Win11 taskbar with desktop toolbar '>>' browsable folders with cascading levels #16404
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Torinde
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crutkas
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YES! PLEASE! I was just coming to post the same idea! Stardock's Start11 works well to get me back a usable start menu on Win11, but these folder menus are the one big missing piece for me now before moving to Win11 on my daily driver. For me though, I have a couple ... one is the Desktop as @Torinde mentioned, but I also have another one for quick access to all my RDP connections (I'm constantly RDPing throughout the work day) for quick access to all our servers.
So ideally this new PowerToy would not be just the Desktop, but actually have the ability to create as many as we want, with user-assignable individual root folders. The address bar (to the left in that screenie) is also another missing piece, but that can be worked around with PowerToys' run tool. Not QUITE as convenient (though far more powerful), but workable.
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@Torinde I too am desperately trying to find a way in Win11 to browse my folders with cascading levels with just mouse hover like I could do since Windows 7. This is killing me to lose that in Win11. This deeply impacts my quality of life... |
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@ericpwrusr a kind of solution I found is using ExplorerPatcher, which allows you to have Windows 10 taskbar in Windows 11. But I would actually prefer the Win11 taskbar - just with a ">>" cascading folders added in: valinet/ExplorerPatcher#874. I think it would be good if somebody files a suggestion at the Microsoft feedback portal... If you do so, please provide a link here - for upvoting, etc. |
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StartAllBack also allows you to get these folders back - on the Win11 taskbar, functioning exactly like they used to... BUT --- it doesn't play nicely with Start11 (for bringing back the Win10 start menu). So it becomes a choice between either the start menu, or the dropdown toolbars. 😕 Ideally, yeah, the best thing would be to see MS add these back to the taskbar natively, like they've slowly been doing with some other missing features. But I'm not about to hold my breath on that one! LOL |
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I am BEGGING someone, ANYONE to implement this. I got here from Google looking for this exact feature, and as a long-time PowerToys user this would be a terrific addition. |
I finally took the plunge and tried Though it would still be nice to see this as a power toy, for those who are unsure about "patching" the OS itself. |
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ExplorerPatcher stopped working in latest beta versions of Windows 11 and the developer stopped working on it and patching it in November. He's stated several times no more updates, so once that version of Windows 11 goes out to the masses, there is a good chance it will stop working for good. I was using ExplorerPatcher religiously until I got the Windows update that killed it a month ago. Very bummed. |
What??? Nooooo!!! 😖 Okay... then I revise my statement, that it would be MORE than just "nice" to see this as a powertoy! |
Woohoo! He posted an update today that fixed the issue on the latest builds of Windows 11! I would still like to see an official version of this from Microsoft in PowerToys so we aren't relying on ExplorerPatcher (which, by the way, Norton anit-virus HATES and keeps trying to delete). |
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Just bumping this thread again, ... to be able to get these withOUT needing to hackintosh Explorer. ExplorerPatcher is great, but ... I'm pretty sure it didn't get along with the latest big Win11 update last week, and it hosed my 11 system. Would be beautiful to be able to get this feature back in a "safe" installation. 🙏🏼🍨 |
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I would love to see this added to PowerToys but since we have discussed ExplorerPatcher and it crashing on recent OS builds, I would like to share that the developer updated it again today and it is working again. His release notes also stated that he put a mechanism in place to prevent repeated crashes that make it difficult to uninstall when it encounters a new OS build that is incompatible. https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases/tag/22621.1413.54.1_8b5443d |
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There is a second TrayToolbar - another person recreated it, this time with open source. So far both seem to be able of only browsing the folder tree and launching files, but nothing more: |
Description of the new feature / enhancement
I'm using the Windows desktop toolbar for "browsable folders with cascading levels" - a place on the taskbar from where I can browse the whole computer (preferably starting from Desktop/User folder - showing This PC, Control Panel, OneDrive(s), Sharepoint(s), Network, Recycle Bin, Libraries, User folder, etc.) only with moving the mouse (without clicking) - cascading further inside (including in ZIP files), then right-clicking and/or dragging files/folders, copy/cut/paste/delete/rename, etc.
Add the ">>" symbol from the Win10 desktop toolbar somewhere on the Win11 taskbar/start menu (for example as tray icon - similarly to TrayToolbar) - as tray icon, as some other kind of button, as right-click menu item, etc.
Scenario when this would be used?
fast and convenient browsing and all other Explorer file/folder operations (drag & drop, right-click, etc.)
Supporting information
See screenshot:
The most crucial item that prevents me from using Win11.
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