Window Explorer Toolbar - Remove

How to Remove Windows Explorer Toolbar in Windows 7​

   Information

In windows 7 Microsoft implemented a new toolbar in Windows Explorer. It has options like: Organize, Share with, Burn, New Folder. Do you want to get rid of this for good? This is how.

   Note

If you do this you will not be able to access any of the features that are on this bar, that includes changing which panes are up. You can however use these tutorials registry edits to turn them on or off:

• Navigation pane turn on or off
• Details pane turn on or off
• Preview pane turn on or off

To use custom themes after removing the explorer toolbar, you will have to extract the file to:

C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\"Custom Theme"\Shell\NormalColor

OPTION ONE

To Remove Windows Explorer Toolbar

1. Click on the Download button below to download the Remove Explorer Bar.zip file.

Download


2. Disable Aero.

1. Right click on the Desktop, select "Personalize"
2. Select "Windows Classic" theme:
   
   
   

3. Download and install "Add_Take_Ownership.reg".

1. Extract: "Add_Take_Ownership.reg"
2. Run: "Add_Take_Ownership.reg"
3. If prompted by User Access Control, then select "Yes".
4. "Registry Editor" will ask something like:
   
   
   
5. Select "Yes"
6. "Registry Editor" will say something like:
   
   
   
7. Select "OK"

4. Determine whether your operating system is 64 bit or 32 bit.

1. Right Click on "Computer", select "Properties"
2. Look next to "System type:", it will say one of these: "64-bit Operating System" or "32-bit Operating System":
   
   
   

5. Taking control of necessary files.

   Warning

You MUST back up the following files if you ever wish to revert back. One way you might backup a file is by copying the original file and then renaming the copy "shellstyle - Original.dll" or "shellstyle - Backup.dll". Make sure you do a backup file for each file that you are going to change.

1. Navigate to the folder:

   C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero\Shell\NormalColor

2. Right click on the file: "shellstyle.dll", select "Take Ownership":
   
   
   
3. If prompted by User Access Control, then select "Yes".
4. The following Steps 5-7 are for "64-bit Operating System" only.
5. Navigate to the folder: "C:\Windows\SysWOW64"
6. Right click on the file: "shellstyle.dll", select "Take Ownership":
   
   
   
7. If prompted by User Access Control, then select "Yes".

6. If your system is a "64-bit Operating System" perform steps 1-2.

1. Extract (drag and drop to your desktop) and run the following files: "Shellstyle Extract x64.exe", "Shellstyle Extract x64_2.exe" from the download in step 1 above.
2. If prompted by User Access Control, then select "Yes".

7. If your system is a "32-bit Operating System" perform steps 1-2.

1. Extract (drag and drop to your desktop) and run the following file: "Shellstyle Extract x86.exe" from the download in step 1 above.
2. If prompted by User Access Control, then select "Yes".

8. Re enable your original theme.

1. Right click on your Desktop, click "Personalize"
2. Enable your desired theme

9. You are Done!

OPTION TWO

To Restore Windows Explorer Toolbar

1. Disable Aero.

1. Right click on your desktop, click "Personalize"
2. Select "Windows Classic" theme

2. Restore Backups.

1. Navigate to the folder:

   C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero\Shell\NormalColor

2. Change the file "shellstyle.dll" to another name I.E. "shellstyle - NEW.dll"
3. Put the original file back in this folder and name it "shellstyle.dll"

1. Navigate to the folder: "C:\Windows\SysWOW64" (Note this folder is only on 64 bit versions of windows 7)
2. Change the file "shellstyle.dll" to another name I.E. "shellstyle - NEW.dll"
3. Put the original file back in this folder and name it "shellstyle.dll"

3. Re enable your original theme.

1. Right click on your Desktop, click "Personalize"
2. Enable your desired theme

4. You are Done!

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Add a Delete Button to the Windows 7 Explorer Toolbar
• How to Add, Remove, or Rearrange Toolbar Buttons in Windows 7 Explorer
• Add Windows Photo Viewer "Slide show" to Context Menu in Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[coleonyx]

Is there a way to remove the same bar from windows 7 photo viewer?

 

[molaa]

i always get this error message when trying to install

 

[Brink]

Hello Molaa, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Double check to make sure that you did all of the steps in the tutorial. It's easy to miss one.

 

[Paskamuna2]

My windows 7x64 is this step away from being perfect. I have spent a whole day on it and not giving up

>Windows 7 command bar tweaker removed the bar from aero themes. Problem is i hate the aero theme and cant get it to look like i want. If you use the basic aero theme then this is easiest way

>So i went and downloaded aero theme that looks like classic theme. Perfect but the bar is back.

>So i went and modified the custom classicaero theme files with the autohide and border hack. Nothing

>The steps on this tutorial dont work for me, the files propably are not editing anything.

>Nothing really hapend until i started editing the Shell32 files on system32 and syswow64. I managed to make the bar go from up to bottom. This would be enough for me if i cant hide it but windows did not like my edits and started to give error messages. The bar went from top to bottom though but had to revert back to the original files from second os

This thread is pure gold for windows 7 enthusiasts because its the most important step in making windows 7 perfect os. That bar has to go
________________________________________________________________________________

EDIT MANAGED TO GET THE BAR TO MOVE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM WORKS ON ALL THEMES , CLASSIC AND CUSTOM TOO.



Here is what i did if anyone is interested. Im on w7x64 ultimate build 7601.

READ: I needed to multiboot for this to work so install somekinda usb stick with prebootable environment or second windows to other disk. Also you can take the drive off and take it to other pc when you get to the relevant step

>Install the take ownership context menu addon
>Find the shell32.dll files from windows/system32 and windows/syswow64 folders.
>Copy those two files to your desktop onto their own folders named like: S32 and SW64 so you know where they came from
>Take ownership of those shell32.dll files, (right click and context menu should pop)
>Use the resource hacker to open shell32.dll from the S32 folder you made.
>Search for word: folderbandstyle
>When you find the word look for word "Top" nearby that folderband line , change that top to "Bottom"
>Compile and save. Search again and press F3 to move to second find.
>I received 5 finds and 4 edits to make. One of the findings did not need editing as it had no "Top" anywhere near
>Repeat for the file in SW64 folder.
>Note that resource hacker saved the original unedited files as shell32_original so you have something to revert to

>Restart pc and boot into the prebootable windows or your second os or take the harddrive to other computer
>Explore the filesystem of your windows 7 os you wanted to edit
>Take the shell.32 files from your S32 and S64 folders and copy them over to their places on windows/system32 and windows/syswow64
>Reboot now to your windows 7 and the bar has moved to bottom. You made it

Its easier to boot into second os to copy because you never know how windows is protecting those files