Restore Classic File Explorer with Ribbon in Windows 11

DMD · Feb 1, 2023

garlin said:
Now that the cat's out of the bag, @Brink can share my solution.

The other written workarounds for permanently restoring Classic Ribbon, are similar in setting WinLogon\Shell to Explorer's full WinSxS pathname. But WU can replace Explorer at any future date, and revert your edits. My answer is to create a logon task, which checks if the key needs repair.

You will see the desktop flash for a second if Explorer needs to be switched back.

Open a CMD window as Administrator, and enter:

After you create the task, just logout. That's it, every Explorer window will have the Classic Ribbon.

schtasks limits the command to 261 characters, so I was forced to use PS aliases. Sorry it reads like gibberish.
Credit to Freddy Stratmanshow, for the original hack.

garlin said:
To return everything back to default:

Code:

schtasks /delete /tn ClassicRibbon /f reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon" /v Shell /t REG_SZ /d "explorer.exe" /f taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & start explorer

The hack works because running the same program as "explorer.exe" vs "C:\Windows\WinSxS\...explorer.exe" has a special meaning.
Programs can check if they're called under a different alias, and switch how they work.

Thank you for these activation and restoration solutions.
I ask if it is possible to have them in Batch format both.
Thank you very much.

garlin · Feb 1, 2023

DMD said:
Thank you for these activation and restoration solutions.
I ask if it is possible to have them in Batch format both.
Thank you very much.

Ummm... you just copy each set of lines into a different batch file.

Enable_ExplorerRibbon.bat

Batch:

@echo off
schtasks /create /sc ONLOGON /tn ClassicRibbon /tr "powershell -nop $P=\\\"HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\\\"; $T=(gi \\\"C:\Windows\explorer.exe\\\").Target; if ((gpv $P -n Shell) -ne $T) {sp -path $P -n Shell -v $T -fo; spps -Name \"Explorer\" -f; start Explorer}" /ru SYSTEM /rl HIGHEST /f

Disable_ExplorerRibbon.bat

Batch:

@echo off
schtasks /delete /tn ClassicRibbon /f
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon" /v Shell /t REG_SZ /d "explorer.exe" /f
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & start explorer

Dronix · Feb 1, 2023

Unfortunately, on the build 25284.1000 Explorer goes into a cyclic restart. On other builds everything is normal. How to fix it?

DMD · Feb 1, 2023

garlin said:

Ummm... you just copy each set of lines into a different batch file.

Enable_ExplorerRibbon.bat

Batch:

@echo off
schtasks /create /sc ONLOGON /tn ClassicRibbon /tr "powershell -nop $P=\\\"HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\\\"; $T=(gi \\\"C:\Windows\explorer.exe\\\").Target; if ((gpv $P -n Shell) -ne $T) {sp -path $P -n Shell -v $T -fo; spps -Name \"Explorer\" -f; start Explorer}" /ru SYSTEM /rl HIGHEST /f

Disable_ExplorerRibbon.bat

Batch:

@echo off
schtasks /delete /tn ClassicRibbon /f
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon" /v Shell /t REG_SZ /d "explorer.exe" /f
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & start explorer

Thank you very much.

garlin · Feb 1, 2023

Dronix said:
Unfortunately, on the build 25284.1000 Explorer goes into a cyclic restart. On other builds everything is normal. How to fix it?

I've heard it doesn't work for Insider builds. When you run "Control", does the normal trick of up-arrow in the top left corner turn on the ribbon?

Dronix · Feb 1, 2023

garlin said:
I've heard it doesn't work for Insider builds. When you run "Control", does the normal trick of up-arrow in the top left corner turn on the ribbon?

Yes. But that's not what I would like.

Wisewiz · Feb 1, 2023

@garlin:

Just wondering: What are the chances that if we use the command line in #77 above, it will continue to apply after the next W Update? (I've never heard of a Task Scheduler task being wiped by an update, but with MS, anything's possible.)

garlin · Feb 1, 2023

Windows doesn't delete user-created tasks after updates. If you do a clean install, obviously you need to run it again.

Wisewiz · Feb 1, 2023

Thanks for that quick response.

gagisu · Feb 2, 2023

@garlin Thank you

garlin · Feb 2, 2023

Dronix said:
Yes. But that's not what I would like.

I've verified the reg hack doesn't work on 25284.1000. Not a surprise, since 23H2 will have a different Explorer.

The only option is to use a desktop shortcut, for the Control Panel method. I've repackaged @Brink's posted solution into a cleaner VBScript which removes the PS screen flash. The disadvantage is you to need to keep a script around.

This solution also works on normal 22H2, if you didn't want to permanently change the Explorer ribbon.

1. Create a new folder, C:\Users\username\Scripts
2. Copy both files to there.
3. To make a new desktop shortcut, type:

Code:

wscript CreateShortcut.vbs "This PC"
wscript CreateShortcut.vbs Home
wscript CreateShortcut.vbs Documents
wscript CreateShortcut.vbs Network

You're limited to the same list of folder names you see in Quick Access. If you don't like the shortcut, remove it from the Desktop.

For those who don't like Explorer opening full screen, open ExplorerRibbon.vbs in Notepad and remove:

WshShell.SendKeys "% x"

For those who don't like the shortcut's icon, edit CreateShortcut.vbs and change:

"%SystemRoot%\SystemResources\shell32.dll.mun,205"

CoolViper777 · Feb 9, 2023

Brink said:
Option Two in tutorial updated to make it easier to open File Explorer with Ribbon using a shortcut for selected paths.

The powershell shortcuts don't seem to work for me as written in either Win11 or my Win10 system. Maybe it's a powershell version problem.

However, if I save the following subset of the script (and remove some double quotes from the SendKeys command), it works properly in Win11 (and in Win10).
Start-Process "Control"; $wshell = New-Object -ComObject wscript.shell; $null = $wshell.AppActivate("Control Panel"); Start-Sleep 0.75; $wshell.SendKeys('^lThis PC~')

Brink · Feb 10, 2023

CoolViper777 said:
The powershell shortcuts don't seem to work for me as written in either Win11 or my Win10 system. Maybe it's a powershell version problem.

However, if I save the following subset of the script (and remove some double quotes from the SendKeys command), it works properly in Win11 (and in Win10).
Start-Process "Control"; $wshell = New-Object -ComObject wscript.shell; $null = $wshell.AppActivate("Control Panel"); Start-Sleep 0.75; $wshell.SendKeys('^lThis PC~')

Hello, and welcome.

That works from command line, but the commands in the tutorial were designed to be used to create a shortcut with instead.

heinrich · Mar 15, 2023

Option 1 works on my Laptop when I use a local account, both for an administrator account and for a user account.
I created a batch file with the command of Option 2 (location This PC).
Option 2 works when I execute the batch file in the administrator account but it does not work in the user account. In the latter case the Control Panel is opened and a request displayed to connect to www.bing.com. When I reject this request my browser is opened with -https://www.bing.com/search?q=This+PC&FORM=IE8SRC.
What is wrong?
Can anyone help?

Regards Heinrich

Brink · Mar 15, 2023

heinrich said:
Option 1 works on my Laptop when I use a local account, both for an administrator account and for a user account.
I created a batch file with the command of Option 2 (location This PC).
Option 2 works when I execute the batch file in the administrator account but it does not work in the user account. In the latter case the Control Panel is opened and a request displayed to connect to www.bing.com. When I reject this request my browser is opened with -https://www.bing.com/search?q=This+PC&FORM=IE8SRC.
What is wrong?
Can anyone help?

Regards Heinrich

Hello Heinrich, and welcome.

I just tested option 2 creating the "This PC" shortcut in a standard user account, and it still works for me to open File Explorer > This PC with ribbon.

Double check to make sure you copied the shortcut command correctly in case there may be an error there.

heinrich · Mar 15, 2023

Hello Brink,

thanks for the prompt reply and your welcome.
The batch file is stored in C:\Program Files (x86). I use a shortcut to this file on the desktop of the administrator account and on the desktop of the standard user account. But even when I copy the batch file to the desktop of the standard user account and execute it from there I get the same error. As the Control Panel opens I assume that the error occurs when the Control Panel is instructed to open the classic file explorer. Please see the attached file.

Regards Heinrich

Brink · Mar 15, 2023

heinrich said:
Hello Brink,

thanks for the prompt reply and your welcome.
The batch file is stored in C:\Program Files (x86). I use a shortcut to this file on the desktop of the administrator account and on the desktop of the standard user account. But even when I copy the batch file to the desktop of the standard user account and execute it from there I get the same error. As the Control Panel opens I assume that the error occurs when the Control Panel is instructed to open the classic file explorer. Please see the attached file.

Regards Heinrich

Does the shortcut work for you if created as outlined in option two instead of a BAT file?

garlin · Mar 15, 2023

My guess is your local Windows has a different name for Control Panel.
Try switching to the German words for Control Panel, or the shortcut folder's name.

powershell.exe -nop -ep bypass -c "& {"Start-Process \"Control\"; $wshell = New-Object -ComObject wscript.shell; $null = $wshell.AppActivate(\"Control Panel\"); Start-Sleep 0.75; $wshell.SendKeys("'""^"lDesktop~"'")}"

cereberus · Mar 16, 2023

The key problem with these sort of hacks to reenable old ways of working is that they are like whack-a-mole.

As soon as you find a way around them, MS close the loophole (deliberately or more as a consequence of other changes).

The reason any such hack works is because the original coding (ribbon in this case) still lurks in the installation.

Nobody can say for sure whether the original coding will remain in place for ever, or if any loopholes that allow you to access old code remain and can be exploited.

In the end, there comes a point where maintaining hacks in the tutorial becomes somewhat untenable if the hack starts to get rather complicated.

How does one verify the hack works for all users, and is 100% reversible?

Persistence is also important i.e. will a hack survive an upgrade, or does it need to be reinstalled after every build upgrade?

At first, I did not like the new UI but like all things, once you get used to it, it is just as usable as the old ribbon and I do not miss the ribbon now.

heinrich · Mar 16, 2023

The guess of Garlin is a great one. My administrator account is in English, my standard user account is in German. After replacing "Control Panel" with "Systemsteuerung" and "This PC" with "Dieser PC" in the command line it works in a BAT file. Thanks.

I saw many links suggesting Option 3 as a solution to get back the classic File Explorer. Therefore I assume that there are plenty of people who do not like the new File Explorer. And for me it is not only the look and feel which I dislike (tabs) but there are some essential functions missing such as Undo and Redo in the Quick Access Toolbar.
Is it completely useless to send complaints to Microsoft?