26100.4946.69.6

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. (fa19402)
• 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.

26100.4946.69.5

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. (fa19402)
• 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.

26100.4946.69.4

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. (fa19402)
• 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.

26100.4946.69.3

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. (fa19402)
• 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.

26100.4946.69.2

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. (fa19402)
• 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.

26100.4946.69.1

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. (fa19402)
• 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.

22631.5335.68.2

Tested on OS builds 22621.3296, 22631.5189, 22631.5335, 26100.3476, 26100.4061, and 26100.4188.

1

• Start10: Fixed Pin to Start on 226x1.4541+ and 261xx.2454+. (#3984) (4ef3667, 123ea8b)
• sws: Added support for 24H2. (#3765)
• ep_dwm: Added support for 24H2. (#3555)
• ep_dwm.exe has been renamed to ep_dwm_svc.exe to get around 24H2 upgrade blocks. (115b462)
• ep_dwm: Now always unregistered on uninstallation, regardless of whether it was running during the uninstallation or not. (858b634)
• Setup: The failure message now displays the associated code line number that failed, to assist in troubleshooting. (c64a17e)
• Taskbar10: Fixed disabling immersive menus on ARM64. (8b4d8db)
• Taskbar10: Fixed Win+X menu still having Windows Terminal entries when Windows Terminal is not installed, that crashes Explorer when selected. (1b20cbd, 207f669)
  • For now, if you want to have PowerShell entries, Windows Terminal must be uninstalled.
• Taskbar10: Fixed Win+X entry clicks doing nothing on 26xxx.5551+ ARM64.
• GUI: Added dropdown indicators to dropdown entries. (9f71a5c)
• GUI: The language names now include the country name. (3f11766)
• Localization: Added Czech translations. (Thanks @9hb, @andrewz1986, and @Panzimy!)
• Localization: Added Spanish (Spain) translations. (Thanks @AlejandroMartiGisbert!)
• ep_taskbar: Added support for "Show desktop button: Hidden" setting. (#4020) (1be6658)
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a bug that prevented shortcut global hotkeys from working on 24H2. (#3777, #4016)
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a bug that prevented the taskbar from resizing properly after DPI changes. (#3796)
• ep_taskbar: Added the following languages: German, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Spanish (Spain), Turkish, Ukrainian, Chinese (Simplified).
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a number of memory leaks and code/behavior inaccuracies.

2

• ❗ ep_taskbar: Fixed incompatibility with 26200.5603 (Dev), 26120.4151 (Beta), and 26100.4188 (Release Preview). (#4321)
• ep_taskbar: Now supports all Windows 10 versions supported by EP (17763/1809+). (aec8c70, 1edb989)

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 72c6983 in branch master.

22631.5335.68.2

Tested on OS builds 22621.3296, 22631.5189, 22631.5335, 26100.3476, 26100.4061, and 26100.4188.

1

• Start10: Fixed Pin to Start on 226x1.4541+ and 261xx.2454+. (#3984) (4ef3667, 123ea8b)
• sws: Added support for 24H2. (#3765)
• ep_dwm: Added support for 24H2. (#3555)
• ep_dwm.exe has been renamed to ep_dwm_svc.exe to get around 24H2 upgrade blocks. (115b462)
• ep_dwm: Now always unregistered on uninstallation, regardless of whether it was running during the uninstallation or not. (858b634)
• Setup: The failure message now displays the associated code line number that failed, to assist in troubleshooting. (c64a17e)
• Taskbar10: Fixed disabling immersive menus on ARM64. (8b4d8db)
• Taskbar10: Fixed Win+X menu still having Windows Terminal entries when Windows Terminal is not installed, that crashes Explorer when selected. (1b20cbd, 207f669)
  • For now, if you want to have PowerShell entries, Windows Terminal must be uninstalled.
• Taskbar10: Fixed Win+X entry clicks doing nothing on 26xxx.5551+ ARM64.
• GUI: Added dropdown indicators to dropdown entries. (9f71a5c)
• GUI: The language names now include the country name. (3f11766)
• Localization: Added Czech translations. (Thanks @9hb, @andrewz1986, and @Panzimy!)
• Localization: Added Spanish (Spain) translations. (Thanks @AlejandroMartiGisbert!)
• ep_taskbar: Added support for "Show desktop button: Hidden" setting. (#4020) (1be6658)
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a bug that prevented shortcut global hotkeys from working on 24H2. (#3777, #4016)
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a bug that prevented the taskbar from resizing properly after DPI changes. (#3796)
• ep_taskbar: Added the following languages: German, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Spanish (Spain), Turkish, Ukrainian, Chinese (Simplified).
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a number of memory leaks and code/behavior inaccuracies.

2

• ❗ ep_taskbar: Fixed incompatibility with 26200.5603 (Dev), 26120.4151 (Beta), and 26100.4188 (Release Preview). (#4321)
• ep_taskbar: Now supports all Windows 10 versions supported by EP (17763/1809+). (aec8c70, 1edb989)

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 1bbe207 in branch master.

22631.5335.68.2

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 22621.3296, 22631.5189, 22631.5335, 26100.3476, 26100.4061, and 26100.4188.

1

• Start10: Fixed Pin to Start on 226x1.4541+ and 261xx.2454+. (#3984) (4ef3667, 123ea8b)
• sws: Added support for 24H2. (#3765)
• ep_dwm: Added support for 24H2. (#3555)
• ep_dwm.exe has been renamed to ep_dwm_svc.exe to get around 24H2 upgrade blocks. (115b462)
• ep_dwm: Now always unregistered on uninstallation, regardless of whether it was running during the uninstallation or not. (858b634)
• Setup: The failure message now displays the associated code line number that failed, to assist in troubleshooting. (c64a17e)
• Taskbar10: Fixed disabling immersive menus on ARM64. (8b4d8db)
• Taskbar10: Fixed Win+X menu still having Windows Terminal entries when Windows Terminal is not installed, that crashes Explorer when selected. (1b20cbd, 207f669)
  • For now, if you want to have PowerShell entries, Windows Terminal must be uninstalled.
• Taskbar10: Fixed Win+X entry clicks doing nothing on 26xxx.5551+ ARM64.
• GUI: Added dropdown indicators to dropdown entries. (9f71a5c)
• GUI: The language names now include the country name. (3f11766)
• Localization: Added Czech translations. (Thanks @9hb, @andrewz1986, and @Panzimy!)
• Localization: Added Spanish (Spain) translations. (Thanks @AlejandroMartiGisbert!)
• ep_taskbar: Added support for "Show desktop button: Hidden" setting. (#4020) (1be6658)
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a bug that prevented shortcut global hotkeys from working on 24H2. (#3777, #4016)
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a bug that prevented the taskbar from resizing properly after DPI changes. (#3796)
• ep_taskbar: Added the following languages: German, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Spanish (Spain), Turkish, Ukrainian, Chinese (Simplified).
• ep_taskbar: Fixed a number of memory leaks and code/behavior inaccuracies.

2

• ❗ ep_taskbar: Fixed incompatibility with 26200.5603 (Dev), 26120.4151 (Beta), and 26100.4188 (Release Preview). (#4321)
• ep_taskbar: Now supports all Windows 10 versions supported by EP (17763/1809+). (aec8c70, 1edb989)

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 14807a5 in branch master.

22621.4317.67.1

Caution

Microsoft and other major antivirus vendors have flagged ExplorerPatcher as "malware". This is likely due to Microsoft's hatred against ExplorerPatcher, not because it contains a virus or such. Flags from Microsoft usually spread to other antivirus vendors.

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
• 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 you are downloading from this page, please temporarily disable real-time protection or save to a folder excluded from antivirus scans.
• Failure to exclude ExplorerPatcher's files may result in inability to install/uninstall EP and explorer.exe being unable to start.
• If you do not trust this process, please refrain from using ExplorerPatcher and look for alternatives instead.
• Microsoft, if you are reading this, please reconsider the detections as there are a lot of users who trust this program and that risks from future EP developers are a thing.
• Issues related to antivirus detections will be closed immediately. Discuss this in #3670 or #3228.

Caution

We DO NOT recommend using EP on work machines running Windows 11 version 24H2. More info here.

Note

When updating to 24H2, please uninstall EP before starting the update. You can install EP again with your settings intact after updating to 24H2. Due to explicit blocks by Microsoft, the update cannot proceed if EP is installed.

Tested on OS builds 22621.3296, 22631.4391, 22635.4440, 26120.961, 26100.1150, 26100.2161, and 26120.2213.

1

• Taskbar10: Win+X now works again on 226xx.4317+. (cc9b6b3, #3837)
• Start10: Fixed an issue where the resource loader failed when the drive letter of the boot drive is other than C:. Thanks @ittrgrey for pointing out! (fc25c25)
• Start10: Fixed an issue where the Start menu crashes when summoning the context menu of an item that has jump list entries on builds 226xx.4391+ and 261xx.2130+. (4978024, #3842)
• ep_taskbar: Fixed an issue where "Not responding" windows are not handled properly.
• ep_taskbar: Flashing taskbar items are now animated.
• ep_taskbar: Narrator now describes the "Show desktop" button.
• ep_taskbar: TrayUI class is now exported.
• Localization: Added translations for Portuguese (Brazil). Thanks @thiagojramos!

A little request from us: EP's taskbar implementation is the only way to have the authentic Windows 10 taskbar experience on 24H2, and its development took a lot of effort for 8 consecutive months. It would be really, really appreciated if you can donate @Amrsatrio via Ko-fi to compensate the efforts 🙏

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 b93337a in branch master.