[Tip] Restore Windows 10 File Explorer with Ribbon in Windows 11

If you want to disable the new Command bar in Windows 11 File Explorer and restore Windows 10 style classic File Explorer with Ribbon toolbar in Windows 11, this tutorial will help you.

If you open File Explorer or This PC in Windows 11, you’ll immediately notice the new redesigned toolbar at the top of the window. Windows 11 Explorer now comes with a new toolbar known as Command bar. You can consider the new Command bar as an alternative to the old classic toolbar present in good ol’ Windows XP explorer.

Following screenshot shows the new Command bar present in Windows 11 Explorer:

The new command bar contains several buttons such as cut, copy, paste, delete, sort, view, etc.

Pros and Cons of Command Bar and Ribbon Toolbar in Windows Explorer

Command bar was first introduced in Windows Vista explorer and the same command bar was carried forward to Windows 7 operating system. With the release of Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft replaced the command bar with new Ribbon UI. Later Windows versions such as Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 also contained the same Ribbon toolbar in Explorer.

Many people didn’t like the new Ribbon toolbar in Windows 8/8.1/10 as it occupies lots of screen area. Finally Microsoft decided to remove the Ribbon UI and restore previous Command bar in Windows 11 Explorer.

But the Command bar in Windows 11 Explorer has some limitations. You can’t add or remove icons/buttons as right-clicking is disabled in the new toolbar. No context menu appears when you try to right-click on the toolbar which makes it less customizable.

Also there are lots of buttons and options missing in the new Command bar which were present in the Ribbon toolbar in previous Windows versions.

How to Restore Classic File Explorer with Ribbon in Windows 11

Fortunately there is a hidden Registry tweak to disable the new command bar and restore Ribbon toolbar back in Windows 11 Explorer. Once you apply this tweak, it’ll force Windows 11 to always show Windows 10 style Ribbon UI instead of the new command bar inside Explorer windows.

Following image shows old Ribbon toolbar restored and working again in Windows 11 Explorer:

If you also want to get rid of the new Command bar and bring back Ribbon toolbar in Windows 11 Explorer, the methods given below will help you.

There are multiple ways to implement the Registry tweak. You can try any of the following methods according to your requirements:

METHOD 1: Manually Using Registry Editor (for Pro Users)

This method is for expert and advanced users who have knowledge and experience of modifying registry in Windows operating system.

1. Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box. Now type regedit in RUN box and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.

2. Now go to following key:

3. Right-click on CLSID key and select New -> Key option. It’ll create a new key under CLSID key.

Set the new key name as following:

{d93ed569-3b3e-4bff-8355-3c44f6a52bb5}

4. Again right-click on {d93ed569-3b3e-4bff-8355-3c44f6a52bb5} key and select New -> Key option. It’ll create a new key under {d93ed569-3b3e-4bff-8355-3c44f6a52bb5} key.

Set the new key name as following:

InprocServer32

Close Registry Editor and either restart your computer or restart Explorer using any method given in this article to take effects.

After restart, you’ll get old Windows 10 style Ribbon toolbar back in Windows 11 Explorer.

PS: In future, if you decide to re-enable new command bar in Windows 11, delete the {d93ed569-3b3e-4bff-8355-3c44f6a52bb5} key from Registry Editor.

METHOD 2: Automatically Using Ready-made Registry Script (for Basic Users)

This is the easiest way to apply required Registry tweak automatically. If you don’t want to modify registry yourself, download following ZIP file, extract it using 7-Zip or other file archive utilities and run the extracted .REG file:

Registry Script to Restore Ribbon Toolbar in Windows 11 Explorer

The script file will ask for confirmation, accept it. Restart your computer or Explorer to take effects.

The ZIP file also contains UNDO file to restore default settings i.e. restore new command bar again.

METHOD 3: Using Direct Command Execution in Command Prompt

If you don’t have access to Registry Editor or don’t want to use Registry script, you can do the same task using Command Prompt. This method will apply the required Registry tweak via command-line.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator using a way mentioned here.

2. Now run following command in Command Prompt window:

You’ll get “The operation completed successfully” message in the result.

Restart your computer or Explorer to take effects.

PS: To re-enable new command bar in future, you can run following command:

Also Check:

[Tip] Restore Old Classic Context Menu (Right-Click Menu) in Windows 11

[Tip] Remove Extra Folders from Windows 10 Explorer “This PC”