A premium utility for managing Windows File Explorer settings with real-time preview
Toggle 50+ Explorer settings with instant visual feedback in a modern dark-themed interface
- 👁️ Live Preview - See changes in real-time before applying! A mock File Explorer updates instantly as you toggle settings
- 🎨 Modern Dark Theme - Spotify/Discord-inspired interface that's easy on the eyes
- 🔄 One-Click Toggles - Simple switches for every setting with instant feedback
- 📖 Detailed Explanations - Every setting includes a clear description of what it does
- 🪟 OS-Aware - Automatically detects Windows 10/11 and shows only compatible settings
- 📦 Portable - Single executable, no installation required
- 💾 Export/Import - Save and restore your configuration
- ⚡ No Bloat - Clean, focused utility that does one thing well
The right panel shows a mock File Explorer that updates instantly as you toggle settings:
- File extensions - See ".txt", ".exe" appear/disappear on file names
- Hidden files - Watch hidden items fade in/out
- System files - See protected files appear
- Checkboxes - Selection boxes appear next to items
- Compact view - Row spacing changes in real-time
- Status bar - Watch it show/hide
- Title bar path - See full path vs folder name
- Navigation pane - Watch items like Gallery, OneDrive appear/disappear
- Encrypted/Compressed colors - Files change to green/blue
| Main Interface | Categories |
|---|---|
 |
 |
- Go to Releases
- Download
ExplorerTweaks.exe - Run the executable (no installation needed)
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/ExplorerTweaks.git
cd ExplorerTweaks
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Run the application
python explorer_tweaks.py# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/ExplorerTweaks.git
cd ExplorerTweaks
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Build executable
build.batThe executable will be created in the dist folder.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Show File Extensions | Display .txt, .exe, etc. after file names |
| Show Hidden Files | Display files with hidden attribute |
| Show System Files | Display protected operating system files |
| Compact View | Reduce spacing between items (Win11) |
| Show Thumbnails | Display preview images for files |
| Status Bar | Show item count at bottom of window |
| Full Path in Title | Show complete path in window title |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Open to This PC | Start Explorer at This PC instead of Quick Access |
| Expand to Folder | Auto-expand tree to current location |
| Separate Process | Run each window independently |
| Restore at Logon | Reopen previous Explorer windows |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Recent Files | Show/hide recent files in Quick Access |
| Frequent Folders | Show/hide frequently used folders |
| Track Documents | Enable/disable document tracking |
| Sync Notifications | OneDrive promotional notifications |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Bing Web Search | Include web results in Start search |
| Cortana | Enable/disable Cortana integration |
| Search History | Show/hide your search history |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Task View Button | Show/hide Task View button |
| Widgets Button | Show/hide Widgets (Win11) |
| Search Box | Hidden / Icon / Full Box |
| Taskbar Alignment | Center or Left (Win11) |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Classic Context Menu | Restore full right-click menu |
| Gallery | Show/hide Gallery in nav pane |
| Snap Layouts | Hover maximize for layouts |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Taskbar Animations | Enable/disable animations |
| Aero Peek | Desktop preview on hover |
| Thumbnail Cache | Cache previews to disk |
| Network Thumbs.db | Create cache on network |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Dark Mode (System) | Taskbar, Start menu |
| Dark Mode (Apps) | Application windows |
ExplorerTweaks modifies settings in these registry locations:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{...} (for nav pane items)
| Feature | Windows 10 | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Explorer Settings | ✅ | ✅ |
| Classic Context Menu | ❌ | ✅ |
| Compact View | ❌ | ✅ |
| Gallery Control | ❌ | ✅ (23H2+) |
| Taskbar Alignment | ❌ | ✅ |
| Widgets Button | ❌ | ✅ |
- Windows 10 (1903+) or Windows 11
- No admin rights required for most settings
- Python 3.8+ (if running from source)
ExplorerTweaks/
├── explorer_tweaks.py # Main application
├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
├── build.bat # Build script for exe
├── icon.ico # Application icon
├── README.md # This file
└── docs/
└── screenshots/ # UI screenshots
Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:
- Report bugs - Open an issue with steps to reproduce
- Suggest features - Open an issue with your idea
- Submit PRs - Fork, make changes, submit pull request
To add a new setting, add a RegistrySetting object to the get_all_settings() function:
RegistrySetting(
id="unique_id",
name="Display Name",
description="Clear explanation of what this does.",
category="Category",
subcategory="Subcategory",
reg_path=r"Software\Microsoft\...",
reg_name="ValueName",
reg_type="DWORD",
enable_value=1,
disable_value=0,
default_value=0,
min_os=OSVersion.WINDOWS_11_21H2, # Optional
)This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
- CustomTkinter - Modern UI framework
- privacy.sexy - Registry research
- WinUtil - Registry research
This tool modifies Windows Registry settings. While all changes are reversible and the tool only modifies user-level settings (HKCU), please:
- Create a system restore point before making changes
- Export your settings before experimenting
- Understand what each setting does before toggling
The authors are not responsible for any issues that may arise from using this tool.
Made with ❤️ for the Windows community