Windows Forms and Aero don't mix well — how do I make them look native?

Question

It's rather annoying: Windows Forms controls don't look or feel native; they don't glow/fade like they're supposed to.

For example, the top button is not native, but the bottom one is:

So how do I get this native look/feel in .NET? Is there a way to do it without using an external library?

Answer 1

Yes! Just set the FlatStyle property on your control to System, instead of Standard, which is the default.
It's not easy to notice, but it's that easy to fix!

Just be aware that this can subtly affect the control in some situations -- a simple search on FlatStyle.System should point you to the caveats.