Replies: 85 comments 111 replies
-
|
When I saw that windows 11 reveal I immediately got anxiety. I really REALLY hope its going to be a simple fix and that this continues to work. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
So far it looks like they've just changed around some of the hooks/injections for things like the Start button. The Taskbar may be a bit more tricky, as it seems more hit-and-miss for what still works. However, I think it is still reasonable that the main features will be fixable. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I'm looking for a solution to this problem too. Many end-users are asking if they can go back to Windows 10 if that's what it takes to get OpenShell working again (a few of them have even asked if we can go back to Windows 7 or Windows XP) ... all because of the desire for a Start Menu that is actually easy to use. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
OpenShell works fine for me on Windows 11. It has worked fine from the time I first upgraded to Windows 11 and installed OpenShell. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
there is a leak of 11... hmmm... feels in it handy well so far.. Windows 11 21996 zeigt sich (nicht nur in Screenshots) (on Deskmodder.de with screenshoots) also because it have nothing big changes in Taskbar and Startbutton.. like i guess best |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Just read about UI changes in Win 11 and I'm immediately "Psh wtf ever who cares. My UI never changes neener neener." That is .. uh .. provided Open-Shell development continues. Anyone know? Maybe I shouldn't be so cocky 🤔 |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
yeahh.. your thinking is sure a biiiit pregnant *bg* well, Openshell is Open Source and the developing should be in the next Century (like i hope) , in any case, i want also not miss OpenShell in the next 100 Years.. or so long i live *bg*.. no, better, so long i can handle my Fingers on the Keyboard and be in possible to nudge my mouse . |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Sometimes projects fizzle or get abandoned. I'll do what I can to keep it going. My coding skills are stale but I make wicked expresso and muffins, betchez |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
@githubblcb: I have mailed @coddec, the Founder of this Project and has ask him for open Source and get under GPL.. or to get it under open source and put into Github for a Open Project.. best |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
dude wut |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
The Start Menu from Windows 10 can be enabled in Windows 11. If this is still there, there is no reason to think Open Shell's classic Start Menu will stop working. Might need to tweak some hooks there, but certainly doable. Or someone could come up with a new solution just like Classic Shell originally did. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
well.. one month later... => Beeeep => Wrong *bg* like i have hear, did MS say the Windows Startmenu wana be stay and able to recovery, like i have hear, |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
It does not work at all. There is absolutely no sign of it even running, even though you can see it is running. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Sorry for my absence as life can take you away from certain things. I can't really say much regarding Windows 11 since I haven't had a chance to try it out, but from what I've seen & heard about it, it appears that it's ultimately Windows 10 with some changes to it. A friend of mine said that it's kinda like when Windows 7 was released after Windows Vista. With Windows Vista basically being a lesser version of Windows 7. I can't state anything for sure till I eventually obtain a copy of the Windows 11. I just hope it's not too disappointing... LOL! :-)) ~Brian Kerr |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
As soon as I saw windows 11, I immediately thought of this project. That start menu couldn't look any worse if they tried. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Now that Windows 11 has been announced officially, we can be pretty sure that what we have seen in the leaked versions is probably mostly representative of the "final" version. I think that the Insider program will be starting in about a week, so I will start doing some testing on that version when it arrives. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Please, to the developers of Open-Shell, could you update it to make sure it works as seamlessly as it works on Windows 10. Thanks. I have never seen such a bunch of idiots at Microsoft with the new (very bad) Start Menu on Windows 11!!! |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Everyone (Microsoft) seems to think searching for something is easier than one click and a slide to execute. You would think when you search for an app or program they are eventually gonna put an ad there. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Idiots? Your diplomacy is appreciated, even though the frustration some of my end-users have expressed over this has been more than enough to make a sailor blush. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Has anyone tried out 11 with Open-Shell? I don't want to lose that glorious XP theme for my PC, it looks so good. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Yes, my initial post is my findings when trying Open-Shell on Windows 11. Some things are broken, but overall it seems like it should be possible to fix. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
If you want to screw things up, you can use a computer. If you want to really screw things up, Microsoft Windows is the best tool for that job. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
windows 11 sure is even more backwards |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Wow, do they really think having 300 icons flat in the menu is an improvement? Deprecated and removed features of Windows 11 (by Martin Brinkmann on June 25) |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
This is the worst:
I hope we can have the taskbar at the top or sides again. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
you can use a registry tweak to move the taskbar to the top https://winaero.com/move-taskbar-windows-10/ |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Do you think it would be appropriate to go ahead and start debugging/troubleshooting when the first Insider builds get released? I can try to provide as much help as is needed. I will make individual issues for each specific problem as I come across them. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
okey, i am not ge0rd1 ;), but is a build in the half public, so in a group given free.. like Insiders, what's imho outside of Microsoft is, it is imho in the Public Insider Group outside so the Microsoft only inside Group (so in the slave group from MS without pay anything (so in the group who want act like pirates but as buccaneer/freelancer/privateer for have ever the newest Soft from MS but in legal without any payment as tester) ;) for testing, but without a whip but with brain sugar .. ), therewith it is also worth to be used for debugging in early time in front of a public release to have for all well running Open Shell before it is get out the first the Win11 Official Release to have a well running Open Shell in Win11 before it is the first Official of Win11 in the public, because, if Win11 is then in the public, have we a pretty well working 0p3n 5h311 then. edit: DigitalFunk, you must it not understand, it's enough if don Bonzibudd it understand ;) |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I just downloaded the Windows 11 insiders build and this might be the first version of Windows that I really despise (I started with Windows 3.1 and I used every version ever released, and I even liked Windows Vista...). |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
@lornova since this is an open source project, you can participate at any time |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
hi I have installed classic shell on windows 11 I used the registry tweak to Live Tiles re-enabled & left-aligned icons for the taskbar when I clicked the start button and I did not get the Open-Shell Menu Settings so I needed to start it manually but when I check the box Repace Start button then clicked ok now Open-Shell looks like it is working without any problems |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I actually had a problem when replacing the start button, as the original could still be seen under the replacement (and could also be clicked through the transparent parts of the new png image). I worked around this by creating an opaque square the same color of the taskbar so that it completely covered the original button: I also moved the taskbar to the top using the registry method you mentioned (https://winaero.com/move-taskbar-windows-10), along with resizing the taskbar (https://winaero.com/how-to-change-taskbar-size-in-windows-11) and mostly got my desired result: |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I updated my initial post with a new finding on the Start menu. For me, it happens on my laptop but not my desktop. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
by the way, with 22000.65 it works the Startmenubutton on "classic" taskbar no more, also with the regkeys, it need only a tinny "dingggggkk" Sound to underline this.. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
New update to my posts above. Another option that also does not work in Open-Shell setting. If you try to change the glass opacity to a 10 or 80, nothing seems to happen. Kind Regards |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Open-Shell hasn't been updated in almost a year (May 2022(. Windows 11 has changed a lot and always does within a very short while. Many people have moved onto StarAllisBack .but it seems like it's always in Alpha given its lack of stability, I've tried it and I can't recommend it. I had to reinstall Windows using the factory or backed-up image). I saw some workarounds with OpenShell that you need to install an additional "helper" application for it to work in W11. There hasn't been any movement to incorporate such apps within OpenShell during the installation process so users can just "install" the application. Only the preferences for the Shell are what the user needs to do. At least that's my expectation. I wonder what's the purpose now of the current Open-Shell and the new Open-Shell thread/project where there's no discussion option or anything. Has Open Shell been truly abandoned or it's just being maintained without any future for W11 users? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
@YesTrustMe If by a "helper" application are you referring to ExplorerPatcher as one of those? I use it on my Windows 11 machines. However, with the 4.4.189.0 release Open-Shell runs well on Windows 11 without any "helper" application. #745 (reply in thread) The reason I use ExplorerPatcher is that it allows me to modify the Windows 11 interface more to my liking. In particular ExplorerPatcher enables the installation of the Quick Launch toolbar which Microsoft removed from Windows 11. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Same here: 4.4.189 with ExplorerPatcher to enable Quick Launch toolbars. All this works like a charm, and gives me an experience similar to the one I have with XFCE on Linux. Thanks to all the developers ! |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
startallback works fine for me on windows 11. had absolutely zero issues with it, except it displays a sad face overlay the menus if you don't pay the license after trial expires, but keeps working. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
There have been many updates since then, just not an official release. This is how opensource projects work, constant smaller releases that each fix various bugs or issues with the occasional big release that serves as a big stability release. 4.4.170 is considered the last "stable" release and is golden for Windows 10 and under. With how often Windows 11 code is shifting, the Open Shell developers are having to constantly adjust and fix the code to work correctly, while also hammering out various display bugs. Once Windows 11 goes stable then we will likely see an official release build of Open Shell. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
@YesTrustMe Having said that, recently Microsoft with various updates of Windows 11 has modified the taskbar and, as a result, the transparency of the taskbar using Open-Shell currently does not work. But it is a really insignificant issue for me, as it is just a cosmetic issue. This issue will be solved later on and it is certainly not urgent at all. Open-Shell developers have done an amazing job of allowing us to use, without the addition of any other software, Open-Shell in Windows 11. Many thanks to the developers of Open-Shell. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Yes indeed, a hearty thanks to the developers of Open-Shell for keeping Open-Shell alive and kicking for us all! |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Open-Shell preserved my productivity and sanity when my company upgraded us to Windows 10. I am glad to hear that Windows 11 support is looking good too. A big thank-you to the Open-Shell development team! |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
With the latest version, the location of the Open Shell Menu button has moved to the original Windows 11 Start Menu button, i.e. no configuration with two Start Menu buttons is available any more. I actually goot used to this dual option, which only was made possible when Windows 11 moved the start menu and icons to the middle of the screen, and the Open Shell Menu button stayed at the left end of the screen. Is there any chance to get this back as an option? Btw. thanks to the community for developing Open Shell further. It is a great part of the WIndows user experience for me and many of those who I am supporting. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
sato-eme, you say: In Windows 11, the current Open-Shell works perfectly fine except the transparency option that will be sorted out later on but that is a completely insignificant issue. Kudos and many thanks to the developers for making Open-Shell work perfectly well in Windows 11 without having to use an extra program. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
yet another reason to not upgrade to windows 11 since they want it to me more mac like. I'll stick with 10 LTSC until i have to change |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
drezprime, you can still wait a little bit if you prefer to install Windows 11 and hopefully it will still be free later on for someone on Windows 10 who has not yet upgraded to Windows 11. And remember I believe Windows 11 was made available in October 2021 so it will be soon, in just a few months, nearly two years that Windows 11 has been made available. If I was at your place, I would update now. Kudos and many thanks to the developers for making Open-Shell work perfectly well in Windows 11 without having to use an extra program. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I have been using 4.4.170 without issue on 64-Bit "Windows 11" for a long time [since W11 was released]. I have just installed June's optional "Cumulative Updates" today and noted the following:
I appreciate that Win11 is not officially supported [yet?] but I thought this may help the Developers. My apologies if this should be a separate post. Thanks. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Please, see this for Windows 11 compatibility #1564. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Thank you for that and my apologies for not trying it first. I upgraded 4 PCs this AM to 4.4.189 [all 64-Bit Win11] and everything is fine. As a bonus, my Open-Shell menu now sprouts from the "Start" button. Previously, it always opened from the LHS of the Taskbar! |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
So the question is: When is there gonna be an update to Open Shell? It's been a long time since it's been updated. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Microsoft has been adding more Windows 11 Obstacles and other changes that, I feel, just hinders user control/customization. This is why an increasing amount of users are going back to Windows 10 as reflected in the following articles (just 2 examples here). https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/windows-11-market-share-april-2024/ Just providing my personal input/option. ~Ibuprophen |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
You are correct, of course. However, some of the "Windows 11 Obstacles" are mitigated by using Open-Shell. I am currently using v4.4.191 and have been for some time. It is very stable. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
In fact, the Open Shell issues are being mitigated by the Windows 11 changes. Those (certain) changes make it a challenge for the Open Shell development team to overcome/adapt to. Though I can't state this as a fact, but I wouldn't be surprised if those challenges created by Microsoft are placed there by design. ~Ibuprophen |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
So... I've been using it for years on Windows 11 Enterprise, I'm now on 23H2. Before I upgrade to 24H2, has anyone had any issues? Disclaimer: I will make an urbackup before upgrading, I'm crazy not stupid. Just thought I'd inquire before wasting my time. This project seems pretty dead, so I've lost any hope of a fix if it doesn't work in 24H2. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I installed Windows 11 24H2, from the officially released kit, to a Vmware VM. I installed the latest ExplorerPatcher version from here https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases/tag/22621.3880.66.6_92fce8c and selected the Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) taskbar style. I then installed Open Shell 4.4.170 and have had no problems with it. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
Thanks for the reply. Spending the time to install to a vm or restore to a vm to test is about the same as just restoring my physical if I was so inclined to do so. I've actually gotten used to the new windows crap menu on other secure machines that I can't install third party stuff on, I just use a folder full of shortcuts and scripts instead. But still, it would be nice if the update didn't bork open-shell. And by the sounds of it, it should work, huzzah! Not having open-shell isn't a deal breaker for me, it's just the cherry on top. I was just curious if anyone's tried it. Thanks again! |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Sorry, I forgot to mention that, as I don't have a compliant PC, I used Rufus to create a kit that would bypass the Windows 11 system requirements. https://rufus.ie/en/ |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
No Aero transparency in W11 24H2 LTSC made ma return back to W10, prefer being able to control opacity of taskbar... |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
Easily solved using ExplorerPatcher in W11. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
Kinda beating a dead horse (thread) here, but I havent found anywhere to ask this. Instead of trying to wrestle control back from MS, wouldnt it be better at this point to get rid of hooks, injections or replacements, and just make this standalone? Just hide the MS crap, or maybe even kill explorer.exe and make this a standalone, custom taskbar? |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
OpenShell works good. People try to make multiple changes with other software concurrently. OpenShell is all I use. I have yet to see it break. It's good to stay current with Microsoft if possible. Their start button and menu is so unusable and silly I replace that but only that. This provides a good mitigated Microsoft experience. Windows Explorer provides the desktop or window zero, so it will always be with us, |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
ExplorerPatcher is also required imo. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
I used to use taskbar override in windows 10, when i found out that open shell cant do it in 11, i used startallback for a short while, (except, it doesnt have a hibernation button in its start menu.) It reminded me how fast the win7 style clock / calendar was. |
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
-
|
My task bar - Could not do it without OpenShell and ExplorerPatcher.
…On 07/12/2025 20:07, murtisoft wrote:
I used to use taskbar override in windows 10, when i found out that
open shell cant do it in 11, i used startallback for a short while,
(except, that it doesnt have a hibernation button in its start menu.)
It reminded me how fast the win7 style clock / calendar was.
Now i have to use openshell for the menu, startallback for the taskbar
/ tray. :(
—
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub
<#745 (reply in thread)>,
or unsubscribe
<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AON2JKRFDWBY65RPBIWUIPD4AR3HBAVCNFSM46YD3PXKU5DIOJSWCZC7NNSXTOSENFZWG5LTONUW63SDN5WW2ZLOOQ5TCNJRHA4DKNJR>.
You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID:
***@***.***>
|
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
and others
Uh oh!
There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.
Uh oh!
There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.
-
I will continue to update this when I have more findings.
I wanted to make a discussion on the status of Open-Shell and Windows 11 just to get some information out there.
Microsoft has done a considerable amount of work changing many core parts of the new Windows 11 interface, including the Start menu and taskbar, which obviously affects how Open-Shell works.
This is the behavior that I have seen so far: (Some of these may have changed since I first wrote them)
New: The Windows Key bind no longer works without setting OSM to Shift+Win. (Start Menu no longer opens from Windows key in latest Insider builds #1165)
Fixed by Windows 11 start button support #1222
The Start button has been completely changed, and no longer works with OSM by default. The menu can still be activated with the "Windows" key however, so it isn't completely inaccessible.("Replace Start Button" not working properly #911, Original Start button stays there and can't be hidden #1036, When i move cursor to screen corner and click windows 11 start menu opens instead of openshell. #1160 Start button not fully replaced on Windows 11 #1216)Fixed by Windows 11 start button support #1222
Enabling Start button customization maps the OSM button to the old Windows 10 location, and the texture doesn't get applied to the new one. This revealed "ghost" start button allows the menu to activate like it used to.Taskbar customization is significantly broken. (Taskbar texture on Windows 11 not working correctly. #803)
Within the Start menu itself, there are few to no changes and everything seems to display as expected, including the colors. However, some Metro colors may eventually need to be updated in the existing "Metro" skin.
Builds 22557.1 and higher do not support Aero Glass transparency. (Taskbar look "glass" works on 22000 but not on 22621 #1169)
Fixed by Windows 11 start button support #1222
As expected, most strings only go up to Windows 10, so the program still identifies the OS as Windows 10. This should be one of the simpler fixes, although it might require more effort in terms of getting localization to match.(is windows 11 but in classic menu shows windows10! #878)As far as I can tell, Classic Explorer still works the same. This may change if Microsoft switches to a "Modern" app version of File Explorer and ditches the current version. On the other hand, if MS finishes porting the dark theme to the rest of the interface, I suspect Windows 11 will actually fix the dark theme with the classic toolbars.
Update: I posted this before the official builds came out, and Explorer has had some changes since. While the new context menus and toolbar don’t seem to have an effect, I have noticed that the Classic Explorer menu bar doesn’t seem to appear automatically on every installation. This might not just be tied to Windows 11, however.
This may or may not be related to Open-Shell, but I’ve seen more Explorer crashes when trying to launch OSM. This may be a more complicated issue to tackle.
The Start menu seems to be slower to launch initially, and sometimes appears to flash brightly before appearing properly. This may change with different transparencies/skins. I’ve also seen some other issues regarding Aero transparency in the rest of the program.
Fixed by Windows 11 start button support #1222
The "Right click opens Win+X menu" option under "Controls" no longer works, as that menu has been updated along with the new Start button.(right click opens win +x menu not working after Replace start button option is used. #1005, Windows 11 Win+X menu fix, maybe? :) #1121)Likely fixed by Windows 11 start button support #1222
The Start button sometimes jumps to the middle of the Taskbar, as shown here:These are just my observations right now, and I'm sure many things will change in the upcoming months.
Beta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
All reactions