explorer7 - Windows 7 explorer for Windows 8.1/10/11

[Erizur]

Based on tihiy's old "Windows 7 Explorer on Windows 8" project, we have accounted for many COM objects and functions that have been removed between 8.1 and 10's development, resulting in a fixed version of this old program for newer Windows versions!

THIS PROJECT IS IN A PRE-RELEASE TESTING STAGE. FULL FUNCTIONALITY ISN'T GUARANTEED. REDISTRIBUTION ON CUSTOM ISOs/TRANSFORMATION PACKS/UNATTENDED INSTALLS IS NOT ALLOWED DURING THE PRE-RELEASE TESTING STAGE.

There are no plans for a 32-bit version, so please refrain from asking for one.

The explorer.exe executable does not handle File Explorer windows, it only manages the Start Menu and Taskbar. If you wish to restore the command bar, use explorer7 in combination with other customization software.

INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS

• Import the "Import Me.reg" file included in the zip file to the registry.
• Open up ex7forw8.exe. Locate your Windows 7 files and continue the installation.
• Choose the Windows 7 shell option and log off. Log in again to see the Windows 7 explorer.
• Enjoy!

NOTE: There are extra instructions on the README file. Please read them.

Known issues/limitations (General):

• UWP/Metro UI apps won't run. Current preview of Milestone 2 can run them in an experimental mode.
• There are no multi-monitor taskbars. This is a Windows 7 limitation.
• Autoplay may not function properly.
• Icon badges for compression are visible. This is a Windows 7 limitation, since they did not exist back then.
• Context menu entries for pinning and unpinning internal start menu items are missing.

Known issues/limitations (Windows 10/11):

• Thumbnails use inactive DWM Colorization. (Windows 10 1809+) (Milestone 1 only)
• Changing accent color does not reflect until you restart explorer.exe. (Milestone 1 only)
• Notification icon settings in Control Panel are missing.

CREDITS:

• wiktorwiktor12: Original Research, Lead Developer
• AM_Erizur (me!): Original Research, Developer, Beta Tester
• Ittr: Original Research, Developer, Beta Tester
• kfh83: Original Research, Beta Tester, Designer
• aubymori: Developer, Beta Tester
• kawapure: Developer
• rounak: Developer, Beta Tester
• mishaproductions: Developer
• amrsatrio: Contributor
• Tihiy: Original ex7forw8 developer
• vaporvance, Microsoft: Built-in visual style

DOWNLOAD LINK:

The GitHub releases repository can be found here: https://github.com/explorer7-team/releases

We are also now OPEN SOURCE (if you want to test preview versions): https://github.com/explorer7-team/source

[Olivia6841]

Very cool project, good job to all the developers who made this possible

[Darth Agnon]

This is awesome! I've been using Glass8 and OpenShell on my Win10 installation for ages to make it like Windows 7. Looking forward to using explorer7 in the near future!

[vinifera]

any screenshots to see ?

[Erizur]

10 hours ago, vinifera said:

any screenshots to see ?

Here is my main computer using explorer7 on Windows 10 LTSC 2021. I modified my own copy of 7's explorer.exe to have a custom Windows 8 orb.

[vinifera]

sweet !

[TSNH]

Thanks! That's amazing, tested and working

Would it be possible to use Windows Vista's explorer instead of Windows 7 one?

EDIT:

Got a helpful reply on discord about this. Follow this manual installation guide, https://github.com/explorer7-team/source/blob/main/README.md

But Vista's explorer is still kinda broken with this tool for now

Edited December 2, 2024 by TSNH

[Dave-H]

@Erizur
Please do not post links to other places which will potentially take discussions away from here.
Also, please be aware of forum rule 2e.

[Erizur]

Sorry for that! I didn't look over the post rules where linking other social media was not allowed. Will take that into consideration.