Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

What it does

Open-Shell is a collection of Windows shell utilities, descended from Classic Shell and maintained under the MIT license in C++. It replaces or augments parts of the modern Windows shell, chiefly with a classic-style Start menu for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11. It also adds a Windows Explorer toolbar, an Explorer status bar showing file size and disk space, a classic copy UI on Windows 7, and a title and status bar for Internet Explorer README features.

The audience is Windows users who want the older Start menu layout and a few Explorer conveniences without giving up their current OS.

Install and first run

1. Download the latest stable installer from the releases page. Pre-release builds are listed under all releases releases.
2. Run the installer on a supported Windows version. No build step is required for normal use.
3. On Windows for ARM, use version 4.4.196 or newer. Installing an older release on Windows for ARM (for example under Parallels on Apple Silicon) can leave you unable to log in after the next reboot ARM compatibility note.
4. To change the interface language, download a language DLL and place it in the Open-Shell install folder or in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\OpenShell\Languages language instructions.

After installation, Open-Shell's settings let you choose the Start menu style and enable the Explorer and IE tweaks. Builds are compiled through the project's GitHub Actions workflow and AppVeyor AppVeyor build; free code signing is provided by SignPath.io code signing.

Constraints and caveats

Open-Shell is Windows-only and modifies shell behavior, so it is version-sensitive: some features are limited to specific Windows releases, and compatibility with Windows for ARM only starts at 4.4.196. Check the exact release you install before rolling it out on ARM devices. Language DLLs are distributed separately from the installer.

HotRepo's take

The project drew a 90-point Hacker News thread in April 2024 with 76 comments discussion. Most of the sampled comments are personal preference rather than test results: one user said they used it extensively before moving to Linux and KDE Plasma comment, and another said they rely on it because the Windows 10 search box sometimes hangs or fails to find local apps quickly comment. A reply in the same thread argues that dedicated app launchers with keyboard shortcuts for the second result can be faster than correcting a search query reply.

Those comments suggest the practical draw is control over the Start menu and search behavior, not a single missing feature. The repository has no recorded daily-ranking snapshot in HotRepo's data, so there is no rank trend to report here.