neowin[.]net/software/explorerpatcher-226211555552-pre-release/
I can live with most all aspects of Win11, but I spend my days with at least 2 File Explorer windows open at all times, and in Win11, File Explorer Sucks. The VERY 1st thing to hit the trash bin before I'll even consider using Win11 is File Explorer's new context menus, which thanks to "Windows 11 Classic Context Menu" [a free app at sordum[.]org] takes barely more than a minute. My next 2 gripes concern the new File Explorer ribbon / menu... I frequently create new folders, and I'm always creating new .txt files to leave myself notes [more than 1/2 the time just with the name of the file]. And in Win11 Microsoft axed New Folder & New Text Document from up top in File Explorer, which means I have to have those File Explorer windows extra wide to give me a blank space to right click & create them. Worse [to me anyway] the Undo button's also gone AWOL. I drag & drop files quite often, and well, sometimes I miss... there's nothing I love more than checking 72 folders to find out where that stray folder I just dragged over wound up. Yeah, I know I can hit Control + Z, *If* at the time I can remember it along with all the other [seems like hundreds of] shortcuts, and frankly, sometimes I can't. Anyway, Explorer Patcher let me bring Win10's File Explorer back [Yea!].
It's not all roses... the app's still pre-release, and after installing you have to go to the Start Menu to find & launch the "Properties (ExplorerPatcher)" to make whatever settings -- the app can do quite a lot, so there are quite a few settings you have to consider. And while it was easy to install in a VM, in real life Defender tried to block it, then Bitdefender did block it successfully -- I had to install the app & make whatever settings in Safe Mode. Afterward I had to go into Win11's Settings & reset the text size in Accessibility, and File Explorer loses tabs, if that matters to you -- I could care less, but that's me.
Feature summaryChoose between Windows 11 or Windows 10 taskbar (with labels support, small icons and lots of customization).
Disable Windows 11 context menu and command bar in File Explorer and more.
Open Start to All apps by default, choose number of frequent apps to show, display on active monitor and more.
Choose between the Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows NT Alt-Tab window switcher with customization.Lots of quality of life improvements for the shell, like:
Skin tray menus to match Windows style, make them behave like flyouts and center them relative to the icon.
Choose action when left and/or right clicking the network icon.
Revert to the Windows 7 search box in File Explorer, or disable Windows Search altogether.
Disable immersive menus and use mitigations that help you run the real classic theme without glitches.Discover the program's full range of features by reading this wiki article.