Explorer Patcher update adds new taskbar features, ARM64 and Windows 11 24H2 support

Explorer Patcher, a popular UI-tweaking app for Windows 11, received a new pre-release update. It delivers two important changes: a new Windows 10 taskbar implementation with new features and ARM64 support so that you can use Explorer Patcher on the latest Copilot+ PCs, such as the Surface Pro 11 or the Surface Laptop 7.

With Explorer Patcher 22621.3880.66.3, Windows 11 users can try a new Windows 10 taskbar implementation. It uses code bits from Windows 11 version 22H2, which makes it possible to use the app on Windows 11 24H2 and newer.

As for features, with the new "Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher" variant, you get the following:

• Snap Group support
• Virtual Desktop Switcher support (hover the cursor over the Task View button)
• Animated Start, Search, and Task View icons
• End Task support

It is also worth noting that the app is still having problems with the default antivirus, so if you want to try the latest Explorer Patcher update, add it to the exception list. In addition, you will have to manually download the new taskbar variant in the form of a DLL file from GitHub. Here is how to do it Properly:

If you want to use the new taskbar implementation, you can download the appropriate DLL for your system from the Releases page of its releases repository, and then manually putting it in C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher without the architecture specifier.

For example, for 226xx builds on x64-based systems, download ep_taskbar.2.amd64.dll, rename to ep_taskbar.2.dll, and lastly put it in C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher.

Sounds tedious and messy? It is. But that is the nature of tinkering and using third-party tweaks, so it is strongly recommended not to use pre-release versions on a mission-critical machine.

Here is the rest of the changelog:

• Introduced support for ARM64 devices:
  • These builds are only tested on and made to work with 24H2 ARM64 builds. Older ARM64 Windows versions than 24H2 may not work as expected.
  • An ARM64 device to support the making and testing of ARM64 builds is not cheap, so please consider donating @Amrsatrio via Ko-fi to recoup the costs.
• Added an "Update now" button into update notifications for easier updating.
• Revised how files are packed in ep_setup for smaller size and easier maintenance.
• EP's taskbar implementation for 24H2 is now available in its releases repository, as ep_taskbar.5.dll. If you want to try this out, follow the steps explained above.

You can download the latest Explorer Patcher from GitHub (via Deskmodder).