ExplorerPatcher, a popular UI-tweaking app for Windows 11 among enthusiasts, has been updated to a new version with several important changes. 22621.4317.67.1 is now available on GitHub with fixes for the non-working Win X menu on certain Windows 11 builds, Start menu crashes when opening context menus, and other improvements.
Here is the official changelog:
- Taskbar10: Win+X now works again on 226xx.4317+.
- Start10: Fixed an issue where the resource loader failed when the drive letter of the boot drive is other than C:.
- 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+.
- 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).
You can download ExplorerPatcher from its GitHub repository. Before you do, though, note that Windows Defender and other Antivirus applications do not like Explorer Patcher. Downloading its executable will trigger Windows Defender and auto-delete the file. The developer says this false-positive behavior is not because the app is infected but rather because it “indicates Microsoft’s hatred against this software.”
In case you missed it, earlier this year, Microsoft started its war against ExplorerPatcher and other UI customization apps by blocking them on Windows 11 version 24H2. With developers finding ways to bypass those blocks, Microsoft is now allegedly flagging them as malware to discourage customers from using them (if the developer’s claims are to be believed).
If you believe Valinet’s statement, you can fix the false positive by adding the following to the exclusion list:
- C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher
- %APPDATA%\ExplorerPatcher
- C:\Windows\dxgi.dll
- C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
- C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
If you use Windows Defender, run the following PowerShell script:
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”
More information about ExplorerPatcher and AV software can be found here.