Customizing the Win+X menu on 23H2?

drfsupercenter · Nov 9, 2023

I just tried a brand new install of this in a VM, and the WinAero program (version 3.0.0, the newest one) does not work at all. You can't add anything and attempting to restore the default settings just fails as well.

Has anyone figured out a working way to do this? I'd like to change "settings" back to "control panel" for example.

Kees · Nov 9, 2023

Do you know you could make a shortcut to the control panel as well?
You could put it on your desktop or copy it to the startmenu.

Shortcut should have these contents:
%windir%\system32\control.exe

glasskuter · Nov 9, 2023

drfsupercenter said:
I'd like to change "settings" back to "control panel

IMO that is impossible. With each feature update Microsoft has been slowly making the Control Panel obsolete and has moved more pages out of CP and into the Windows Settings app. Microsoft plans to move everything from Control Panel to the Settings app at some point in future.

You do not say which of Winaero's apps you are trying to use nor what changes you are trying to make. If you are referring to WinAeroTweaker not working correctly, according to Winaero site, The latest version is 1.55, released on June 16, 2023. To verify that, I downloaded the app from the official site and that version is what I get. It is possible the developer of that app will have to revise his app to address all the changes in 23H2.

May I suggest you use the extensive tutorial index on this forum. If something can be changed, it is the best place to find out how to do it without any third party app.

Tutorial Index

Index of Windows 11 Tutorials.

www.elevenforum.com

dacrone · Nov 9, 2023

OP is stating they used the Winaero WinX Editor 3.0.
I haven’t tried on 23H2 yet but on 22H2 I modded mine manually and it still worked. There’s a tutorial on here somewhere that shows how to create the hashes etc. On my phone now but later I’ll dig it up unless someone else wants to link it.

glasskuter · Nov 9, 2023

dacrone said:
OP is stating they used the Winaero WinX Editor 3.0.

That be the case, that app is dated 2017. Someone else who uses it would have to advise you. Sorry I can't help.

dacrone · Nov 9, 2023

yeah the app quit working at 21h2 as far as i know. thats when i began manually configuring mine

johnlgalt · Nov 9, 2023

Heya @drfsupercenter - didn't realize you were already a member here lol.

I'm guessing the WinX menu links from yesterday were also a bust?

dacrone · Nov 9, 2023

Customizing the WinX menu, and making it user-specific

So here’s (hopefully!) a full, comprehensive guide to tinkering with the right-click Windows WinX menu. What is the WinX menu? The WinX, or Win+X (because that’s the keystroke that reve…

james-rankin.com

manual steps are listed here too

johnlgalt · Nov 10, 2023

Nope - that is what I sent him, only our own tutorial from here.

Don't work anymore.

johnlgalt · Nov 10, 2023

Add or Remove Default Shortcuts on Win+X Quick Link Menu in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove default shortcuts on the Win+X Quick Link menu for your account in Windows 11. The Win+X Quick Link menu (aka: Power User menu) is a pop-up menu from the Start button that includes shortcuts of common management, configuration, and other power...

www.elevenforum.com

On this system right now, 23H2:

Wisewiz · Nov 10, 2023

On 23H2, I find I use few of the menu items. The others I don't use, or don't use very often, or access another way when I need them. This just results from selective deletion of WinX 123 items in both Users > Default and Users > myusername:

johnlgalt · Nov 11, 2023

removing stuff from Users\Default only affects any new accounts that you may create in the future. that is how it has been for a long time, it should not affect your current account.

The big issue, though, is @drfsupercenter (And I, for that matter) would rather see cmd there instead of either powershell or terminal. While terminal does work for me, it's a bit of a hassle, because I have terminal set to load Powershell as the default shell, so it's an extra step to then get cmd up and running.

It's not mission critical or anything like that, but it sure would be nice to have that set be cmd and cmd (Admin), because I can always run terminal from other methods, and I never open powershell by itself anymore, only in terminal.

Or, even if the WinX menu allowed me to add entries like Terminal (PS) and Terminal (CMD) I'd be fine with that, too.

dacrone · Nov 11, 2023

johnlgalt said:
removing stuff from Users\Default only affects any new accounts that you may create in the future. that is how it has been for a long time, it should not affect your current account.

The big issue, though, is @drfsupercenter (And I, for that matter) would rather see cmd there instead of either powershell or terminal. While terminal does work for me, it's a bit of a hassle, because I have terminal set to load Powershell as the default shell, so it's an extra step to then get cmd up and running.

It's not mission critical or anything like that, but it sure would be nice to have that set be cmd and cmd (Admin), because I can always run terminal from other methods, and I never open powershell by itself anymore, only in terminal.

Or, even if the WinX menu allowed me to add entries like Terminal (PS) and Terminal (CMD) I'd be fine with that, too.

Finally got a method to remove items from Win-X in Win11 22H2 · Issue #1523 · valinet/ExplorerPatcher

After searching for long time, I got a method to remove items from the Win-X menu in 22H2 builds. As all know that there is no way to edit the Win-X menu after updating to 22H2. Even Win-X menu Edi...

github.com

Scroll down to the last reply. You can replace powershell/terminal with command prompt with a roundabout fix.

johnlgalt · Nov 11, 2023

I'm still trying to figure out why I have PowerShell shortcuts there but my menu shows (and opens) Terminal....

dacrone · Nov 11, 2023

Idk. Microsoft always has new implantations messed up. It’s like they don’t even test stuff before pushing it out.. and thus we get Windows

. I used to have 2 of Cmd, 2 of PS and 2 of WT in my winx shortcuts but only WT showed on the menu back in 21H builds.

johnlgalt · Nov 11, 2023

I will say that terminal is way more customizable, and I like how I have mine set up - but I think one thing that would make it perfect would be to have it throw up a menu allowing the user to pick the shell to start.

dacrone · Nov 11, 2023

Using Nilesoft Shell to edit your context menu also adds a few entries to the winx menu. I’ll play around with the coding tomorrow and see if can modify the entries to match what you need. I’ll post the findings here.

johnlgalt · Nov 11, 2023

I'll grab that now - if it works, drf (and I) will be happy!

dacrone · Nov 11, 2023

just an update.. this menu can still 100% be edited. i opened

C:\Users\myname\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX

went to Group 2, edited the "File Explorer" shortcut.
i replaced the default target:
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{52205fd8-5dfb-447d-801a-d0b52f2e83e1}
with
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}

and restarted Explorer. When i used winx menu to launch "File Explorer", it instead launched Power Options.
renaming the shortcut didnt work, but i'll figure it out.

*Still toying with it. ive replaced explorer with power options and search with control panel, so i know the shell commands work for any of them. i have tried Power renaming the shortcuts & modifying properties but no dice yet.

dacrone · Nov 11, 2023

soooo.. idk how or why, but modifying it with the shell commands and then using winaero's winx editor 3.0 to reset defaults did something i suppose. i can now use winaero's winx editor 3.0 to add items as it worked before.. see Notepad in screenshot