Windhawk Mods (Official Topic - Please Post All Here)

dacrone said:

thats because it forces a classic titlebar on uwp apps. and it has conflicts with file explorer now. thats why i didnt list it here

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And it conflicts with Microsoft Edge. Shows two title bars. Removed it.

dacrone said:

thats because it forces a classic titlebar on uwp apps. and it has conflicts with file explorer now. thats why i didnt list it here

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It does not inject neither UWP, nor Explorer by default (and if set to inject, does not conflict).

Anixx said:

It does not inject neither UWP, nor Explorer by default (and if set to inject, does not conflict).

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I’ve tested and it messed up explorer titlebar. I did not add anything to the inclusion list, so it glitched something somewhere. Don’t know what else to tell you.

dacrone said:

I’ve tested and it messed up explorer titlebar. I did not add anything to the inclusion list, so it something somewhere. Don’t know what else to tell you.

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This is the default inclusion list. No Explorer. Mainly, Chromium-based apps:

// @include chrome.exe
// @include brave.exe
// @include msedge.exe
// @include opera.exe
// @include yandex.exe
// @include whale.exe
// @include supermium.exe
// @include chromium.exe
// @include devenv.exe
// @include steamwebhelper.exe
// @include PowerToys.*.exe
// @include olk.exe
// @include WebViewHost.exe
// @include winword.exe
// @include excel.exe
// @include powerpnt.exe
// @include msaccess.exe
// @include onenote.exe
// @include outlook.exe
// @include mspub.exe
// @include hwp.exe
// @include Photos.exe
// @include MuseScore*.exe
// @include ms-teams.exe

Anixx said:

This is the default inclusion list. No Explorer. Mainly, Chromium-based apps:

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ok. as stated, i did not add to that inclusion list and it still make the explorer top portion odd. again, dont know what else to tell you. if it works for you, congratulations.

Bug Report – Translucent Windows Mod​

Mod: Translucent WindowsVersion: 1.6.3 (or current)Operating System: Windows 11 23H2 (or your current version)

Issues encountered:

1. When renaming a file in File Explorer, the text field becomes completely black or invisible.
2. With HDR enabled, some windows become overly transparent or unreadable.
3. Taskbar icons sometimes become unresponsive when multiple windows are minimized.
4. Context menus and system dialogs occasionally become illegible due to excessive transparency.

Troubleshooting attempts:

• Disabled HDR
• Added explorer.exe to the “Excluded Processes” list
• Disabled “Text Alpha Blending”
• Restarted File Explorer after each change

Personal note:

The mod delivers a beautiful visual effect, but it introduces several usability issues across the Windows GUI. It would be helpful to have an option to apply the effect only to non-system windows or to limit its scope more precisely.

Since I can't have Openshell anymore (see Is Open Shell still developed or is it abandoned by Developers ? · Open-Shell Open-Shell-Menu · Discussion #2399 , a major bummer), I guess Windhawk will have to do. Thx to Michael at Ramen Software for fighting the good fight for Openshell as long as he did and for at least furnishing a kinda-sorta substitute in the face of opposition by the Leviathan. Anyhow, I'm using Windows 10 (Minimal) with Windows 11 Start Menu Styler and I'd like to add a picture background (just to the menu) but I can't even get a basic color background to work. It doesn't work as a target ("Background" in the Control styles Target field and "red" in the Styles field), and it doesn't work in the Style constants section either.

I tried to follow the directions there but no dice (see screenshot). I have no idea what I'm doing (in my defense, I did searches and tried to RTFM but there don't seem to be any basic directions anywhere that lay out the fundamentals of working with Windhawk for nontechnical noobs). So I tried but can't make headway. If I've missed the "Windhawk for Dummies" docs somewhere (they sure ain't on github--that's all for professional programmers) I'll be happy to go read them but otherwise help with my little issue would be greatly appreciated.

Also please keep in mind that my ultimate goal is an image, not just a background color, so if any syntax is required other than a barebones path surrounded by quote marks, please tell me that too. Muy grazi.

schmibble said:

Since I can't have Openshell anymore (see Is Open Shell still developed or is it abandoned by Developers ? · Open-Shell Open-Shell-Menu · Discussion #2399 , a major bummer), I guess Windhawk will have to do.

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I still use Open-Shell on the latest stable build of Windows 11 25H2 currently, i.e., build 26200.7705. I use it together with Windhawk and ExplorerPatcher actually.

schmibble said:

Thx to Michael at Ramen Software for fighting the good fight for Openshell as long as he did and for at least furnishing a kinda-sorta substitute in the face of opposition by the Leviathan. Anyhow, I'm using Windows 10 (Minimal) with Windows 11 Start Menu Styler and I'd like to add a picture background (just to the menu) but I can't even get a basic color background to work. It doesn't work as a target ("Background" in the Control styles Target field and "red" in the Styles field), and it doesn't work in the Style constants section either.

I tried to follow the directions there but no dice (see screenshot). I have no idea what I'm doing (in my defense, I did searches and tried to RTFM but there don't seem to be any basic directions anywhere that lay out the fundamentals of working with Windhawk for nontechnical noobs). So I tried but can't make headway. If I've missed the "Windhawk for Dummies" docs somewhere (they sure ain't on github--that's all for professional programmers) I'll be happy to go read them but otherwise help with my little issue would be greatly appreciated.

Also please keep in mind that my ultimate goal is an image, not just a background color, so if any syntax is required other than a barebones path surrounded by quote marks, please tell me that too. Muy grazi.

Click to expand...

In the settings of the "Windows 11 Start Menu Styler" mod, under Control styles, set Target to Border#AcrylicBorder
and set Styles to Background:=<ImageBrush Stretch="UniformToFill" ImageSource="<image>" /> where <image> is the path to the background image you want. Click on Save settings. Done.

Suh-weet! Worked a treat. Thanks very much.

I still use Open-Shell on the latest stable build of Windows 11 25H2 currently

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Oh, I'm sure it'll continue working for a while on some builds. But I want to future-proof my current system configuration as much as possible, take a final image, and then have done with the OS for as long as possible. WAU Manager helps, but Microsoft has ensured that it's not foolproof. Under these circumstances abandonware feels like a dagger at my back.

I really miss the good old days of Windows 7 stability. Got it pretty much configured exactly the way I wanted in 2014 or thereabouts when they stopped releasing feature updates. Then I took a final image and never had to worry again until fall 2024 when we got the last security update. That was a whole decade of awesome worry-free computing, very much unlike the quarterly black hole of a time-waster that Windows has now become. I've been holding off on Linux because of the learning curve (I don't like tweaking but I do a lot of it in order to get a system that looks and works the way I want, so Linux will be a big job). But Microsoft has turned Windows 11 into a torture chamber worse than a Linux learning curve could ever be on a distribution like Mint, which I've put on my old Win10 machine and will start to mess with in earnest when I'm done with my Win11 configuration. Now I'm wishing I hadn't bought an 11 machine at all and had just gone Linux when they flushed 10. Well, that's the last Windows mistake I ever make.

In the meantime, you experts in this forum are lifesavers.

Tried to edit previous response but apparently there's a 60-minute limit on editing a message. On the issue of Windows updates I wanted to give credit where credit is due and acknowledge your previous post here , but I don't want to have to monitor every little update and handle it individually in the way your recommendation would require. It's a great tip and doesn't take a whole lot of time for each instance but there are enough instances that the accumulation is too much. I want to use my time for other things. I want a system that's fire-and-forget--and it shouldn't be a chimera. For an entire decade, Windows 7 gave me just such a system.

Heya.

I'm using the Windows 11 Explorer Styler mod... I'm looking for a way to target and modify the opacity of the top frame of the window, where tabs, location bar and command bar resides... I've been unable to locate the XAML target I need to change the opacity...

Anyone knows how to?

Cheers!

This looks like it might be a good solution for people who miss the ability to enhance their taskbar clock in Windows 11.

Stigg said:

This looks like it might be a good solution for people who miss the ability to enhance their taskbar clock in Windows 11.

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Yes indeed, that mod I am using.
These are my settings:

Show seconds: Off
Time format: HH':'mm
Date format: Default (empty)
Week day format: Default (empty)
Top line: EMPTY!
Bottom line: %time%
Middle line: %weekday% (Windows 10 only)
Tooltip extra line: Default (empty)
Clock width: 180 (Windows 10 only)
Clock height: 60 (Windows 10 only)
Clock max width (Windows 11 only) (set to zero to have no max width): 0
Line spacing: 2 (with this you can change vertical position)
Web content items:
Web content URL: EMPTY!
Other values: unchanged
Top line style (Windows 11 version 22H2 and newer)
Hidden: ON!
Other values: unchanged
Bottom line style (Windows 11 version 22H2 and newer)
Text color: Default (empty)
Text alignment: Left
Font size: 19
Font family: Arial
Font style: Default
Font stretch: Normal
Character spacing: 0
Customize the old taskbar on Windows 11: Default (Off)

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Result is this clock (no date, just a clock)

I realise this is not exactly a "support" thread, but don't know where to turn and Eleven forumers are usually "supportive", so here goes.

I am an ultra-newbie to Hawkwind and my head is not in a good place, having just had to reinstall Win11 following loads of problems disrupting my "work".

Start11 is installed for Win7 appearance, I've used it since Start10 was introduced, with no ill effects.

Have just installed Hawkwind in desperation, solely to get rid of labels in the taskbar because Windows11's setting "Always" under "Group icons and hide labels" is not working - all open apps still have labels.

Despite installing Taskbar Labels for Windows 11, the labels are still there - restarting Explorer disappears them but only momentarily - as does rebooting laptop.

Might Hawkwind have failed to overcome Windows' glitch or have I done something wrong? I was a bit put off by other settings below that one with numbers 'n stuff in, I left them as there were.

Will I have to do a RegEdit (which I dread) to get rid of the dang labels?

Kees said:

Yes indeed, that mod I am using.
These are my settings:


Result is this clock (no date, just a clock)

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Hi, Kees.

What's the benefit of having a standard looking clock that could be displayed without the use of Windhawk? Have I missed something?

Stigg said:

What's the benefit of having a standard looking clock that could be displayed without the use of Windhawk?

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This is how that clock looks without the Windhawk mod for the clock:



I don't need to see the date continuously and I want the clock to have bigger characters, while having a small taskbar.
I always had a small taskbar, from Windows 95 until Windows 10, only Windows 11 forced me to use a large taskbar.

When hoovering the clock I can see the date:



So this is exactly how I like it and how I did before by T-Clock, that stopped functioning in Windows 11.
Any objections?

clemenzina said:

Start11 is installed for Win7 appearance, I've used it since Start10 was introduced, with no ill effects.

Have just installed Hawkwind in desperation, solely to get rid of labels in the taskbar because Windows11's setting "Always" under "Group icons and hide labels" is not working - all open apps still have labels.

Click to expand...

It's not good to mix tweaking apps like Start11 and Windhawk, because they may conflict. If your taskbar labels cannot be disabled, this has to be something in your Start11 settings. No Windhawk mod or registry setting can change that, if Start11 is taking the first interception of the Explorer functions..

Please note that it's 'Windhawk', not 'Hawkwind'.

Kees said:

This is how that clock looks without the Windhawk mod for the clock:

View attachment 168174

I don't need to see the date continuously and I want the clock to have bigger characters, while having a small taskbar.
I always had a small taskbar, from Windows 95 until Windows 10, only Windows 11 forced me to use a large taskbar.

When hoovering the clock I can see the date:

View attachment 168175

So this is exactly how I like it and how I did before by T-Clock, that stopped functioning in Windows 11.
Any objections?

Click to expand...

No objections.
It's a personal choice.

Hey, maybe they should call some computers a PC (Personal Computer).

Kees said:

It's not good to mix tweaking apps like Start11...

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I've re-examined following a sleep - thank you, issue resolved, got my taskbar back!

Kees said:

Please note that it's 'Windhawk', not 'Hawkwind'.

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Apologies, showing my age in more ways than one

Thanks again, Kees

I know I'm obsessive... but having the metrics there is a marvel...~