explorer7

explorer7 is a wrapper library that allows Windows 7’s explorer.exe to run properly on modern Windows versions, aiming to resurrect the original Windows 7 shell experience.

The start menu in the default view.

The start menu in the programs view.

The taskbar jumplist and tray overflow.

These issues, unless specified to have been resolved in a later Windows version, are persistent across subsequent versions of Windows from their introduction.

MAKE SURE YOU READ THESE FIRST SO YOU ARE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO!

Windows 8.1

• No proper strings are contained for the “Customize Start Menu” dialog (fixed system-wide in Windows 10).

Windows 10

• Autoplay does not work (1507+).
• When ColorizationOptions is set to 0, system msstyles with the name “aero.msstyles” will result in the start menu and taskbar using the wrong color (1809+).
• “Notification Area Icon” settings in Control Panel are missing (1507+).
• The taskbar might overlap fullscreen applications whilst immersive shell is enabled (1507+).
• If a user has StartIsBack++ installed, it may attempt to erroneously hook the shell, causing both visual and functional issues.
• “Settings” is duplicated in the start menu program list (1607-22H2, fixed system-wide in Windows 11).

Windows 11

• BlurBehind colorization mode no longer works due to the removal of the relevant accent policy (22H2+).
• Taskbar and start menu pin creation is broken due to an internal shell32.dll code logic change (24H2+, 23H2 January 2025 Update+).
• Immersive shell support does not function correctly, and cannot launch applications (Insider 25H2+).

Windows 7 limitations/bugs

All of the following are bugs or limitations within Windows 7’s explorer itself, and will not be accounted for:

• Multi-monitor taskbars are not supported. These were later introduced in Windows 8 build 7779.
• Startup items defined in the modern Task Manager are not correctly accounted for – you must use the old msconfig.exe.
• It takes a few minutes for changes to the size and position of the taskbar to be written to the registry; restarting Explorer too quickly will revert these changes.
• Whilst small taskbar icons are enabled, changing the position to Top or Bottom from the properties window (NOT from dragging) will result in extra space being allocated between the taskbar and the working area.

For casual users, the regular installation method is listed below:

If you have an unsupported explorer.exe file from another Windows release that you want to use, or your installation medium is in another language, you can try manually patching and installing with your own files:

ex7_example/
├─ theme/
├─ en-US/
├─ ex7forw8.exe
├─ Import Me.reg
├─ README.txt
├─ wrp64.dll

ex7_example/
├─ theme/
├─ en-US/
│  ├─ explorer.exe.mui
│  ├─ shell32.dll.mui
├─ ex7forw8.exe
├─ explorer.exe
├─ Import Me.reg
├─ README.txt
├─ wrp64.dll

explorer7 allows any theme from Windows Vista to Windows 8.0 to be used for the start menu and taskbar. If applicable, you must include the “en-US” folder that comes along with your .msstyles file, otherwise the theme won’t be applied. Themes from Windows 8.1 and later do work, but will not have the proper classes for the start menu, an issue which cannot currently be resolved.

explorer7/
├─ theme/
│  ├─ en-US/
│  ├─ theme1.msstyles

explorer7/
├─ theme/
│  ├─ Themefolder/
│  │  ├─ en-US/
│  │  ├─ theme1.msstyles

As an additional feature, explorer7 lets you import your own custom orbs without having to patch your explorer.exe using Resource Hacker or using specialized programs. Due to WinGDI limitations, it only supports .bmp images. To do this, simply make a directory inside the “orbs” folder and place your images inside it with the naming scheme from the example layout below. If it finds the appropiate images, the orb system will also account for 125% and 150% DPI (HiDPI) automatically. The layout should be as it follows:

explorer7/
├─ orbs/
│  ├─ blue/
│  │  ├─ 6801.bmp (100% DPI - 52x162 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6802.bmp (125% DPI - 66x198 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6803.bmp (150% DPI - 81x243 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6804.bmp (190% DPI - 106x318 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6805.bmp (100% DPI - 52x162 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6806.bmp (125% DPI - 66x198 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6807.bmp (150% DPI - 81x243 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6808.bmp (190% DPI - 106x318 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6809.bmp (100% DPI - 52x162 - Top-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6810.bmp (125% DPI - 66x198 - Top-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6811.bmp (150% DPI - 81x243 - Top-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  6812.bmp (190% DPI - 106x318 - Top-aligned taskbar image)

explorer7/
├─ orbs/
│  ├─ colors/
│  │  ├─ green/
│  │  │  ├─ 6801.bmp (100% DPI - 52x162 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6802.bmp (125% DPI - 66x198 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6803.bmp (150% DPI - 81x243 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6804.bmp (190% DPI - 106x318 - Bottom-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6805.bmp (100% DPI - 52x162 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6806.bmp (125% DPI - 66x198 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6807.bmp (150% DPI - 81x243 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6808.bmp (190% DPI - 106x318 - Left/right-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6809.bmp (100% DPI - 52x162 - Top-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6810.bmp (125% DPI - 66x198 - Top-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6811.bmp (150% DPI - 81x243 - Top-aligned taskbar image)
│  │  │  │  6812.bmp (190% DPI - 106x318 - Top-aligned taskbar image)

NOTE 1: BE CAREFUL! If the image corresponding to your case DOES NOT exist in your orb directory, it will automatically fall back to the original image inside explorer.exe.

NOTE 2: If an image is larger than what the system expects, the image might clip out. Use the example layout as a reference! For more information, you can also check out this guide: https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73616-how-create-custom-start-orb-image.html

NOTE 3: If you’re looking to create high-quality orbs (32-bit bitmaps), you could use a tool to convert your images from other formats. Check out Pixelformer.