{"slug": "explorerpatcher", "name": "ExplorerPatcher", "category": "terminal", "category_name": "Terminal and shell", "description": "", "recommenders": 6, "commenters": 9, "warners": 1, "score": 4.554, "rising": -1.96, "first": "2025-11-15", "latest": "2026-06-15", "why": "Shout out to https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher for forcing this behavior even on Windows 11.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 6, "neutral": 1, "compare": 1, "warn": 1}, "spark": [2, 1, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Shout out to https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher for forcing this behavior even on Windows 11.", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/valinet/explorerpatcher", "official_url": "https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["ExplorerPatcher", "Explorer Patcher"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 776615600, "item_id": 48538475, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538475", "by": "WithinReason", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This fixes that", "excerpt": "This fixes that: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/", "context": "", "use_case": "restoring taskbar customization", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 748917792, "item_id": 46807362, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46807362", "by": "orthoxerox", "date": "2026-01-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Shout out to https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher for forcing this behavior even on Windows 11.", "excerpt": "I would put all bars at the top. On a touch-enabled screen it's much easier to touch something at the top than something next to the keyboard, so I move the taskbar to the top on all my Windows two-in-ones. Shout out to https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher for forcing this behavior even on Windows 11.", "context": "", "use_case": "Windows taskbar customization", "switched_from": "", "story": "Android's full desktop interface leaks: New status bar, Chrome Extensions"}, {"id": 748845568, "item_id": 46802848, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46802848", "by": "mrandish", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "don't forget ExplorerPatcher which restores some nice Win10 taskbar", "excerpt": "You're welcome. One of the best things I did once I realized I was reluctantly on this journey, was start keeping notes in a cloud backed-up file of every registry setting I tweaked or little utility I installed. Just a quick cut and paste to remind me. Of course some of the notes become stale or irrelevant as things evolve but it's still invaluable insurance if this Windows install eventually gets crufty and needs t", "context": "", "use_case": "Restore Windows 10 taskbar", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"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"}, {"id": 736410177, "item_id": 46025636, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46025636", "by": "commandar", "date": "2025-11-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Fortunately, ExplorerPatcher exists and can restore the functionality.", "excerpt": ">It also eats vertical space with those huge icons, which is precious given the current popular screen dimensions. This is one Windows gets wrong too, in fairness. W11 killed the ability to move the taskbar to the left/right side of the screen. That's a real pain on ultrawide displays where you have absolutely miles of horizontal real estate and relatively limited vertical space. Fortunately, ExplorerPatcher exists a", "context": "", "use_case": "Restore Windows taskbar options", "switched_from": "", "story": "Gnome is better macOS than macOS"}]}], "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": ["restoring taskbar customization", "moving windows taskbar", "windows shell customization", "windows taskbar customization", "restore windows 10 taskbar", "restore old windows ui"], "compared": [{"slug": "start11", "name": "Start11", "co": 1, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "simplewindowswitcher", "name": "SimpleWindowSwitcher", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "windows-11", "name": "Windows 11", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45938723", "title": "Windhawk Windows classic theme mod for Windows 11", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48533101", "title": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything", "mentions": 1}, {"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=47230663", "title": "The beauty and terror of modding Windows", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46790740", "title": "Android's full desktop interface leaks: New status bar, Chrome Extensions", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46795864", "title": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 2, "compare": 1}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"warn": 1}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 776615600, "item_id": 48538475, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538475", "by": "WithinReason", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This fixes that", "excerpt": "This fixes that: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/", "context": "", "use_case": "restoring taskbar customization", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"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": 755778800, "item_id": 47236175, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47236175", "by": "chroma_zone", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Every release involves fixing a bunch of things that Microsoft broke", "excerpt": "Having spent a few years trying to write Windows utility software, it is really exhausting to be in an antagonistic relationship with Microsoft and have their updates constantly break your work. The article mentions ExplorerPatcher -- the changelog [1] of that project is informative. Every release involves fixing a bunch of things that Microsoft broke, intentionally or not. Some of this is understandable given how it", "context": "", "use_case": "Windows shell customization", "switched_from": "", "story": "The beauty and terror of modding Windows"}, {"id": 748917792, "item_id": 46807362, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46807362", "by": "orthoxerox", "date": "2026-01-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Shout out to https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher for forcing this behavior even on Windows 11.", "excerpt": "I would put all bars at the top. On a touch-enabled screen it's much easier to touch something at the top than something next to the keyboard, so I move the taskbar to the top on all my Windows two-in-ones. Shout out to https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher for forcing this behavior even on Windows 11.", "context": "", "use_case": "Windows taskbar customization", "switched_from": "", "story": "Android's full desktop interface leaks: New status bar, Chrome Extensions"}, {"id": 748845568, "item_id": 46802848, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46802848", "by": "mrandish", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "don't forget ExplorerPatcher which restores some nice Win10 taskbar", "excerpt": "You're welcome. One of the best things I did once I realized I was reluctantly on this journey, was start keeping notes in a cloud backed-up file of every registry setting I tweaked or little utility I installed. Just a quick cut and paste to remind me. Of course some of the notes become stale or irrelevant as things evolve but it's still invaluable insurance if this Windows install eventually gets crufty and needs t", "context": "", "use_case": "Restore Windows 10 taskbar", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"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"}, {"id": 736410177, "item_id": 46025636, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46025636", "by": "commandar", "date": "2025-11-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Fortunately, ExplorerPatcher exists and can restore the functionality.", "excerpt": ">It also eats vertical space with those huge icons, which is precious given the current popular screen dimensions. This is one Windows gets wrong too, in fairness. W11 killed the ability to move the taskbar to the left/right side of the screen. That's a real pain on ultrawide displays where you have absolutely miles of horizontal real estate and relatively limited vertical space. Fortunately, ExplorerPatcher exists a", "context": "", "use_case": "Restore Windows taskbar options", "switched_from": "", "story": "Gnome is better macOS than macOS"}, {"id": 735030849, "item_id": 45939428, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45939428", "by": "Krssst", "date": "2025-11-15", "stance": "compare", "quote": "ExplorerPatcher looks cool too", "excerpt": "Thank you, I was not aware of either of those. SimpleWindowSwitcher looks like a good alternative, unfortunately on my side I think I would prefer switching between all windows of all apps rather than have two different shortcuts for \"switch between windows of the current app\" and \"switch between apps\" (but that's just a personal preference). ExplorerPatcher looks cool too, though patching explorer is probably a no-n", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windhawk Windows classic theme mod for Windows 11"}, {"id": 735029185, "item_id": 45939324, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45939324", "by": "sudopsuedo", "date": "2025-11-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "ExplorerPatcher makes it easy to configure in the settings menu", "excerpt": "Have you looked into SimpleWindowSwitcher? https://github.com/sigoden/window-switcher ExplorerPatcher makes it easy to configure in the settings menu, I'm not aware of any other projects that implement SWS: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher It's very fast and can be configured to set window thumbnail size/area", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windhawk Windows classic theme mod for Windows 11"}]}