ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3

ExplorerPatcher is a versatile and free tool that allows you to tweak and enhance the Windows Explorer. It comes with a range of useful features, including the ability to add new context menu items, change file name colors, and enable hidden features.

Feature summary

• Choose between Windows 11 or Windows 10 taskbar (with labels support, small icons and lots of customization).
• Disable Windows 11 context menu and command bar in File Explorer and more.
• Open Start to All apps by default, choose number of frequent apps to show, display on active monitor and more.
• Choose between the Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows NT Alt-Tab window switcher with customization.

Lots of quality of life improvements for the shell, like:

• Skin tray menus to match Windows style, make them behave like flyouts and center them relative to the icon.
• Choose action when left and/or right clicking the network icon.
• Revert to the Windows 7 search box in File Explorer, or disable Windows Search altogether.
• Disable immersive menus and use mitigations that help you run the real classic theme without glitches.

• Discover the program's full range of features by reading this wiki article.

ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 changelog:

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

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

Important Update for Windows Insider Users

• If you're running Windows 11 Beta build 26220.8474 or Experimental build 26300.8493, updating ExplorerPatcher is highly recommended.
• Microsoft has removed parts of the old Windows 10 Start menu from these builds, which caused ExplorerPatcher's Windows 10-style taskbar and Start menu to crash. This update fixes those issues and ensures Explorer starts correctly after future Windows updates.
• Because the required components are no longer included in Windows, the Windows 10 Start menu option has been disabled on these builds and future builds that lack the necessary files.
• A temporary workaround is to replace StartTileData.dll with a version from build 26xxx.8457, but this solution may stop working in future releases.
• The good news: development on the Windows 10 Start menu isn't over yet. More updates are planned.

Highlights

• Fixed crashes affecting the Windows 10 battery flyout on Windows builds 25951 and newer.
• As part of that fix, network flyout buttons now behave like they did before Windows 11 version 24H2.
• Changes to the Primary taskbar location on screen setting now apply instantly without requiring a restart.
• ExplorerPatcher no longer modifies Windows 11 taskbar auto-hide settings when Explorer starts.
• The Open Start in All apps by default option is now hidden when the new Windows 11 Start menu is enabled.
• Fixed Windows 10 Start menu crashes on very early Windows 11 builds (21996–22000.51).
• Fixed a crash in Registry Editor when switching to thumbnail view during registry import/export operations.
• Improved compatibility with recent Windows builds, especially ARM64 and upcoming 26H1 releases.
• Improved overall ARM64 performance.
• Added Greek language translations. Thanks to @KonVetsos!

ep_taskbar Improvements

• ep_taskbar now supports all 43 Windows 11 display languages.
• Fixed several issues in the system tray and other taskbar components.
• For mod developers: DLL naming has been simplified and made easier to understand.
• For mod developers: internal TrayUI changes provide better stability across Windows builds that use different taskbar implementations.

Windows 10 Start Menu Improvements

• To help preserve compatibility, ExplorerPatcher now includes a newly recreated version of the tile layout engine that Microsoft removed in build 26xxx.8474.

Current limitations:

• Tiles may occasionally overlap when pinned in certain ways.
• Restarting StartMenuExperienceHost.exe or Explorer usually corrects the layout.

Further improvements are planned.

Additional Fixes

• Added a blacklist that prevents ExplorerPatcher's shell extension from loading inside specific applications where it may cause problems.
• Updated Windows 10 Start menu animation support for newer ARM64 Insider builds.
• Fixed a rare taskbar initialization deadlock that could occur during startup.

Start10 Updates

• Addressed a new compatibility issue caused by Microsoft's ongoing removal of tablet mode code in Windows 11 25H2 Experimental builds.
• Pinned tiles are no longer reset after repeated crashes.
• Various wording and interface text improvements throughout the application.

Translation and UI

• Several interface strings have been cleaned up and clarified.
• Thanks to @sefinek for wording improvements.

Please consult the README for more details.

Download: ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 | ARM64 | ~11.0 MB (Open Source)
View: ExplorerPatcher Home Page | Features | Screenshot

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