{"slug": "explorer-patcher", "name": "Explorer Patcher", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 1, "commenters": 2, "warners": 1, "score": -0.067, "rising": -0.33, "first": "2025-12-31", "latest": "2026-05-03", "why": "The only thing keeps Windows 11 usable for me are these two mods..", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 1}, "spark": [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "The only thing keeps Windows 11 usable for me are these two mods..", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/valinet/explorerpatcher", "official_url": "https://github.com/valinet/explorerpatcher", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Explorer Patcher", "ExplorerPatcher"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 743171520, "item_id": 46448220, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46448220", "by": "leptons", "date": "2025-12-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The only thing keeps Windows 11 usable for me are these two mods..", "excerpt": "The only thing keeps Windows 11 usable for me are these two mods.. https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher https://github.com/open-shell/open-shell-menu/ They bring back the context menu and the old task bar, as well as the old start menu. It's like I never left Windows 10. And I've switched to Linux Mint for all my systems except my laptop, which still has some hardware limitations under Linux.", "context": "", "use_case": "restore old Windows UI", "switched_from": "", "story": "2025 was a disaster for Windows 11"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 768034368, "item_id": 48002148, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48002148", "by": "ray023", "date": "2026-05-03", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I was using Explorer Patcher, but it was buggy for me", "excerpt": "Besides, infesting Windows with Spyware and AI what they did to the start menu was among the most atrocious changes they made. I was always a taskbar top guy, because it simply makes more sense, this is not opinion this is fact. Browser tabs are on the TOP, your mouse hovers over the top of the screen WAY more, and It's stupid to have to spend miles in mouse travel time to the bottom of the screen. Window controls li", "context": "uses Windows only for gaming, Linux otherwise", "use_case": "moving Windows taskbar", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows quality update: Progress we've made since March"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["moving windows taskbar", "restore old windows ui"], "compared": [{"slug": "start11", "name": "Start11", "co": 1, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47980279", "title": "Windows quality update: Progress we've made since March", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46445491", "title": "2025 was a disaster for Windows 11", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"warn": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 768034368, "item_id": 48002148, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48002148", "by": "ray023", "date": "2026-05-03", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I was using Explorer Patcher, but it was buggy for me", "excerpt": "Besides, infesting Windows with Spyware and AI what they did to the start menu was among the most atrocious changes they made. I was always a taskbar top guy, because it simply makes more sense, this is not opinion this is fact. Browser tabs are on the TOP, your mouse hovers over the top of the screen WAY more, and It's stupid to have to spend miles in mouse travel time to the bottom of the screen. Window controls li", "context": "uses Windows only for gaming, Linux otherwise", "use_case": "moving Windows taskbar", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows quality update: Progress we've made since March"}, {"id": 743171520, "item_id": 46448220, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46448220", "by": "leptons", "date": "2025-12-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The only thing keeps Windows 11 usable for me are these two mods..", "excerpt": "The only thing keeps Windows 11 usable for me are these two mods.. https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher https://github.com/open-shell/open-shell-menu/ They bring back the context menu and the old task bar, as well as the old start menu. It's like I never left Windows 10. And I've switched to Linux Mint for all my systems except my laptop, which still has some hardware limitations under Linux.", "context": "", "use_case": "restore old Windows UI", "switched_from": "", "story": "2025 was a disaster for Windows 11"}]}