entire interface changes would go a long way

The light/dark toggle is a color scheme switch. This is about the actual UI architecture and layout changing underneath you mid-session. Two very different things.

github-actions[bot] · 4 months ago

Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

angelomacaione · 3 months ago

Same issue on macOS. The new frosted-blur overlay makes several modals effectively unusable on non-recent hardware: the manual skill upload flow hangs, and even the "Give negative feedback" dialog renders but doesn't respond to interaction (can't select the dropdown or type details — so I can't even report the bug from inside the app). Workaround I'm forced into: installing skills only via double-click on .skill files. Suggestion: replace the backdrop blur with a plain dark opacity layer (or add a "reduce transparency" toggle) — blur is a continuous GPU cost, opacity is free. Previous full-page settings layout had no such problem.

github-actions[bot] · 1 month ago

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.