Windows 10 taskbar in 24H2

[cjahn50]

I'm looking for some information on what taskbar(s) will be supported in Windows 11, 24H2. Will both Windows 10 and Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) be supported, or will just Windows10 (ExplorerPatcher)? I am currently running Windows 11 23H2 and using the Windows 10 taskbar in EP.

Thanks in advance!

[pyrates999]

Only Windows10 (ExplorerPatcher) and Windows 11 taskbars will be supported. If you try switching to Windows10 taskbar, an error message will be shown indicating it is not supported.

[cjahn50]

Can I run Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) now? Or am I restricted to Windows 10 since I’m running 23H2?

[pyrates999]

You should be using the Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar.

[cjahn50]

Thanks! I'll make the change today.

[Amrsatrio]

Upgrading to 24H2 means succumbing to future breakages they will make to the operating system, just my two cents...

[cjahn50]

Changed over to Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar. The Windhawk mod - Disable Taskbar Thumbnails does not work with that version of the taskbar. So if there are any ideas as to how to change from thumbnails to list on hover, I'm all ears and eyes :-)

[pyrates999]

Right click on the taskbar and select taskbar settings. The Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar uses these same settings.

[cjahn50]

I'm familiar with the taskbar settings. I went there first. But there is no setting/option for switching between a list and thumbnails. If you are aware of where that option resides, please pass it along. And, FWIW, the Windhawk mod does work with the Windows 10 taskbar. Just not the Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar.

[pyrates999]

When icons are combined on the taskbar, they automatically change from thumbnails to lists depending on the amount of icons being combined. There was never any setting for this.

[AlterNate37]

When icons are combined on the taskbar, they automatically change from thumbnails to lists depending on the amount of icons being combined. There was never any setting for this.

Will it be implemented? I prefer having EP doing it all than installing also Windhawk and having an extra process running.
It's imo a quite relevant issue. Specially for those who don't combine icons. The mouse goes there all the time and these thumbnails opening and it's annoying. Maybe disciplined IT people who work from desk and their mouse is like a Swiss clock always in the right place and time, ok, but 'creative' or simply 'casual' people who might also either work on not hard surfaces (like bed, sofa) where the mouse moves on its own, or who aren't used to treat the mouse with military precision, they'd benefit.
I surely would :)

Cheers

[pyrates999]

See here: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/wiki/ExplorerPatcher's-taskbar-implementation

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.

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So you are expected to use windhawk and it's various mods when EP doesn't provide the functionality you need.

[AlterNate37]

Why is 7+ Taskbar Tweaker not compatible with this?

Hi, I didn't say it's not compatible. I said I'd prefer it it could be done with the kind of tweaks that EP uses, rather than with a live process.
It might sound stupid to someone who doesn't have this kind of issue, but my laptop isn't well designed and it triggers the fan all the time.
I needed to tweak the BIOS to override Flexratio to a lower value, lower the max GT frequency and much more, to keep the fan noise under control. And for some reasons, if too many processes are active, it spins the fans. It doesn't even matter if it's a big fat process which takes lot of RAM and CPU or not.
So I avoid having many things running in the background.
Maybe you programmers don't have issues like mine because you have amazing PCs with super cooling.
I'm poor so I have to do with what I have.

But, just for clarity: could it be that the reason why this wasn't yet implemented is that it can't be done with the method that EP uses?

[pyrates999]

Windhawk and EP doesn't use a lot of the cpu. So there's no technical reason why you can't run both.

[virtualwatt]

I've just installed upgrade to the Win 11 24H2 on my personal machine, tried to reinstall the EP exactly as I installed it several times earlier but now it won't start :( Explorer restars when installation finishes but the taskbar apprear as the regular Win11 taskbar :(
Do I miss anything? It appears EP just doesn't want to work on 24H2... I tried to install several times, restat machine, adding Defender exceptions again, turning it off when installing, but nothing helps...

[cjahn50]

Coincidently, I installed 24H2 this morning. Before I started I exported the EP settings and deleted EP using EP's uninstall option. Once the update was complete, I reinstalled EP. I had no issues and I am back to where I was before the update.

[AlterNate37]

For all those who might find this post like I did searching for a solution:

1. open Regedit as an admin (do a backup first for safety)
2. look for HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3. if not present create a DWORD (32) with name ExtendedUIHoverTime
4. give a decimal value of 1000 per every 1 second of delay that you wish to have between the mouse going on that icon and the thumbnail appearing. Needless to say, If you put an unrealistic high value, it will be 'as if' you had disabled the thumbnails, because they won't appear unless you leave there the mouse there for a loooooooong time.
5. restart windows, or log off and on again, or sometimes it's enough with restarting File Explorer (it was for me).

There you have it. No more thumbnails for the time that you've set.
I personally gave ten times 9 in decimal (you can't type more than 10 digits) and when I gave ok it said that it's too much and it asked if I wanted it to be automatically truncated and I said yes and it was automatically set at the highest value allowed which is 4294967295 in decimals and it equals eight times f in hexidecimal.
And it did NOT work. Thumbnails were still shown.
I tried 0 and it also did NOT work.
So I thought that this method (like many other registry tweaks for the taskbar) don't work anymore in Win11.
But I kept trying and what worked for me was setting eight times 9 but in hexidecimal (there you can type max eight digits), which afaik roughly equals one month of delay! Should be enough :)
Well, it works now! No more thumbnails.

Don't worry if you have "always combine icons on taskbar" selected. Even without automatic thumbnails (because of the delay) if you click on the icon you'll still see the thumbnails of all the open windows of that app.

Just set it to what works for you.

Cheers!

[RoxyBasicNeedBot]

That's an excellent question, and your observation gets to the heart of a major change in 24H2.

Here is the direct answer:

On Windows 11 24H2, only the new "Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher)" option will be supported and functional. The original "Windows 10" option will no longer work.

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Why This Change Happened

Here is a simple breakdown of what's happening and what it means for you when you update.

1. Your Current 23H2 Setup (The "Old" Method)

• On Windows 11 versions 23H2 and earlier, Microsoft left the old Windows 10 taskbar code hidden but still present within the operating system.
• The "Windows 10" option in Explorer Patcher was simply a hook that unlocked and re-enabled this original, hidden Microsoft code.

2. The 24H2 Update (The "New" Method)

• With the 24H2 update, Microsoft has completely removed that old Windows 10 taskbar code from the system.
• Because the code is now gone, the old "Windows 10" option in Explorer Patcher has nothing to unlock, so it no longer functions.
• The developer of Explorer Patcher, anticipating this, created the "Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher)" option. This is not just an unlocker; it is the developer's own re-implementation of the Windows 10 taskbar, built to work on the new 24H2 codebase.

What This Means For Your Upgrade

When you update your PC from 23H2 to 24H2:

• Your current "Windows 10" taskbar setting will break.
• You will need to go into Explorer Patcher's Properties > Taskbar.
• Manually change the "Taskbar style" from "Windows 10" to "Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher)".
• Restart File Explorer.

You are correct to be looking into this. In short: "Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher)" is the new, supported path forward for 24H2.