ExplorerPatcher

[!CAUTION] This GitHub repository (valinet/ExplorerPatcher) is the only official distribution channel of ExplorerPatcher. Do not download "ExplorerPatcher" from any other places than this releases page, as they may contain malware that can compromise your data.

[!CAUTION]

• Please verify that Smart App Control is turned off before installing this software. Otherwise there is a risk where explorer.exe would not start up on new EP versions.
• Do not install this software on machines with SentinelOne installed. We have received reports that SentinelOne can hold EP's files hostage, preventing uninstallation.

[!TIP] Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. However, if you use 3rd party security software, you might need to add these folders into its exclusions:

Please include the following files and folders in your antivirus' exclusion list to prevent issues due to antivirus detections:

• C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
• %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
• C:\Windows\dxgi.dll ⚠️ IMPORTANT: explorer.exe will not start if this file exists but is blocked from being loaded.
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

Tested on OS builds 22621.4317 x64, 22631.7079 x64, 26100.6899 ARM64, 26200.8457 x64, 26300.8493 x64, 26300.8758 x64, 28000.2269 ARM64, and 29617.1000 x64.

1

• 🚨 Important: Fixed 10 taskbar and 10 Start menu crashing on 26xxx.8474+ and 28xxx.2298+.
  • Due to 10 Start menu's tile layout engine being removed from StartTileData.dll, the 10 Start menu option has been temporarily hidden. (bf36cde, 8a5b8ba)
  • The 10 Start menu option has been made available again in version 70.2.
• Highlight: Fixed Windows 10 battery flyout crashing on 25951+. (659c2d0)
  • As a side effect, the network flyout buttons had to be reverted to pre-24H2. Fixes #4691.
• Changes to "Primary taskbar location on screen" in EP properties now reflect immediately. (6c9b41d)
• Windows 11 taskbar autohide is no longer modified on Explorer boot. (e6becc9)
• "Open Start in All apps by default" is now hidden when the new 11 Start menu is enabled. (#4648) (d8f1d1c)
• Windows 10 Start menu on 21996-22000.51 now no longer crashes. (39ac219)
• Fixed regedit.exe crashing when switching to thumbnail view in the import/export registry file dialog. (#3940) (80be85d)
• Updated pattern matching code to support recent builds especially with 26H1 ARM64. (677fd9f, e641e0a, e77123a, 3c8e79f, 854770b, 04dd52b, ce22476, baf0fdb, b532116, c0adee2, eefa0bf, 420e112, 3be4f3f, 1bf0d81, 47d7481, 31d2c23, bdf95c3, fe8cc2b, 1be3c79)
  • Improved efficiency on ARM64.
• Added Greek translations. Thanks @KonVetsos!

ep_taskbar:

• Now supports all 43 Windows 11 languages.
• Fixed reimplementation mistakes in system tray and some other places.
• [For mod developers] Changed ep_taskbar's DLL names from numbers to the codename of the first major release a single variant supports. (cc36e34)
• [For mod developers] TrayUI no longer inherits Microsoft::WRL::RuntimeClass; vtables are now stable on builds with multiple ITrayUI revisions like ep_taskbar.ge.dll (formerly ep_taskbar.5.dll).

2

• Introduced a reimplemented 10 Start menu tile layout engine that was removed in 26xxx.8474. (688514f)
  • A full restoration has been introduced in version 70.4.
• Added an executable name blacklist to prevent shell extension from loading in certain applications. (#4819) (991b8ca)
• Updated 10 Start menu animation patterns for 28xxx.2149+ ARM64. (c480fc2)

ep_taskbar:

• Fixed a deadlock relating to base EP reporting taskbar position and the taskbar reporting search/task view button location and size both to WindowsUdk.ShellCommon.dll during taskbar initialization.

3

• Start10: Mitigated a new breakage related to removal of tablet mode code currently being rolled out on 25H2 Experimental builds 8553, 8687, 8697, and beyond. Thanks @AllieTheFox! (94cc68e)
• Start10: Pinned tiles are no longer reset after 5 consecutive crashes. Thanks @AllieTheFox! (cc85aaf)
• GUI: Fixed the wording of some strings. Thanks @Sefinek! (626ebf2)

4

• Fixed 10 (EP) taskbar crashing on 28xxx.2298+ (26H1), x64 only. ARM64 is not affected. (#5063)
• Restored 10 Start tile pinning behavior on 26xxx.8474+ and 28xxx.2298+. (96839ff, 0ecde00)
• Fixed Explorer Pin to Start/Unpin from Start context menu action behavior when 10 Start is used on 226xx.3420+. (96839ff, 0ecde00)
• Switching between 10 and 11 Start without restarting Explorer no longer results in broken open/close animation. (f022f50, 59a6a42)
• Fixed properties dialog crash with hide-titlebar-elements Windhawk mod. Thanks @ypx13 for the report and @AllieTheFox for the work! (0fad899)
• Fixed Explorer crashlooping with file-explorer-content-animation Windhawk mod. (#5098, 85e3d3a)
• Fixed Simple Window Switcher not showing up when 11 taskbar is used. (#4982, 91bbc0e)

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: If you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working with the latest Windows builds, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page or through these crypto addresses. Thank you very much for the support!

• BTC: 13BDBbyTGsifywotv3kAX618rvfTFYr8FT
• LTC: ltc1q27gwddq0pmgzw5fdufrhqenhdfp5sruljx546j

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including 27e2820 in tag 26100.8457.70.4.

[!CAUTION] This GitHub repository (valinet/ExplorerPatcher) is the only official distribution channel of ExplorerPatcher. Do not download "ExplorerPatcher" from any other places than this releases page, as they may contain malware that can compromise your data.

[!CAUTION]

• Please verify that Smart App Control is turned off before installing this software. Otherwise there is a risk where explorer.exe would not start up on new EP versions.
• Do not install this software on machines with SentinelOne installed. We have received reports that SentinelOne can hold EP's files hostage, preventing uninstallation.

[!TIP] Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. However, if you use 3rd party security software, you might need to add these folders into its exclusions:

Please include the following files and folders in your antivirus' exclusion list to prevent issues due to antivirus detections:

• C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
• %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
• C:\Windows\dxgi.dll ⚠️ IMPORTANT: explorer.exe will not start if this file exists but is blocked from being loaded.
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

Tested on OS builds 22621.4317, 22631.7079, 26100.6899, 26100.8037, 26200.8246, 26200.8457, 26300.8493, and 28000.2113.

1

• 🚨 Important: Fixed 10 taskbar and 10 Start menu crashing on 26220.8474 (Beta) and 26300.8493 (Experimental).
  • Please update EP as soon as possible to ensure future updates run smoothly, otherwise explorer.exe will not run with EP's 10 taskbar and StartMenuExperienceHost.exe will not run when 10 Start menu is selected.
  • Those builds have removed remnants of the 10 Start menu in StartTileData.dll. Consequently, the 10 Start menu option has been removed on those builds and future builds without the required stuff in the DLL. (bf36cde, 8a5b8ba)
    • If you want it back, the temporary solution would be to manually swap C:\Windows\System32\StartTileData.dll with a version from 26xxx.8457 (x64; ARM64). But do not expect this to work for long.
    • We are confident that this is not the end of the road yet for 10 Start menu. Stay tuned for updates.
• Highlight: Fixed Windows 10 battery flyout crashing on 25951+. (659c2d0)
  • As a side effect, the network flyout buttons had to be reverted to pre-24H2. Fixes #4691.
• Changes to "Primary taskbar location on screen" in EP properties now reflect immediately. (6c9b41d)
• Windows 11 taskbar autohide is no longer modified on Explorer boot. (e6becc9)
• "Open Start in All apps by default" is now hidden when the new 11 Start menu is enabled. (#4648) (d8f1d1c)
• Windows 10 Start menu on 21996-22000.51 now no longer crashes. (39ac219)
• Fixed regedit.exe crashing when switching to thumbnail view in the import/export registry file dialog. (#3940) (80be85d)
• Updated pattern matching code to support recent builds especially with 26H1 ARM64. (677fd9f, e641e0a, e77123a, 3c8e79f, 854770b, 04dd52b, ce22476, baf0fdb, b532116, c0adee2, eefa0bf, 420e112, 3be4f3f, 1bf0d81, 47d7481, 31d2c23, bdf95c3, fe8cc2b, 1be3c79)
  • Improved efficiency on ARM64.
• Added Greek translations. Thanks @KonVetsos!

ep_taskbar:

• Now supports all 43 Windows 11 languages.
• Fixed reimplementation mistakes in system tray and some other places.
• [For mod developers] Changed ep_taskbar's DLL names from numbers to the codename of the first major release a single variant supports. (cc36e34)
• [For mod developers] TrayUI no longer inherits Microsoft::WRL::RuntimeClass; vtables are now stable on builds with multiple ITrayUI revisions like ep_taskbar.ge.dll (formerly ep_taskbar.5.dll).

2

• Introduced a reimplemented 10 Start menu tile layout engine that was removed in 26xxx.8474. (688514f)
  • Note that the restoration is partial. Tiles can overlap when pinned not by dragging from apps list; this can be worked around by restarting StartMenuExperienceHost.exe or explorer.exe as a whole to repair the layout.
  • Stay tuned on #4960 and the Discord server for updates.
• Added an executable name blacklist to prevent shell extension from loading in certain applications. (#4819) (991b8ca)
• Updated 10 Start menu animation patterns for 28xxx.2149+ ARM64. (c480fc2)

ep_taskbar:

• Fixed a deadlock relating to base EP reporting taskbar position and the taskbar reporting search/task view button location and size both to WindowsUdk.ShellCommon.dll during taskbar initialization.

3

• Start10: Mitigated a new breakage related to removal of tablet mode code currently being rolled out on 25H2 Experimental builds 8553, 8687, 8697, and beyond. Thanks @AllieTheFox! (94cc68e)
• Start10: Pinned tiles are no longer reset after 5 consecutive crashes. Thanks @AllieTheFox! (cc85aaf)
• GUI: Fixed the wording of some strings. Thanks @Sefinek! (626ebf2)

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: If you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working with the latest Windows builds, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page or through these crypto addresses. Thank you very much for the support!

• BTC: 13BDBbyTGsifywotv3kAX618rvfTFYr8FT
• LTC: ltc1q27gwddq0pmgzw5fdufrhqenhdfp5sruljx546j

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including db5ec1c in tag 26100.8457.70.3.

[!CAUTION] This GitHub repository (valinet/ExplorerPatcher) is the only official distribution channel of ExplorerPatcher. Do not download "ExplorerPatcher" from any other places than this releases page, as they may contain malware that can compromise your data.

[!CAUTION]

• Please verify that Smart App Control is turned off before installing this software. Otherwise there is a risk where explorer.exe would not start up on new EP versions.
• Do not install this software on machines with SentinelOne installed. We have received reports that SentinelOne can hold EP's files hostage, preventing uninstallation.

[!TIP] Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. However, if you use 3rd party security software, you might need to add these folders into its exclusions:

Please include the following files and folders in your antivirus' exclusion list to prevent issues due to antivirus detections:

• C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
• %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
• C:\Windows\dxgi.dll ⚠️ IMPORTANT: explorer.exe will not start if this file exists but is blocked from being loaded.
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

Tested on OS builds 22621.4317, 22631.7079, 26100.6899, 26100.8037, 26200.8246, 26200.8457, 26300.8493, and 28000.2113.

1

• 🚨 Important: Fixed 10 taskbar and 10 Start menu crashing on 26220.8474 (Beta) and 26300.8493 (Experimental).
  • Please update EP as soon as possible to ensure future updates run smoothly, otherwise explorer.exe will not run with EP's 10 taskbar and StartMenuExperienceHost.exe will not run when 10 Start menu is selected.
  • Those builds have removed remnants of the 10 Start menu in StartTileData.dll. Consequently, the 10 Start menu option has been removed on those builds and future builds without the required stuff in the DLL. (bf36cde, 8a5b8ba)
    • If you want it back, the temporary solution would be to manually swap C:\Windows\System32\StartTileData.dll with a version from 26xxx.8457 (x64; ARM64). But do not expect this to work for long.
    • We are confident that this is not the end of the road yet for 10 Start menu. Stay tuned for updates.
• Highlight: Fixed Windows 10 battery flyout crashing on 25951+. (659c2d0)
  • As a side effect, the network flyout buttons had to be reverted to pre-24H2. Fixes #4691.
• Changes to "Primary taskbar location on screen" in EP properties now reflect immediately. (6c9b41d)
• Windows 11 taskbar autohide is no longer modified on Explorer boot. (e6becc9)
• "Open Start in All apps by default" is now hidden when the new 11 Start menu is enabled. (#4648) (d8f1d1c)
• Windows 10 Start menu on 21996-22000.51 now no longer crashes. (39ac219)
• Fixed regedit.exe crashing when switching to thumbnail view in the import/export registry file dialog. (#3940) (80be85d)
• Updated pattern matching code to support recent builds especially with 26H1 ARM64. (677fd9f, e641e0a, e77123a, 3c8e79f, 854770b, 04dd52b, ce22476, baf0fdb, b532116, c0adee2, eefa0bf, 420e112, 3be4f3f, 1bf0d81, 47d7481, 31d2c23, bdf95c3, fe8cc2b, 1be3c79)
  • Improved efficiency on ARM64.
• Added Greek translations. Thanks @KonVetsos!

ep_taskbar:

• Now supports all 43 Windows 11 languages.
• Fixed reimplementation mistakes in system tray and some other places.
• [For mod developers] Changed ep_taskbar's DLL names from numbers to the codename of the first major release a single variant supports. (cc36e34)
• [For mod developers] TrayUI no longer inherits Microsoft::WRL::RuntimeClass; vtables are now stable on builds with multiple ITrayUI revisions like ep_taskbar.ge.dll (formerly ep_taskbar.5.dll).

2

• Introduced a re-implemented 10 Start menu tile layout engine that was removed in 26xxx.8474. (688514f)
  • Note that the restoration is partial. Tiles can overlap when pinned via the Pin to Start option (doesn't happen when dragging items from apps list to the pinned area), this can be worked around by restarting StartMenuExperienceHost.exe or explorer.exe as a whole to repair the layout.
  • Stay tuned on #4960 and the official Discord server for updates.
• Added an executable name blacklist to prevent shell extension from loading in certain applications. (#4819) (991b8ca)
• Updated 10 Start menu animation patterns for 28xxx.2149+ ARM64. (c480fc2)

ep_taskbar:

• Fixed a deadlock relating to base EP reporting taskbar position and the taskbar reporting search/task view button location and size both to WindowsUdk.ShellCommon.dll during taskbar initialization.

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: If you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working with the latest Windows builds, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page or through these crypto addresses. Thank you very much for the support!

• BTC: 13BDBbyTGsifywotv3kAX618rvfTFYr8FT
• LTC: ltc1q27gwddq0pmgzw5fdufrhqenhdfp5sruljx546j

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including 52a851b in tag 26100.8457.70.2.

[!CAUTION] This GitHub repository (valinet/ExplorerPatcher) is the only official distribution channel of ExplorerPatcher. Do not download "ExplorerPatcher" from any other places than this releases page, as they may contain malware that can compromise your data.

[!CAUTION]

• Please verify that Smart App Control is turned off before installing this software. Otherwise there is a risk where explorer.exe would not start up on new EP versions.
• Do not install this software on machines with SentinelOne installed. We have received reports that SentinelOne can hold EP's files hostage, preventing uninstallation.

[!TIP] Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. However, if you use 3rd party security software, you might need to add these folders into its exclusions:

Please include the following files and folders in your antivirus' exclusion list to prevent issues due to antivirus detections:

• C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
• %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
• C:\Windows\dxgi.dll ⚠️ IMPORTANT: explorer.exe will not start if this file exists but is blocked from being loaded.
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

Tested on OS builds 22621.4317, 22631.7079, 26100.6899, 26100.8037, 26200.8246, 26200.8457, 26300.8493, and 28000.2113.

1

• 🚨 Important: Fixed 10 taskbar and 10 Start menu crashing on 26220.8474 (Beta) and 26300.8493 (Experimental).
  • Please update EP as soon as possible to ensure future updates run smoothly, otherwise explorer.exe will not run with EP's 10 taskbar and StartMenuExperienceHost.exe will not run when 10 Start menu is selected.
  • Those builds have removed remnants of the 10 Start menu in StartTileData.dll. Consequently, the 10 Start menu option has been removed on those builds and future builds without the required stuff in the DLL. (bf36cde, 8a5b8ba)
    • If you want it back, the temporary solution would be to manually swap C:\Windows\System32\StartTileData.dll with a version from 26xxx.8457 (x64; ARM64). But do not expect this to work for long.
    • We are confident that this is not the end of the road yet for 10 Start menu. Stay tuned for updates.
• Highlight: Fixed Windows 10 battery flyout crashing on 25951+. (659c2d0)
  • As a side effect, the network flyout buttons had to be reverted to pre-24H2. Fixes #4691.
• Changes to "Primary taskbar location on screen" in EP properties now reflect immediately. (6c9b41d)
• Windows 11 taskbar autohide is no longer modified on Explorer boot. (e6becc9)
• "Open Start in All apps by default" is now hidden when the new 11 Start menu is enabled. (#4648) (d8f1d1c)
• Windows 10 Start menu on 21996-22000.51 now no longer crashes. (39ac219)
• Fixed regedit.exe crashing when switching to thumbnail view in the import/export registry file dialog. (#3940) (80be85d)
• Updated pattern matching code to support recent builds especially with 26H1 ARM64. (677fd9f, e641e0a, e77123a, 3c8e79f, 854770b, 04dd52b, ce22476, baf0fdb, b532116, c0adee2, eefa0bf, 420e112, 3be4f3f, 1bf0d81, 47d7481, 31d2c23, bdf95c3, fe8cc2b, 1be3c79)
  • Improved efficiency on ARM64.
• Added Greek translations. Thanks @KonVetsos!

ep_taskbar:

• Now supports all 43 Windows 11 languages.
• Fixed reimplementation mistakes in system tray and some other places.
• [For mod developers] Changed ep_taskbar's DLL names from numbers to the codename of the first major release a single variant supports. (cc36e34)
• [For mod developers] TrayUI no longer inherits Microsoft::WRL::RuntimeClass; vtables are now stable on builds with multiple ITrayUI revisions like ep_taskbar.ge.dll (formerly ep_taskbar.5.dll).

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: If you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page or through these crypto addresses. Donations like these keep my motivation to maintain this project so that Windows updates aren't as catastrophic as before. Thank you very much for the support!

• BTC: 13BDBbyTGsifywotv3kAX618rvfTFYr8FT
• LTC: ltc1q27gwddq0pmgzw5fdufrhqenhdfp5sruljx546j

Special thanks to @milestprower92 and @Tourniquet88 for reporting issues and testing on new builds!

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including c1a4f6b in tag 26100.8457.70.1.

[!CAUTION] This GitHub repository (valinet/ExplorerPatcher) is the only official distribution channel of ExplorerPatcher. Do not download "ExplorerPatcher" from any other places than this releases page, as they may contain malware that can compromise your data.

[!TIP] Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. However, if you use 3rd party security software, you might need to add these folders into its exclusions:

Please include the following files and folders in your antivirus' exclusion list to prevent issues due to antivirus detections:

• C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
• %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
• C:\Windows\dxgi.dll ⚠️ IMPORTANT: explorer.exe will not start if this file exists but is blocked from being loaded.
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

Tested on OS builds 26100.4946, 26100.5074, 26200.5751, and 26220.6682.

1

• ep_weather: Fixed "Unable to load weather information" due to changes in Google's side. Thanks @davids5 for the fix! (#1334, #4351) (c3c83ff)
• Start11: Fixed hiding of Recommended Section on recent builds of 24H2. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4476) (9106226)
• GUI: File Explorer > Title bar is now available again on >= 22H2. Thanks @SandTechStuff! (583fa53)
• Reduced the occurrences of the Windows 11 bug in Explorer windows where WM_SETTINGCHANGE would scroll the folder items list to the top. (fa19402b)
• Changed hooking library to SlimDetours. (ff30457)
  • On ARM64, fixes incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods that hook CreateWindowExW such as Taskbar Volume Control.
  • On ARM64, fixes a very slim chance bug where hooked functions would cause a crash when called until a reboot.
• ep_taskbar: Now statically links to private functions it uses. (ab99f26)
• Taskbar10: Fixed folder toolbar menus and Toolbars > New toolbar not working on builds with TrayThreadBSTA (54481602) feature flag turned on, such as 26100.5074+. (#4542) (1bbe207)
• GUI: Windows 8 Network flyout is now no longer an option on builds >= 25346 as van.dll was removed. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4478) (72c6983)
• On Windows 11 22H2+, Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar a.k.a. ep_taskbar is now used by default. (ad2fa72)

2

• Fixed weather button not having an icon. (#4545) (6959c69)
  • You may need to perform "Clear weather widget local data" in EP properties > Weather.

3

• File Explorer: Fixed "Shrink address bar height" resulting in broken graphics on recent 24H2 builds. (#4552) (6d946bd)
• Start10: Fixed open/close animation patching on x64 27938+ and ARM64 27881+. (201a7e5, 79f8dd3, f873888, 465117e, 4434d10)
• Start10: Fixed Windows 10 Start menu refusing to open when the new Windows 11 Start menu feature flag(s) are enabled. (#4523) (afd109f)
• Fixed Windows 10 Alt+Tab and Windows 10 taskbar Win+X functionality on ARM64 226x1 and 27686+. (18dfcd0)

4

• File Explorer: Corrected shrunk address bar toolbar button size when Servicing_CFDNavButtonsTheming (NI: 56845961, GE: 52061322) is enabled. (#4552) (9e91030)

5

• Start10: Fixed Windows 10 Start menu not opening on 22H2/23H2 ARM64. (c08b0a6)

6

• File Explorer: XAML folder views are now disabled when Windows 11 Command Bar is not used. (80414f5)
  • This fixes crashes when navigating away and returning to Home/Gallery on 22H2/23H2 (#3447), and when opening Home on 26xxx.7015+.
• File Explorer: Fixed Alt+D not working on builds with modern (XAML) navigation bar in File Explorer. (#2847) (a80d9dc)
• File Explorer: Mitigated breakages on builds with tabs in File Explorer: (75178ec, df7d604)
  • Fixed menu bar behavior when Windows 7 Command Bar is used. Pressing Alt will now summon the menu bar immediately like it used to. (#2676)
  • Fixed window position and size saving when Windows 10 Ribbon is used. (#2243)
• Taskbar10: These settings now take effect on ep_taskbar: (#4097) (48e1de3)
  • Pinned items act as quick launch (don't group with active apps)
  • When the taskbar shows button labels, remove the extra gap around pinned items

Known issues we will address in the short term:

• Changing weather icon pack to "Microsoft" has no effect.
• On Nickel (Windows 11 22H2/23H2), when the new Windows 11 Start menu is enabled, using Windows 10 or Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar will crashloop explorer.exe.

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: My PayPal account is currently having problems receiving funds, so if you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page or through these crypto addresses. Thank you very much for the support!

• BTC: 13BDBbyTGsifywotv3kAX618rvfTFYr8FT
• LTC: ltc1q27gwddq0pmgzw5fdufrhqenhdfp5sruljx546j

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including 7384790 in branch master.

[!CAUTION] This GitHub repository (valinet/ExplorerPatcher) is the only official distribution channel of ExplorerPatcher. Do not download "ExplorerPatcher" from any other places than this releases page, as they may contain malware that can compromise your data.

[!TIP] Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. However, if you use 3rd party security software, you might need to add these folders into its exclusions:

Please include the following files and folders in your antivirus' exclusion list to prevent issues due to antivirus detections:

• C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
• %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
• C:\Windows\dxgi.dll ⚠️ IMPORTANT: explorer.exe will not start if this file exists but is blocked from being loaded.
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

Tested on OS builds 26100.4946, 26100.5074, 26200.5751, and 26220.6682.

1

• ep_weather: Fixed "Unable to load weather information" due to changes in Google's side. Thanks @davids5 for the fix! (#1334, #4351) (c3c83ff)
• Start11: Fixed hiding of Recommended Section on recent builds of 24H2. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4476) (9106226)
• GUI: File Explorer > Title bar is now available again on >= 22H2. Thanks @SandTechStuff! (583fa53)
• Reduced the occurrences of the Windows 11 bug in Explorer windows where WM_SETTINGCHANGE would scroll the folder items list to the top. (fa19402b)
• Changed hooking library to SlimDetours. (ff30457)
  • On ARM64, fixes incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods that hook CreateWindowExW such as Taskbar Volume Control.
  • On ARM64, fixes a very slim chance bug where hooked functions would cause a crash when called until a reboot.
• ep_taskbar: Now statically links to private functions it uses. (ab99f26)
• Taskbar10: Fixed folder toolbar menus and Toolbars > New toolbar not working on builds with TrayThreadBSTA (54481602) feature flag turned on, such as 26100.5074+. (#4542) (1bbe207)
• GUI: Windows 8 Network flyout is now no longer an option on builds >= 25346 as van.dll was removed. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4478) (72c6983)
• On Windows 11 22H2+, Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar a.k.a. ep_taskbar is now used by default. (ad2fa72)

2

• Fixed weather button not having an icon. (#4545) (6959c69)
  • You may need to perform "Clear weather widget local data" in EP properties > Weather.

3

• File Explorer: Fixed "Shrink address bar height" resulting in broken graphics on recent 24H2 builds. (#4552) (6d946bd)
• Start10: Fixed open/close animation patching on x64 27938+ and ARM64 27881+. (201a7e5, 79f8dd3, f873888, 465117e, 4434d10)
• Start10: Fixed Windows 10 Start menu refusing to open when the new Windows 11 Start menu feature flag(s) are enabled. (#4523) (afd109f)
• Fixed Windows 10 Alt+Tab and Windows 10 taskbar Win+X functionality on ARM64 226x1 and 27686+. (18dfcd0)

4

• File Explorer: Corrected shrunk address bar toolbar button size when Servicing_CFDNavButtonsTheming (NI: 56845961, GE: 52061322) is enabled. (#4552) (9e91030)

5

• Start10: Fixed Windows 10 Start menu not opening on 22H2/23H2 ARM64. (c08b0a6)

Known issues we will address in the short term:

• Changing weather icon pack to "Microsoft" has no effect.
• On Nickel (Windows 11 22H2/23H2), when the new Windows 11 Start menu is enabled, using Windows 10 or Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar will crashloop explorer.exe.

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: My PayPal account is currently having problems receiving funds, so if you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page or through these crypto addresses. Thank you very much for the support!

• BTC: 13BDBbyTGsifywotv3kAX618rvfTFYr8FT
• LTC: ltc1q27gwddq0pmgzw5fdufrhqenhdfp5sruljx546j

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including 206dcf5 in branch master.

[!CAUTION] This GitHub repository is the only official distribution channel of ExplorerPatcher. Do not download "ExplorerPatcher" from any other places than this releases page, as they may contain malware that can compromise your data.

[!TIP] Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. Enjoy!

Tested on OS builds 26100.4946, 26100.5074, 26200.5751, and 26220.6682.

1

• ep_weather: Fixed "Unable to load weather information" due to changes in Google's side. Thanks @davids5 for the fix! (#1334, #4351) (c3c83ff)
• Start11: Fixed hiding of Recommended Section on recent builds of 24H2. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4476) (9106226)
• GUI: File Explorer > Title bar is now available again on >= 22H2. Thanks @SandTechStuff! (583fa53)
• Reduced the occurrences of the Windows 11 bug in Explorer windows where WM_SETTINGCHANGE would scroll the folder items list to the top. (fa19402b)
• Changed hooking library to SlimDetours. (ff30457)
  • On ARM64, fixes incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods that hook CreateWindowExW such as Taskbar Volume Control.
  • On ARM64, fixes a very slim chance bug where hooked functions would cause a crash when called until a reboot.
• ep_taskbar: Now statically links to private functions it uses. (ab99f26)
• Taskbar10: Fixed folder toolbar menus and Toolbars > New toolbar not working on builds with TrayThreadBSTA (54481602) feature flag turned on, such as 26100.5074+. (#4542) (1bbe207)
• GUI: Windows 8 Network flyout is now no longer an option on builds >= 25346 as van.dll was removed. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4478) (72c6983)
• On Windows 11 22H2+, Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar a.k.a. ep_taskbar is now used by default. (ad2fa72)

2

• Fixed weather button not having an icon. (#4545) (6959c69)
  • You may need to perform "Clear weather widget local data" in EP properties > Weather.

3

• File Explorer: Fixed "Shrink address bar height" resulting in broken graphics on recent 24H2 builds. (#4552) (6d946bd)
• Start10: Fixed open/close animation patching on x64 27938+ and ARM64 27881+. (201a7e5, 79f8dd3, f873888, 465117e, 4434d10)
• Start10: Fixed Windows 10 Start menu refusing to open when the new Windows 11 Start menu feature flag(s) are enabled. (#4523) (afd109f)
• Fixed Windows 10 Alt+Tab and Windows 10 taskbar Win+X functionality on ARM64 226x1 and 27686+. (18dfcd0)

4

• File Explorer: Corrected shrunk address bar toolbar button size when Servicing_CFDNavButtonsTheming (NI: 56845961, GE: 52061322) is enabled. (#4552) (9e91030)

Known issues we will address in the short term:

• Changing weather icon pack to "Microsoft" has no effect.
• On 22H2/23H2 ARM64, Windows 10 Start menu will fail to open due to a change made in afd109f to fix it not opening on latest 24H2/25H2 builds.

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: My PayPal account is currently having problems receiving funds, so if you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page or through these crypto addresses. Thank you very much for the support!

• BTC: 13BDBbyTGsifywotv3kAX618rvfTFYr8FT
• LTC: ltc1q27gwddq0pmgzw5fdufrhqenhdfp5sruljx546j

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including f5eddac in branch master.

Tested on OS builds 26100.4946, 26100.5074, 26200.5751, and 26220.6682.

1

• ep_weather: Fixed "Unable to load weather information" due to changes in Google's side. Thanks @davids5 for the fix! (#1334, #4351) (c3c83ff)
• Start11: Fixed hiding of Recommended Section on recent builds of 24H2. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4476) (9106226)
• GUI: File Explorer > Title bar is now available again on >= 22H2. Thanks @SandTechStuff! (583fa53)
• Reduced the occurrences of the Windows 11 bug in Explorer windows where WM_SETTINGCHANGE would scroll the folder items list to the top. (fa19402b)
• Changed hooking library to SlimDetours. (ff30457)
  • On ARM64, fixes incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods that hook CreateWindowExW such as Taskbar Volume Control.
  • On ARM64, fixes a very slim chance bug where hooked functions would cause a crash when called until a reboot.
• ep_taskbar: Now statically links to private functions it uses. (ab99f26)
• Taskbar10: Fixed folder toolbar menus and Toolbars > New toolbar not working on builds with TrayThreadBSTA (54481602) feature flag turned on, such as 26100.5074+. (#4542) (1bbe207)
• GUI: Windows 8 Network flyout is now no longer an option on builds >= 25346 as van.dll was removed. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4478) (72c6983)
• On Windows 11 22H2+, Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar a.k.a. ep_taskbar is now used by default. (ad2fa72)

2

• Fixed weather button not having an icon. (#4545) (6959c69)
  • You may need to perform "Clear weather widget local data" in EP properties > Weather.

3

• File Explorer: Fixed "Shrink address bar height" resulting in broken graphics on recent 24H2 builds. (#4552) (6d946bd)
• Start10: Fixed open/close animation patching on x64 27938+ and ARM64 27881+. (201a7e5, 79f8dd3, f873888, 465117e, 4434d10)
• Start10: Fixed Windows 10 Start menu refusing to open when the new Windows 11 Start menu feature flag(s) are enabled. (#4523) (afd109f)
• Fixed Windows 10 Alt+Tab and Windows 10 taskbar Win+X functionality on ARM64 226x1 and 27686+. (18dfcd0)

Known issues we will address in the short term:

• Changing weather icon pack to "Microsoft" has no effect.
• On Nickel (Windows 11 22H2/23H2), when the new Windows 11 Start menu is enabled, using Windows 10 or Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar will crashloop explorer.exe.

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including f4e9faf in branch master.

Tested on OS builds 26100.4946, 26100.5074, and 26200.5751.

1

• ep_weather: Fixed "Unable to load weather information" due to changes in Google's side. Thanks @davids5 for the fix! (#1334, #4351) (c3c83ff)
• Start11: Fixed hiding of Recommended Section on recent builds of 24H2. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4476) (9106226)
• GUI: File Explorer > Title bar is now available again on >= 22H2. Thanks @SandTechStuff! (583fa53)
• Reduced the occurrences of the Windows 11 bug in Explorer windows where WM_SETTINGCHANGE would scroll the folder items list to the top. (fa19402b)
• Changed hooking library to SlimDetours. (ff30457)
  • On ARM64, fixes incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods that hook CreateWindowExW such as Taskbar Volume Control.
  • On ARM64, fixes a very slim chance bug where hooked functions would cause a crash when called until a reboot.
• ep_taskbar: Now statically links to private functions it uses. (ab99f26)
• Taskbar10: Fixed folder toolbar menus and Toolbars > New toolbar not working on builds with TrayThreadBSTA (54481602) feature flag turned on, such as 26100.5074+. (#4542) (1bbe207)
• GUI: Windows 8 Network flyout is now no longer an option on builds >= 25346 as van.dll was removed. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4478) (72c6983)
• On Windows 11 22H2+, Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar a.k.a. ep_taskbar is now used by default. (ad2fa72)

2

• Fixed weather button not having an icon. (#4545) (6959c69)

Known issues we will address in the short term:

• Changing weather icon pack to "Microsoft" has no effect.
• Shrink address bar height results in unexpected dimensions on recent 24H2 builds.
• When the new Windows 11 Start menu feature flag is enabled, Windows 10 Start menu will refuse to open due to an internal change.

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including f112719 in branch master.

[!WARNING] ExplorerPatcher has a history of being falsely detected as malware by antiviruses (including Defender). This is likely due to its behavior, such as placing binaries in C:\Windows and performing in-memory patches on system components (notably explorer.exe and twinui.pcshell.dll) which is similar to how some game cheats operate.

• Currently, Defender does not flag this release, but it is likely that future updates may being flagged by Defender's machine learning-based detection systems within a few days of release.
• If Defender or another antivirus detects any part of EP as malware, it may prevent proper installation/uninstallation or cause explorer.exe to fail to start, leaving your computer with a non-working shell..
• Issues related to antivirus detections will be closed immediately. Discuss this in #3670 or #3228.

We strongly recommend excluding EP's binaries from antivirus scans. Expand the section below for which paths to exclude and more information:

Please include the following files and folders in your antivirus' exclusion list to prevent issues due to antivirus detections:

• C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
• %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
• C:\Windows\dxgi.dll ⚠️ IMPORTANT: explorer.exe will not start if this file exists but is blocked from being loaded.
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
• C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

For Defender, you can run the following script in PowerShell as an administrator:

Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher"
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "$env:APPDATA\ExplorerPatcher"
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\Windows\dxgi.dll"
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy"
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy"
#

• If your antivirus deletes the downloaded setup file, you may need to temporarily disable real-time protection or save the file in an excluded folder.
• If you are uncomfortable with this process, or if your antivirus is managed by your company, we advise against using ExplorerPatcher. Please consider alternative solutions instead.

[!CAUTION] We DO NOT recommend using the Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar on work and mission-critical machines. Microsoft's monthly cumulative and "security" updates (which also bring new features and under the hood changes) can cause Explorer to be unstable or fail to start at all if EP has not been updated accordingly. More info here.

We typically release a new version with the fix within a day after such a breaking change, but we cannot control whether users install the update promptly.

Tested on OS builds 26100.4946, 26100.5074, and 26200.5751.

1

• ep_weather: Fixed "Unable to load weather information" due to changes in Google's side. Thanks @davids5 for the fix! (#1334, #4351) (c3c83ff)
• Start11: Fixed hiding of Recommended Section on recent builds of 24H2. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4476) (9106226)
• GUI: File Explorer > Title bar is now available again on >= 22H2. Thanks @SandTechStuff! (583fa53)
• Reduced the occurrences of the Windows 11 bug in Explorer windows where WM_SETTINGCHANGE would scroll the folder items list to the top. (fa19402b)
• Changed hooking library to SlimDetours. (ff30457)
  • On ARM64, fixes incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods that hook CreateWindowExW such as Taskbar Volume Control.
  • On ARM64, fixes a very slim chance bug where hooked functions would cause a crash when called until a reboot.
• ep_taskbar: Now statically links to private functions it uses. (ab99f26)
• Taskbar10: Fixed folder toolbar menus and Toolbars > New toolbar not working on builds with TrayThreadBSTA (54481602) feature flag turned on, such as 26100.5074+. (#4542) (1bbe207)
• GUI: Windows 8 Network flyout is now no longer an option on builds >= 25346 as van.dll was removed. Thanks @m-wigley for the fix! (#4478) (72c6983)
• On Windows 11 22H2+, Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar a.k.a. ep_taskbar is now used by default. (ad2fa72)

Known issues we will address in the short term:

• Due to Google changing weather icons, for now the icons do not appear in the weather button. (#4545)
• Shrink address bar height results in unexpected dimensions on recent 24H2 builds.
• When the new Windows 11 Start menu feature flag is enabled, Windows 10 Start menu will refuse to open due to an internal change.

✉️ A little message from @Amrsatrio: My PayPal account is currently having problems receiving funds, so if you want to support my work of keeping ExplorerPatcher working, please do so through my GitHub sponsors page. Thank you very much for the support!

Please consult the README for more details. A detailed change log is available here. An archive containing all the files generated during the build process (including dxgi.dll and symbol files) is available here.

This release has been published automatically from commits up to and including 1b977ad in branch master.