Classic Shell Changelog

What's new in Classic Shell 4.3.1

Aug 13, 2017
  • Official support for the Creators Update version of Windows 10
  • Added a setting to clear icon cache
  • Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.3.0 (Jul 31, 2016)

  • Official support for the Anniversary Update version of Windows 10
  • Fixes for issues found during the 4.2.7 beta

New in Classic Shell 4.2.7 Beta (May 23, 2016)

  • Quick fix for a crash on 32-bit Windows 10

New in Classic Shell 4.2.6 Beta (May 23, 2016)

  • Improved support for Windows 10 Redstone
  • Taskbar skinning - change background color, texture, and text color
  • New Metallic skin with many new skin features
  • New menu animations
  • Ability to execute some start menu commands from the command line
  • New buttons for Explorer to change folder settings and to create zip archive
  • Ability to change the font and size of the status bar in Explorer
  • Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.2.5c (May 23, 2016)

  • Updated version 4.2.5 with the latest security certificate

New in Classic Shell 4.2.5 (Nov 15, 2015)

  • New transparency settings for skins
  • New ability to uninstall Metro apps from the start menu
  • Improved support for Windows 10
  • Improved support for the Edge browser
  • Improved search performance

New in Classic Shell 4.2.4 (Aug 10, 2015)

  • Finalized support for Windows 10 - multiple bugfixes and performance improvements

New in Classic Shell 4.2.3 RC (Jul 27, 2015)

  • Improved support for Windows 10
  • Improved support for touch keyboard
  • New command to access the PC settings directly
  • New settings to control the color and opacity of the Windows 10 taskbar
  • Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.2.2 Beta (Jun 29, 2015)

  • Improved support for Windows 10
  • New ability to save settings to XML files from command line: use "ClassicStartMenu.exe -backup "
  • New skin features, including glass for Windows 10
  • Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.2.1 (Apr 14, 2015)

  • Improved support for Windows 10
  • The start menu searches modern PC settings for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
  • Added support for Scottish, Catalan, Macedonian and Persian languages
  • Added new Midnight skin with dark background
  • Added new flat Metro skin that uses the start screen colors
  • Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.2.0 Beta (Dec 15, 2014)

  • Improved support for Windows 10
  • New ability to apply settings from XML files from command line:
  • use "ClassicStartMenu.exe -xml "
  • New setting to override the system DPI resolution only for the start menu
  • New setting to change the user picture
  • Improved support for touch and high resolution displays
  • Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.1.0 (Apr 21, 2014)

  • Improved support for Windows 8.1 Spring Update
  • Improved checks for new versions
  • Minor stability fixes

New in Classic Shell 4.0.6 (Apr 7, 2014)

  • Quick fix for a crash in Explorer introduced in version 4.0.5

New in Classic Shell 4.0.5 (Apr 1, 2014)

  • Improved support for high resolution displays
  • Improved support for touch displays
  • New button for the Explorer toolbar to toggle the navigation pane
  • Added support for animated start buttons
  • Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.0.4 (Jan 20, 2014)

  • New features:
  • Full Group Policy support for Classic Shell's settings. ADMX files for tweaking all Classic Shell settings are in C:\Program Files\Classic Shell\PolicyDefinitions.zip. You must extract the ADML and ADMX files to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions folder. If you have Active Directory domain, extract the files to %logonserver%\sysvol\%userdnsdomain%\policies\PolicyDefinitions\. Hidden (registry-only) settings not exposed in the Settings UI are also supported in Group Policy.
  • All EXEs and DLLs now have a digital signature
  • New hidden settings FolderStartMenu, FolderCommonStartMenu, FolderPrograms and FolderCommonPrograms to override the path to the Start Menu folders and redirect them. These hidden settings are present as a Group Policy setting too.
  • New hidden registry settings ProgramsWidth and JumplistWidth to control the width of the Windows 7 style menu (the default value is 40). These hidden settings are present as a Group Policy setting too.
  • New hidden setting "ShutdownW7", where you can list what commands you want to see in the Shutdown menu for Windows 7 style. This hidden setting is present as a Group Policy setting too.
  • New hidden setting "DisablePinExt", which hides the "Pin to Start Menu (Classic Shell)" context menu item. This hidden setting is present as a Group Policy setting too.
  • If you set a hotkey without Ctrl for the Up button, then Ctrl+hotkey will open the parent folder in a new window
  • Added cross-fade between jumplists
  • The installer now preserves the selected components during upgrade so you don't have to de-select the components that are not installed every time you update Classic Shell
  • Shell folders in the format of "shell:name" show up in search results
  • Drag/drop improvements:
  • You can drop files onto shortcuts in the main menu (like drop a text file onto Notepad)
  • The text changes to "Pin to Start menu" when you are about to pin
  • Metro apps show the app’s icon when dragged
  • The Apps folder in the tree shows its icon while dragged
  • Many improvements to the update system
  • The file that contains the update info is now signed. This will prevent spoofing of the update links
  • The Download button now downloads the new installer and verifies the signature.
  • New download box with progress bar and Cancel button for downloading the new version and the language files
  • Bug fixes and design changes:
  • Fix for the empty submenus when network folders were added
  • Fixed the blank icons for network links. They show correct icons – a network drive, a computer, a shared folder, or simply a folder
  • Files with # in the path can be found by search
  • The common folders are correctly removed from the All Programs tree if they are disabled by a Group Policy
  • Autocompleting and executing from the search box are correctly disabled if Run is disabled by a Group Policy
  • Adding a blank recent_programs item shows as a sub-menu instead of a blank separator
  • Fixed a bug where the settings tabs were not immediately updated if XML file is imported that has a different style
  • Fixed the Windows 7 context menu for the Start Button (the menu was showing but the items didn’t work)
  • The cache is correctly discarded and rebuilt if the Windows language is changed
  • Fixed a language bug if English is the first, but not the only available language
  • Fixed the update notification that was popping in some cases even if auto-update is disabled
  • Fixed the submenus not opening by hover bug after clicking on the search box
  • Fixed the missing search icon for some skins when RTL language is used
  • Fixed the incorrect placement of the vertical separator in the Full Glass skin when RTL language is used
  • Fixed the missing icons from the Copy dialog in Hebrew
  • Fixed the broken variations for old skins
  • Fixed the main menu icons showing from under the Programs tree control in some cases
  • Fixed the bug where in some cases text with '&' can be cut off
  • The Start screen item in the main menu opens the start screen on the same monitor as the menu
  • Apps from the Programs folder don’t show up in search results if Metro apps are excluded from search
  • The WSM cascading menu settings are removed from the Basic tab but retained on the Windows Start Menu tab
  • When searching for programs/settings, the results don’t show up until all items are parsed. This way the order of items won’t change while the search is in progress
  • Added a time and count limit for computing the total file size in the status bar, so Explorer doesn’t freeze when viewing large folders like Indexed Locations
  • Inline buttons can be used in the second column of the Classic style even if icons in the second column are disabled in the skin setting
  • Fixed a bug where if you drop a file in the tree control, the new item is added to the end instead of at the location of the mouse
  • Fixed the common folder files showing in searches. Also files from the Start Menu folders don’t redundantly show up in the Files category (unless searching for programs is disabled)
  • The first jumplist item is not incorrectly selected when a jumplist is open with the mouse
  • Fix for the custom icon for a folder not being shown until the cache is deleted
  • Fix for Frequent Programs list items showing in all caps when the Start Menu is on the network
  • Fix for the animation of the cascading All Programs menu in the Windows Start Menu when Windows 7 style was selected in Classic Start Menu
  • The Start Menu hides unrecognizable items in the Control Panel that start with some GUID. These are broken/invalid entries left behind by apps
  • When there are too many items in the jumplists, they don’t spill over the Shutdown button anymore
  • Changed the highlight color for some skins from orange to peach
  • When All Programs is cascading, it uses a normal sub-menu arrow
  • Starting with this release, ClassicStartMenu.exe runs from the registry even on Windows 8 and 8.1
  • It detects when you upgrade from 8 to 8.1 and offers to repair the installation
  • It also serves as a backup in case the normal startup failed for some reason

New in Classic Shell 4.0.2 (Oct 21, 2013)

  • Quick fix for the taskbar showing up on top of fullscreen programs under some conditions

New in Classic Shell 4.0.1 (Oct 21, 2013)

  • New setting to hide Metro apps from the Programs folder
  • Improved compatibility with the final build of Windows 8.1
  • Minor bugfixes

New in Classic Shell 4.0.0 (Oct 6, 2013)

  • Improved support for downloading and installing language files
  • Improved compatibility with Windows 8.1

New in Classic Shell 3.9.5 RC (Sep 16, 2013)

  • Windows 8.1 RTM is officially supported
  • Added animated menu transitions for the Windows 7 style
  • Added status bar for Explorer in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 to show the total size of the selected files and the free disk space
  • Improved hovering functionality for the start button
  • New feature allows administrators to modify the default settings without locking them
  • Fixed many bugs reported during the beta

New in Classic Shell 3.9.3 Beta (Aug 26, 2013)

  • New setting to override the glass color used by the menu
  • Support for Nvidia surround and AMD eyefinity
  • Many fixes, including a crash that happens on some versions of Windows 8.1

New in Classic Shell 3.9.1 Beta (Aug 19, 2013)

  • The All Programs tree can be rearranged with drag and drop
  • The start button settings are applied immediately and you can see a preview of the button image in the settings dialog
  • The start menu can use the native Windows 8.1 start button
  • The Windows 8.1 setting to skip the Metro screen can be accessed through the Classic Shell settings
  • New item in the main menu to open the start screen (Windows 8 and 8.1)
  • New setting for the Windows 7 style to control the height of the main menu
  • The installer uses better compression that reduces the download size by half
  • Many bugfixes reported for the previous beta version

New in Classic Shell 3.9.0 Beta (Jul 22, 2013)

  • New "Windows 7" menu style that replicates the look and feel of the Windows 7 start menu
  • the programs show in a tree inside the main menu
  • search results and jump lists show inside the main menu
  • dedicated shutdown button
  • the unparalleled customizability you've come to expect from Classic Shell
  • You can search for files as well as programs, using the Windows indexing service
  • The menu can show the most frequently used programs
  • Programs can be pinned directly from Explorer
  • New programs are automatically highlighted in the menu
  • The list of Classic Shell settings can be searched to easily find the setting you need
  • New more reliable way to start on Windows 8, that doesn't use a service
  • Improved compatibility with Windows 8.1 Preview
  • Many improvements to performance and responsiveness

New in Classic Shell 3.6.8 (Jul 1, 2013)

  • Added support for Windows 8.1 Preview
  • Modified the Classic Shell logo and removed the Metro button by request from Microsoft
  • Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

New in Classic Shell 3.6.7 (Apr 15, 2013)

  • Fixed incompatibility with the taskbar of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

New in Classic Shell 3.6.6 (Apr 9, 2013)

  • New setting to disable the taskbar transparency
  • Improved compatibility with future versions of Windows
  • Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

New in Classic Shell 3.6.5 (Dec 30, 2012)

  • Fixes a crash bug in the start menu for some 64-bit systems.

New in Classic Shell 3.6.4 (Dec 27, 2012)

  • Fixes a freezing problem for some users when right-clicking on the Start button in Windows 7.

New in Classic Shell 3.6.3 (Dec 15, 2012)

  • Improved performance of the start menu
  • Added new Metro-style start button image
  • Added support for multiple taskbars in Windows 8
  • Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

New in Classic Shell 3.6.2 (Oct 29, 2012)

  • Added support for jump lists in the main menu
  • Added support for displaying and launching Windows Store apps in Windows 8
  • Faster skipping of the Metro screen in Windows 8
  • Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

New in Classic Shell 3.6.1 (Aug 20, 2012)

  • It fixes a critical bug in the auto-update system

New in Classic Shell 3.6.0 (Aug 20, 2012)

  • Windows 8 RTM is officially supported.
  • Improvements to the skins and the settings

New in Classic Shell 3.5.1 (Jul 2, 2012)

  • Enabled the custom start button for Windows 7 and added more settings
  • Added a setting to skip the Metro screen on startup
  • Improved compatibility with the IE10's Enhanced Protected Mode
  • Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

New in Classic Shell 3.5.0 (Apr 2, 2012)

  • Added support for Windows 8 Consumer Preview
  • Added customizable start button
  • Added a Metro skin for the start menu
  • Updated all settings for Windows 8
  • Fixed the missing caption in IE10
  • Added a setting to control the menu shadows
  • Added toolbar commands to map and disconnect network drives
  • Improved the responsiveness of the check for a new version
  • The check for new version is a separate component that can be skipped during install

New in Classic Shell 3.4.1 (Jan 23, 2012)

  • It fixes a small problem in the automatic check for new versions.

New in Classic Shell 3.4.0 (Jan 21, 2012)

  • Fixed some minor problems found in the previous release. Most notably the
  • corrupted text in the toolbar buttons
  • Added a check if a new version is available
  • Ctrl+Click in the navigation pane opens the folder in a new window
  • Alt+Enter in the search box of the start menu shows properties of the
  • selected item
  • The recent documents list can be sorted by name or extension

New in Classic Shell 3.3.0 (Jan 9, 2012)

  • Fixed some minor problems found in the previous release
  • Improved compatibility with Windows 8 and removed the features that are no
  • longer necessary or possible
  • Added customizable "Windows Explorer" item to the start button context menu
  • Added a new "paste shortcuts" command to Explorer
  • Added an option to hide the user picture from the Windows start menu
  • Ctrl+Shift+Enter can launch commands and documents as administrator from
  • the start menu
  • Added a customizable hotkey for the Up button

New in Classic Shell 3.2.0 (Aug 23, 2011)

  • Adds some bugfixes and new features.

New in Classic Shell 3.1.0 (Aug 23, 2011)

  • This version adds the new Classic IE9 component that lets you customize the caption and the status bar of Internet Explorer 9.

New in Classic Shell 3.0.0 (Aug 23, 2011)

  • This is the official release of Classic Shell 3.0.

New in Classic Shell 2.9.3 RC (Aug 23, 2011)

  • Now with search in the start menu!

New in Classic Shell 2.9.2 RC (Aug 23, 2011)

  • It has a couple of new features and some bugfixes.

New in Classic Shell 2.9.0 Beta (Aug 23, 2011)

  • It can edit all settings in the GUI and doesn't need the ini files anymore.