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Winaero Tweaker Changelog

What's new in Winaero Tweaker 1.62.1.0

Feb 16, 2024
  • Version 1.62.1 has been released on February 15, adds 4 more fixes.
  • The following options were incorrectly reporting their "enabled" status and appeared unchecked when you open the appropriate page.
  • Ads & Unwanted Apps > Personalized Ads
  • Ads & Unwanted Apps > Tailored Experiences
  • Boot and logon > Disable Lock Screen
  • Context menus > Unblock downloaded files
  • Windows 11 > Disable Copilot
  • Now they show the feature state properly.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.62.0.0 (Feb 14, 2024)

  • Winaero Tweaker 1.62 is here. It is a minor release that aims at fixing bugs and inconveniences introduced in the previous version.
  • Fixed invalid version report for Windows 11 22H2/23H2. It should now also recognize 24H2.
  • The option to hide the 'Home' page in Settings is now visible in Windows 11 22H2.
  • Fixed a crash in import/export.
  • Fixed a crash in File Explorer classic options
  • New feature: Lock with BitLocker drive context menu option to lock an unlocked drive with ease.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.60.1.0 (Feb 8, 2024)

  • Version 1.60.1 fixed a crash in Terminal profiles context menu introduced in version 1.60.
  • Proper Windows 11 23H2 detection.
  • The Startup sound checkbox now reflects the actual status (enabled or disabled) in recent Windows versions.
  • The Hide Pages in Settings option now allows hiding the Home page on Windows 11.
  • You can now disable Copilot on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.New and improved context menu features:
  • Remove the "Edit in Notepad" context menu entry on Windows 11
  • Add Copilot to the desktop context menu.On Windows 11, you can now restore the "Edit" entry for images, and set it to any app of your choice!
  • Terminal Profiles context menu has been reworked. It now shows profiles available in the JSON config file, and allows adding any of them to the right-click menu of folders. There are also little improvements here and there in this option.
  • I have updated the Navigation Pane - default items option. It can now properly differentiate the Home and Quick Access folders, and also allows removing the Gallery item.
  • Finally, the classic Favorites folder is no longer part of "Default items". But if you want, you can add it via the "Custom items" option for the Navigation pane.
  • The Show BSOD details setting has got a dedicated option to disable the "Smiley" thing.It is now possible to add Classic User Accounts to the Control Panel (control.exe).
  • Under Tools on the left, you will find a new option to reset preview thumbnail cache. It is useful if you see corrupted or missing folder or file previews in File Explorer. This works in all Windows versions supported by the app (Windows 7+).
  • You can now set any desired folder to be File Explorer's start folder instead of Home or Quick Access.
  • Finally, in Winaero Tweaker, the Recent changes page can now be opened with a shortcut, from the menu, and via a new toolbar button.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.55.0.0 (Jun 16, 2023)

  • Added the option to restore the removed checkboxes back to Folder Options in Windows 11.
  • Fixed a typo in the registry value for the Icon max cache size tweak.
  • Fixed a memory leak in the Icon max cache size tweak.
  • Fixed a crash when you preview the startup sound in the "Change Startup Sound" tweak.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.54.0.0 (Jun 16, 2023)

  • І fоund оut thаt thе „Dіѕаblе Еdgе Uрdаtеѕ“ орtіоn іn Wіnаеrо Тwеаkеr іѕ nоt еffесtіvе іn mоѕt соnѕumеr ѕсеnаrіоѕ. Ѕо І hаvе сrеаtеd аn аltеrnаtіvе іmрlеmеntаtіоn, whісh ѕhоuld wоrk fоr еvеrуоnе.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.53.0.0 (Jun 14, 2023)

  • І fоund оut thаt thе „Dіѕаblе Еdgе Uрdаtеѕ“ орtіоn іn Wіnаеrо Тwеаkеr іѕ nоt еffесtіvе іn mоѕt соnѕumеr ѕсеnаrіоѕ. Ѕо І hаvе сrеаtеd аn аltеrnаtіvе іmрlеmеntаtіоn, whісh ѕhоuld wоrk fоr еvеrуоnе.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.52.0.0 (May 13, 2023)

  • I found out that the "Disable Edge Updates" option in Winaero Tweaker is not effective in most consumer scenarios. So I have created an alternative implementation, which should work for everyone.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.32.0.0 (Sep 24, 2021)

  • The ability to enable classic (full) context menus on Windows 11, and a few more fixes.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.31.0.1 (Sep 17, 2021)

  • A quick update to Winaero Tweaker users. I have resolved a rare but annoying bug in the app. Some of you may have seen the application crash with an unfriendly error message in the PopulateFavorites() routine. Thanks to "CodyDaWolf", I have figured out what is going on, and resolved the bug.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.30.0 (Jul 31, 2021)

  • I am happy to release Winaero Tweaker for all interested users. It is version 1.30, and it comes with a number of new features for both Windows 11 and other supported Windows versions. I support Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows 7. However, Windows 7 users must install .NET 4.5 to continue using the app. Well, I guess you already know this. Here's what's new.

New in Winaero Tweaker 1.20.0 (Jun 29, 2021)

  • Winaero Tweaker now supports Windows 11. I even added a new tweak that you can use on the first public build to change its taskbar size. You will find it under Desktop and taskbar > Windows 11 taskbar size.
  • System restore: You can create a restore point right from the app:
  • There have always been many complaints that Winaero Tweaker does not allow you to create a system restore point from its user interface. This has changed, now you can.
  • The new tool allows you to create a new restore point, add "create restore point" context menu, and quickly manage its options, all from one place. I tried to create a simple but effective GUI.
  • Disable Automatic Repair Boot loop:
  • This was on demand for long. Finally, Winaero Tweaker will allow you disable the Auto Repair feature in Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8/8.1. If you are not happy to see the Automatic Repair starting each time something happens to your operating system, you can now disable it with ease.
  • Print Screen key sound:
  • If you want Windows play a sound every time you press Print Screen/Alt + Print Screen keys to capture a screenshot, Winaero Tweaker will allow you to get it done with one click. Just tick this checkbox and you are good to go.
  • Windows Terminal context menus:
  • A new set of tweaks allows you to customize context menus for the modern Windows Terminal app. You can hide the default "Open in Windows Terminal" menu entry, or add a cascading menu with profiles. The latter will allow you to open the app to the current folder with the desired profile, such as PowerShell, Command Prompt, PowerShell 7, and WSL. The same can be done as administrator using the appropriate option. Finally, you can make the menu only appear when you press and hold the Shift key.
  • Windows Tools context menu:
  • In addition to the desktop shortcut for this new Start menu folder, you can add it right to the Desktop right-click menu. Both are a convenient way to access built-in administrative tools.
  • Windows Security context menu:
  • Similar to the above, you can add Windows Security to the desktop context menu. It will appear as a cascading entry, so you will be able to access its pages and tools directly.
  • Run or modify menu for PS1 files:
  • If you often work with PowerShell files, you will find useful the following option.
  • Improvements
  • Winaero Tweaker now recognizes Windows 10 version 21H1 properly.
  • Also, I made some changes to make the app start faster. Though there is still a room for improvements.
  • Pressing Ctrl+F in search box selects existing text
  • Finally, I've added a new toolbar button, Home, which take you back to what you set as your "Home" page in Winaero Tweaker with one click.
  • Fixes:
  • I've fixed the Sign-in message tweak. It had a bug which didn't import the message text, instead using the message title twice.
  • Fixed: Winaero Tweaker didn't export the "Display last sign-in info" option.
  • Fixed: The Desktop folder is now properly detected in the app.
  • Adjusted the Aero Shake tweak for the changed behavior in 21H1+.
  • Windows Defender tweak now detects again that Anti-tamper protection is enabled under 21H1+.
  • "Select visible tweaks" and "Import/Export" windows now close when you press the Esc key.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.19.1.0 (Jan 22, 2021)

  • Adds the ability to enable the Windows 10X boot animation.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.18.0 (Oct 25, 2020)

  • Windows 10 version 20H2 support:
  • Winaero Tweaker now supports Windows 10 version 20H2 properly. (I hope) It is now able to differentiate version 2004, and version 20H2.
  • Disable Web Search in Windows 10 Taskbar in version 2004/20H2:
  • Following the recent changes made by Microsoft, I have updated the appropriate option in Winaero Tweaker. Now you can use it to disable web results in Windows Search.
  • Customize rows and columns in the classic Alt+Tab switcher:
  • You can now change the number of icon rows and columns displayed by the classic Alt+Tab dialog when you enable it. This feature works in all supported Windows versions by Tweaker, including Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.
  • Change what App Keys do for the keyboard:
  • One more new feature available for all the supports Windows versions - the ability to change the action for extra buttons available on many modern keyboards, such as Calculator, Computer, Browser, Mail, and so on. Microsoft Natural keyboards, for example, have plenty of them. Here you can reconfigure the buttons. The list of the available keys is limited to 'known' buttons that Windows usually recognizes without extra drivers.
  • Default apps context menu:
  • This new feature adds the "Default apps" page of Settings to the context menu (details can be found here). This can be useful for checking your default app associations quickly.
  • Remove Share with Skype:
  • Winaero Tweaker now allows removing the Share with Skype context menu entry. The option can be found under Context Menu Remove Default Menu Entries.
  • Create shortcut to a PS1 file that runs is directly:
  • There is a new shortcut tool in version 0.18 that allows saving your precious time by creating a shortcut that will directly launch a PS1 file. The shortcut target will run the PS interpreter with -NoExit and -ExecutionPolicy Bypass options, so use it careful.
  • About box:
  • Surprisingly, plenty of users were not happy with the former app behavior, when it returned to the "Information" page in the tweak list once you click on the Help > About menu item. After receiving a ton of complains, I decided to add an extra dialog to the app.
  • Fixes:
  • There is also a number of various issues resolved in this release. Most notable are
  • Fixed the broken update check. No idea when it started to happen, but it was caused by a combination of my legacy code and recent web site changes. I've refreshed the update check routine.
  • Fixed wrong "how this tweak works" links in a number of Tweaker options.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.17.1 (May 21, 2020)

  • Hello Tweaker users, here is a quick update to the previously released version 0.17. Winaero Tweaker 0.17.1 resolves the hanging 'Export Specific Firewall Rules' page issue, fixes a bug in the 'Disable Windows Update' option for Windows 10 Home users, and, also comes with a new feature that users request a lot from me in the last few days.
  • Export Specific Firewall Rules:
  • I have figured out why this page was hanging for many users. The issue is resolved now, the page opens quickly. Thanks to my friend Milan for his time and assistance!
  • Disable Windows Update
  • Winaero Tweaker 0.16.1 Disable Updates:
  • A number of users have reported that the newer algorithm fails to disable updates in Home editions of Windows 10. In version 0.17.1, I am using the legacy method for Home editions, and the newer one for Pro editions, so everything should work now as expected.
  • New feature - User Auto Logon Checkbox for Windows 10 version 2004
  • Tweaker Enable Auto Logon Checkbox:
  • A new option, 'Enable User Auto Logon Checkbox', can be found under 'Boot & Logon'. It does the simple trick - enables the missing 'Users must enter a user name and password to use this PC ' checkbox.
  • Untick Click Apply Users Accounts:
  • The new option makes the checkbox appear for both Microsoft and local accounts.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.17.0 (May 6, 2020)

  • Spotlight image grabber now displays the preview pictures again.
  • 'Disable thumbnails' for the taskbar is now fixed, it finally works.
  • Fixed 'Increase taskbar transparency' which has stopped working in 1903 or so.
  • Fixed 3 day task termination for the 'Elevated Shortcut' feature. I was very surprised to get such a bug report, had no idea that someone has elevated tasks running for days.
  • A fix for the 'Telemetry' option which could leave the service disabled if you decided to re-enable this Windows 10 feature.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.16 (Nov 11, 2019)

  • Fixed bugs:
  • App crashes when you type [ or ' in the search box.
  • The "Make network computers visible" checkbox doesn't remember its state.
  • The Open Windows Defender Settings button opens the Documents folder on 1909+.
  • The Take Ownership command doesn't respect symbolic links (missing the /skipsl argument).
  • The Windows Experience Index doesn't use separator defined in user's regional settings.
  • Improvements:
  • The search now includes the parent category's name, so you can quickly tell what tweak you are going to open
  • The App mode/Windows mode context menu now has icons.
  • I have added a lower value limit to the number of simultaneously selected files in File Explorer. Setting it to 0 would broke File Explorer, so Tweaker won't allow you to harm the shell any more.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.15.1 (Jun 27, 2019)

  • This version comes with a fix for the Compact OS context menu option (it wasn't get deleted when you untick the option), and includes the reliability changes for the Change Startup Sound feature.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.15.0 (Jun 24, 2019)

  • Fixes for Windows 10 version 1903:
  • The ability to change the startup sound is fixed now.
  • The ability to disable Windows Defender in 1903+ is also fixed now.
  • Improvements and fixes for other Windows versions:
  • When you disable/remove the Quick Access from the navigation pane of File Explorer, it should not break the drag-and-drop action for the left pane.
  • The "Keep Thumbnail Cache" feature now works for 32-bit apps running on a 64-bit Windows version.The 'Elevated Shortcut' feature should not suffer from being opened on high-DPI screens and render its contents correctly.
  • New Features:
  • Added a new "Compact OS" context menu.
  • Added the "Unblock" context menu that allows quickly unblocking files downloaded from the Internet, individually or all files in a folder.The ability to disable the blur effect on the Sign-in screen of Windows 10 version 1903 and above.The ability to get rid of the "File ownership" context menu.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.14.0 (Mar 8, 2019)

  • The case sensitivity context menu is now available for Windows 1803+. Thanks to Walkman.
  • The "Disable wide context menu" is now hidden for Windows 10 1809. Microsoft has removed this feature, so it doesn't work in October 2018 Update. Thanks to Jason.
  • The "Disable Edge prelaunching" feature now works correctly for both 1803 and 1809 versions of Windows 10. Thanks to TairikuOkami.
  • The "Disable Windows Update" feature now disables two extra services, Windows Update Medic Service and Update Orchestrator Service. Thanks to OMC.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.12.0 (Oct 4, 2018)

  • Fixes and improvements:
  • I have fixed the app crash affected some users when they disable Windows Update in Windows 10. Thanks to Richard Taylor for his collaboration and reports.
  • The "Elevated Shortcut" feature now allows specifying and changing the full path to the LNK file. Thanks to Michel Kempeneers for his reports and suggestions.
  • The Disable Windows Security Center tray icon feature now supports Windows Security.
  • Useful features for Windows 10 version 1809 "October 2018 Update" users:
  • Unwanted apps:
  • A new feature allows the user to prevent Windows 10 from reinstalling built-in apps. In addition to existing functionality, Winaero Tweaker will stop the OS from re-installing built-in apps which were uninstalled by the user.
  • Disable edge Preloading:
  • A couple of options are added to stop the Edge browser from being preloaded when you are signing in to your user account, including the ability to stop tab preloading.
  • Clipboard History context menu:
  • A new context menu can be enabled, Clipboard History. It allows you to quickly enable or disable the cloud clipboard feature of Windows 10.
  • Case Sensitivity Context Menu:
  • Windows 10 version 1809 allows enabling case sensitive mode for folders. To save your time, you might want to add a special context menu to your folders in order to enable or disable case sensitivity directly without opening a new command prompt window.
  • Starting with Windows Insider build 17093, there is a new way to handle case sensitive files in Windows: per-directory case sensitivity. This ability has been added to give the user better interoperability when using case sensitive files. Also, you can use it with regular Windows applications. This is really useful, especially for WSL users.
  • Features for all Windows versions:
  • Disable Power Throttling:
  • Recent Windows 10 versions come with a new feature, called "Power Throttling". It should improve the battery life of laptops and tablets on processors which support it. If some application is minimized or runs in the background, it still uses your system resources. For such apps, the operating system will place the CPU in its most energy-efficient operating modes – work gets done, but minimal possible battery is spent on that work. A special smart algorithm will detect active user tasks and keep them running, while all other processes will be throttled.
  • If you have issues with this feature, you can disable it using Winaero Tweaker.
  • Reset Local Group Policy:
  • Using this new feature, you can reset all the changes you made with Local Group Policy Editor or manually by editing the Registry.
  • Customize the Libraries item in the Navigation Pane of File Explorer:
  • Similarly to the previously implemented Quick Access option, Winaero Tweaker allows changing the icon of the Libraries item in the Navigation Pane and renaming it.
  • Take Ownership Context Menu:
  • By enabling this new context menu, you can quickly get full access to files and folders. It will allow you to become the owner of the files and to instantly grant full access permissions to the files or folders.
  • Windows Firewall Context Menu:
  • Windows Firewall - opens the user interface of the app.
  • Windows Firewall with Advanced Security - opens Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
  • Configure Allowed Apps.
  • Turn On Windows Firewall.
  • Turn Off Windows Firewall.
  • Reset Windows Firewall
  • Windows Defender Security Center/Windows Security in Windows 10 version 1809.
  • Disable Timeline:
  • If you find no use for the Timeline feature of Windows 10, you can disable it with Winaero Tweaker 0.12.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.11.2 (Aug 6, 2018)

  • The "Show Menu Delay" option is now available again for Windows 10 version 1803+.
  • HiDPI fixes for the toolbar, the status bar, and the license agreement window.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.11.1 (Aug 4, 2018)

  • Fixed a crash that happens for some users when they open the Manage Bookmarks tab.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.11 (Aug 3, 2018)

  • Reset all:
  • Lots of Winaero Tweaker users were asking to add this feature. Well, this has finally happened. Winaero Tweaker 0.11 will allow you to revert everything you have changed. Go to the menu File - Reset all tweaks. Uncheck the items you are not going to reset and proceed.
  • Import/Export of Bookmarks:
  • It was another popular feature request. Now it is implemented. The Import/export wizard of Winaero Tweaker allows you to export and import of your bookmarks the same way you export/import the tweaks.
  • Unwanted Windows 10 Updates:
  • This release comes with improvements which allow the app to reliably disable updates and annoying forced reboots in Windows 10. Thanks to my friend Vitaly who spent several sleepless nights fighting with the update mechanism of the OS.
  • Safe Mode Menu & Shortcut:
  • Winaero Tweaker will allow to to quickly create a Safe Mode shortcut and/or add it to the Desktop context menu.
  • Startup Sound:
  • The good old 'Startup Sound' option is now available to Windows 10 users. I made a number of improvements to its code, using ideas implemented in my Ribbon Disabler app.
  • Network Fix for Windows 10 version 1803:
  • As you may already know, Windows 10 version 1803, known as "April 2018 update" doesn't show computers on your local area network. To save your time, the app includes a quick fix for this issue.
  • Screen Snip Context Menu/Shortcut:
  • Already using Windows 10 'Redstone 5'? Winaero Tweaker can be used to create a shortcut to the built-in Screen Snip/Screen Sketch feature, and add it to the Desktop context menu.
  • Backup and Restore Start Menu Layout:
  • Another frequently requested feature. It is finally implemented in the app, so you can quickly backup and restore the appearance of your Start menu in Windows 10 with a couple of clicks.
  • Shell Folder (CLSID) Shortcuts:
  • This is one of my favorite features. It allows you to quickly create a shortcut to any shell folder available in Windows. There are lots of shell locations in Windows, that you can access via shell:::{GUID} commands from the "Run" dialog. They are also known as "Shell Folders". Shell folders are ActiveX objects that implement a special virtual folder or a virtual applet. In some cases, they provide access to physical folders on your hard drive or even to special OS functionality like "Minimize all Windows" or the Alt+Tab switcher.
  • In Winaero Tweaker, click on the button "Select Shell Folders and Create Shortcuts", select one of several Shell Folders in the next dialog, then click on the "Add" button. The app will create shortcuts to the selected items. This way, you can quickly access to your frequently used locations like the Printers folder or Network Connections/Adapter properties.
  • Other Fixes and Changes:
  • The "Xmouse" feature is now fixed for Windows 10 version 1803. It works and saves its state between your user sessions.
  • “Menu Show Delay” has been removed from Windows 10 version 1803 by Microsoft. So it disappears from the Tweaker in this Windows 10 version.
  • Due to the changes I made, Winaero Tweaker requires to re-export of your tweaks. Please export them once again after upgrading to this version. Otherwise, it will ignore a few tweaks when importing them from the file.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.10.0.2 (May 12, 2018)

  • Version 0.10.2 is a special release adapted to the latest Windows 10 feature update, version 1803 "April 2018 Update".
  • Winaero Tweaker 0.10.2 includes the following changes:
  • HomeGroup:
  • As you may already know, the HomeGroup is now deprecated and was removed from Windows 10 version 1803, so:
  • The context menu option "HomeGroup" was removed.
  • The item HomeGroup was removed from the Navigation Pane -> Default items.
  • Other changes:
  • The option to remove the context menu command "Edit with 3D builder" is now hidden under Windows 10 version 1803.
  • The option "Hide Windows Insider Program Page" had a bug which made it appear as "disabled" regardless of its actual state.
  • Finally, Winaero Tweaker has got support for "Redstone 5". If you are running a Redstone 5 build 17661 or above, you'll be able to customize Unix line endings support in Notepad.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.10.0.1 (Apr 14, 2018)

  • First of all, I've disabled the full-screen nag "You copy of Windows 10 is out of date", which annoys users with updates disabled. This feature is included in the Disable Windows Update option, no extra options were added.
  • The second change I made is as follows. Some users report that the Windows Update service was not disabled for them using the option above. So I changed the method I use to disable it. Should work for everyone now.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.10.0.0 (Apr 11, 2018)

  • Windows Update:
  • I've created the Windows Update feature of Winaero Tweaker from scratch in order to get rid of the most annoying behavior of Windows 10 - forced updates and upgrades.
  • Turn on the check box, and you will not get updates in Windows. In Windows 10, it will block the operating system from enabling the Windows Update service and interrupting your workflow. Also, it blocks the apps which bring you annoying desktop notifications about updates.
  • By disabling the option you can restore defaults safely. The solution provided by Winaero Tweaker is safe and reliable. Also, the option now supports the import and export feature!
  • Get rid of ads in Windows 10:
  • As you may already know, Winaero Tweaker allows disabling most of the ads in Windows 10. Recent Windows 10 versions come with more ads, including ads in Settings, Timeline, and People. Winaero Tweaker 0.10 allows disabling them.
  • Disable Online and Video Tips in Settings:
  • By default, the Settings app shows various tips, links to online tutorials and also videos for pages you open. Depending on your display size, they can appear below the page controls or on the right. If you find them useless or annoying, you can hide them.
  • Disable Web search in the taskbar in Windows 10 version 1803:
  • As you may already know, Windows 10 version 1803 doesn't allow disabling the Web search feature using the good old Group Policy tweak in the taskbar (Cortana), making Windows always search online for queries you type in the search box. Winaero Tweaker disables this behavior using an alternative method. The user interface hasn't changed.
  • Change Drag and Drop Sensitivity:
  • You can now change drag and drop sensitivity with Winaero Tweaker. This can be useful if you have a sensitive touchpad and want to make it less sensitive to accidentally moving or copying files in File Explorer and other apps. Or you just might be unhappy with the default setting which requires dragging only a few pixels.
  • Make "Run as" Always Visible in Context Menu:
  • The next option will allow you to make the "Run as different user" context menu command appear without holding the Shift key in the context menu. Using it, you can start a batch file, an executable file or even an app installer as another user.
  • Using this option, you can also add the "Run as" command to the context menu of your Start menu items.
  • Add a Sign-in Message:
  • You can add a special sign-in message that will appear for all users every time they sign in. The message can have a custom title and message text, so you can display any text message you want. Fill in the two text fields and you are done
  • Prevent Windows 10 From Deleting Thumbnail Cache:
  • In Windows 10, File Explorer is able to show small previews for image and video files you have stored on your disk drive. To speed up this process, it uses a cache file. When a file is cached, File Explorer re-uses the thumbnail from the cache to show it instantly. Windows 10 deletes the thumbnail cache automatically. When this happens, File Explorer becomes terribly slow because it takes time again to re-generate the thumbnail for every file and cache it, so the process creates a notable CPU load for no reason. This is very unfortunate when you are browsing a folder which contains lots of images. Starting with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the operating system keeps deleting the thumbnail cache after a restart or a shutdown, so File Explorer has to recreate the thumbnails again for your folders with images.
  • Disable Search History in File Explorer:
  • Every time you search for some file name pattern or condition using the text box in the top right corner of the app's window, File Explorer saves it in the history. You can prevent it from saving your searches by enabling the next option.
  • Change Taskbar Button Width:
  • It is possible to change the minimum width of taskbar buttons. Using a new options of Winaero Tweaker, you can enlarge your taskbar buttons and make them more suitable for touch screens or high-resolution displays.
  • The classic Shut Down Windows dialog shortcut:
  • Starting with Winaero Tweaker 0.10, there is a new category of options called "Shortcuts". It combines a few previously available options with a new option, "Classic Shutdown Shortcut". Use it to create a shortcut to the classic Shutdown Dialog Windows dialog.
  • Improvements and fixes:
  • The option to prevent Malicious Software Removal Tool from Installing is now available under Windows 7.
  • Fixed the broken import/export feature for the context menu option "Run command prompt as Administrator".
  • The option "Open Registry Key" now opens the Registry Editor when you hit the Enter key in the text box.
  • The search result pane and the category view now use double-click to open items.
  • Winaero Tweaker now remembers the collapsed state of nodes in the navigation pane between sessions.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.9.0.0 (Nov 16, 2017)

  • Context Menu > Default Entries > Remove "include in library"
  • Context Menu > Run with Priority -- Add the option to run a program with the selected priority (low, below normal, normal, above normal, high, realtime) from the context menu
  • Context Menu > Shut Down > Shut Down Context Menu -- Add option to the right-click (on desktop) context menu to shut down or restart (shut down instantly, shut down with warning, restart instantly, restart with warning)
  • Context Menu > Power Options > Power Options Context Menu -- Add option to the right-click context menu (on desktop) to access power related items (Power options, power and sleep, edit current power plan, advanced power options, choose what the power buttons do)
  • Context Menu > Settings > Settings Context Menu -- Adds links to Settings to the desktop context menu
  • Context Menu > App Mode > App Mode Context Menu -- Switch between dark and light color schemes for Windows 10 Store apps
  • Network > RDP Port -- Change the default Remote Desktop Protocol port
  • Behavior > Hibernation Options -- Manage hibernation options (enable hibernation, disable hibernation, disable hibernation but keep fast startup, change the RAM percentage that the hibernation file is set to
  • File Explorer > Hide Drives -- Option to hide drive letters in Explorer
  • Desktop & Taskbar > Pin More Contacts to Taskbar -- Change the default number of contacts that you can pin to the Windows 10 taskbar
  • Settings & Control Panel > Add Personalization -- Add personalization link back to the Control Panel
  • Behavior > Default Action for Shutdown Dialog -- Set the default action for the shut down dialog
  • Behavior > Windows Installer in Safe Mode -- Enable Windows Installer in Windows Safe Mode
  • Behavior > Enable Emoji Picker -- Enable the Emoji panel for all languages on Windows 10

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.8.0.0 (Aug 15, 2017)

  • Winaero Tweaker 0.8 is out! This release is very special for all users of my app. It is the first version to come with the most requested feature - you can now export your changes to a file and import them on another computer or after a build upgrade (hello, Windows Insiders). Besides this feature, there are tons of fixes and new features in Winaero Tweaker 0.8!
  • Say hello to the new Import/Export wizard:
  • It is available in the menu under Tools ImportExport Tweaks. It will allow you to review which tweaks to export to a file. You might want to exclude some. The same is true for the import tweaks procedure. It is possible to see which tweaks will be applied from the file you are trying to import, and exclude some of them if required
  • Fixes:
  • The tweak to disable the Extract All context menu uses a better method.
  • I've fixed a long-standing bug which made the "Open Command Prompt here" command default to Libraries. I also applied a workaround to prevent other custom context menu commands from becoming the default for any file system object.
  • The Selection Limit tweak now shows a request to sign out from your user account. It is necessary but was missing.
  • I've fixed tons of minor mistakes and made the overall source code quality much better due to refactoring I had to perform for the import and export feature.
  • New features:
  • You can go to the desired Registry key with one click. Once you open this page in Winaero Tweaker, it will try to extract the Registry key path from the clipboard to save your time!
  • Manage split threshold for svchost.exe in recent Windows 10 builds.
  • Configure Lock Screen Slideshow Duration in Windows 10.
  • Change the screensaver password grace period.
  • Remove "Restore previous versions" from the context menu in File Explorer.
  • Remove the Pin to Start context menu command.
  • Remove the Pin to taskbar context menu command.
  • Remove the Troubleshoot Compatibility item from the context menu of File Explorer.
  • Disable Error Reporting in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.
  • A new tweak to increase System Restore point frequency. This tweak will allow you to eliminate the default limit set to 1 restore point per day and create a new restore point every time you start your PC.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.7.0.4 (Jul 12, 2017)

  • Winaero Tweaker 0.7.0.4 comes with the following new features and improvements:
  • The ability to add the Change Network Location submenu to the Desktop context menu which will allow you to quickly set your network connection to Private or Public.
  • The ability to add the Windows Update submenu to the Desktop context menu. This will allow you to access all Windows Update features of Windows 10 with one click.
  • The ability to integrate Snipping Tool to the Desktop context menu. In recent Windows 10 versions, this option will add a submenu with the item to capture a screen region.
  • The ability to add the Control Panel submenu which contains the commands "Category", "Large icons" and "All Tasks" so you can open the desired view of the classic Control Panel directly.
  • The ability to add the command "Open PowerShell as Administrator" to the context menu of File Explorer. This will allow you to open a new elevated PowerShell instance quickly in the current folder.
  • A couple of new options to remove bloat from the File Explorer context menu by hiding the items you might never use. In addition to existing items, I've added the ability to remove these commands:
  • Give access to (Share with in previous Windows versions).
  • Share - the modern Share command available in recent builds of Windows 10.
  • Edit with Photos - also a new command which was added recently to the context menu of image files in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
  • Under NetworkReset Data Usage, you can reset the network data usage with one click in Windows 10. From there, you can also open the appropriate Settings page to see the current statistics and browse its folder with File Explorer.
  • A new page under Windows AppsExtra Buttons in Internet Explorer will allow you to get rid of the Edge tab and Smiley buttons in IE 11.
  • Finally, I fixed the "Customize This PC" option in the Tweaker app. Now it can remove the 3D Objects folder from This PC.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.7.0.3 (Jun 15, 2017)

  • Disabled the accidentally enabled debug mode. Thanks to Paras Sidhu for pointing me.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.7.0.2 (Jun 15, 2017)

  • Fixed the invalid state of the "Close All Tabs" checkbox for Edge.
  • Removed the extra messagebox in the Defender Tray Icon feature. Thanks to Paul B. for this report.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.7.0.0 (Mar 17, 2017)

  • Fixes:
  • Action center always open - the reset to defaults button now works.
  • When a category page is focused, the View menu can be used to change the view in addition to the toolbar buttons.
  • New:
  • Ability to edit OEM information:
  • Make the taskbar remain visible when the virtual touch keyboard appears on the screen. By default, the Touch Keyboard appears on top of the taskbar hiding it.
  • You can now remove the 'Edit with Paint 3D' context menu. Also, you can remove the Extract all context menu in File Explorer.
  • Add a file hash context menu.
  • Prevent Malicious Software Removal Tool (MRT.exe) from being offered and installed via Windows Update.
  • You can easily disable jump lists in File Explorer and the Start menu.
  • The ability to enable Numlock on the Logon screen (and Lock screen in Windows 10). Thanks to the user Raphael for this suggestion.
  • Added the User Accounts desktop context menu.
  • Added a HomeGroup desktop context menu.
  • Added a Bluetooth desktop context menu.
  • You can make the "Open in new process" context menu command always visible.
  • For Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1, I added the ability to disable the yellow warning overlay icon for the network item in the notification area (system tray). Unfortunately, this trick doesn't work in Windows 10.
  • Added a tweak to kill not responding tasks from the Desktop context menu.
  • Automatic folder type discovery can be disabled. Thanks to Rensio for this suggestion.

New in Winaero Tweaker 0.6.0.9 (Dec 23, 2016)

  • New:
  • The ability to prevent themes from changing icons and mouse cursors
  • The ability to quickly enable the Auto Completion feature in File Explorer
  • The ability to hide the Windows Insider Program page in the Settings app in Windows 10
  • The ability to restore the good old "Open command window here" context menu item in Windows 10 Creators Update
  • The ability to add the command "Extract the contents" to the context menu of MSI files
  • The ability to activate the new Share pane in Windows 10 build 14971 and above
  • The ability to activate the new OneDrive flyout in Windows 10 build 14986 and above
  • That's it. Feel free to report any bugs you find and make your own suggestions