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ExplorerPatcher's taskbar implementation

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Amr Satrio edited this page Nov 7, 2024 · 23 revisions

ExplorerPatcher's taskbar implementation, or ExplorerPatcher's reimplemented taskbar, is our custom implementation of the Windows 10 taskbar mostly based on the code present in Windows 11 22H2. It makes the full Windows 10 taskbar on Windows 11 experience available in 25921+ (Windows 11 24H2), with some perks.

Perks

  • Snap Groups (respects your settings)
  • Virtual Desktop Switcher (always on when the taskbar is docked to the bottom)
  • Windows 11 Start, Search, and Task View animated icons (change Start button style to Windows 11)
  • Windows 11 21H2-early 22H2 style for the tray overflow
  • End Task

Coming in the future:

  • Windows 7/8 Taskbar style
  • Windows 7 Start menu

Supported Windows versions

Version Build Channel Support
Windows 10 2004 19041 Release
Release Preview		 ➖ ep_taskbar.0.dll
Available upon request
20H2 19042
21H1 19043
21H2 19044
22H2 19045
Windows 11 21H2 22000 Release
Release Preview
Beta
Dev		 ❌ Not supported
22H2 < 22621.1343 Release
Release Preview
Beta		 ❌ Not supported
22621.1343+ Release
Release Preview		 ✅ ep_taskbar.2.dll
23403-23620 Dev
23H2 22631 Release
Release Preview
22635 Beta
25115-25309 Dev ➖ ep_taskbar.3.dll
Available upon request
25314-25915 Canary
25921-26040 ➖ ep_taskbar.4.dll
Available upon request
24H2 26052-26090 ✅ ep_taskbar.5.dll
26100 Release
Release Preview
26120 Dev
26200-26257 Canary
27686-Present Canary

Confirmed compatible tweak software

Incompatible tweak software

Windhawk mods support

Compatible

Planned to be made compatible

Mods not listed above may not be compatible with ExplorerPatcher's taskbar implementation.

Languages

English (United States), Chinese (Traditional), Japanese, Russian, Spanish (Mexico)

⚠️ Warning - Read thoroughly before using

  • Please DO NOT use the reimplemented taskbar on WORK machines. Also DO NOT use on machines with mission-critical purposes.
    • This is only intended for PERSONAL machines where program errors are tolerable. If you are using this on a non-PERSONAL machine, you are doing so at your own risk.
    • We will NOT be responsible for any damages caused.
  • Being a reimplementation, this does not cover all features of the original taskbar. Some missing features are:
    • Languages other than those mentioned above
    • Assigned Access
  • Due to tight integration with explorer.exe, a Windows update can break the reimplemented taskbar until a fix is released.
  • Some features may not work as expected or behave differently from the original taskbar. This can be due to human errors that might have happened during the process of reimplementing.
  • Crashes can happen at any time, in any moment, and under any condition. Please be prepared for this.
  • Other taskbar tweaking software other than the ones listed above are not guaranteed to work.
  • In rare cases, explorer.exe might run at a higher CPU usage than usual, therefore increasing device temperatures and shortening battery life.
  • If any of the problems become an annoyance, we suggest to immediately switch back to the default taskbar implementation until a fix is released.

If you encounter any issues especially behavioral differences from the original taskbar, Issue reports in here would be appreciated.

  • When doing so, please let us know your Windows version in winver (e.g. 22621.1992) and reproduction steps.
  • Please make sure that the issue does not happen with the original taskbar.

We thank you for your understanding.

FAQ

Help! My screen is black!

We are sorry that our taskbar or ExplorerPatcher is malfunctioning on your Windows installation. To recover your system back to a working state, please follow these steps:

  • Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
  • Select "Run new task" at the top bar (on the new Task Manager) or "File" > "Run new task" (on the old Task Manager).
  • Enter explorer.exe.
  • While holding Ctrl+Alt+Shift, press Enter and keep holding Ctrl+Alt+Shift until you see the taskbar.

This will start explorer.exe without ExplorerPatcher doing its job, allowing you to take necessary actions such as reverting the Taskbar style to the default one or uninstalling ExplorerPatcher.

If possible, please report your issue with complete details (OS version, tweak software installed, etc.) in the Issues section and we will get back to you when we have the chance.

Why is 7+ Taskbar Tweaker not compatible with this?

7+ Taskbar Tweaker taps directly into the memory and code of the Windows 10 taskbar that resides in explorer.exe, not in any other place. 7+ Taskbar Tweaker needs to be updated to support this, however, the author of this program has decided to migrate its tweaks into Windhawk mods. Please use Windhawk and install the relevant supported mods (listed above) to achieve your desired tweaks.

Where can I find the source code for this?

Due to legal reasons, unfortunately we cannot put the source code for ExplorerPatcher's taskbar implementation available for everyone to use.

Any .pdb files for ExplorerPatcher's taskbar DLLs?

Here.

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