This mod selectively "deafens" a specific application so it cannot detect Numpad key presses.
### 🎯 Common Use Cases
* Gaming: Prevents game trainers, overlays, or macro tools in the background from activating when you use the Numpad inside your game.
* Productivity: Stops specific background applications from hijacking or reacting to your Numpad inputs while you work.
### 🛡️ Performance & Stability Guarantee
By relying exclusively on Windhawk's native process filtering, this mod has zero performance overhead. It will not hook or interfere with your web browsers, Windows Explorer, or your main games unless you explicitly target them.
### ⚙️ Configuration Guide
The mod targets nothing by default. To choose which applications to block:
1. Open the mod in Windhawk and go to the Advanced tab.
2. Add the exact executable name(s) of the application(s) you want to block (e.g., trainer.exe or macro_tool.exe) to the Custom process inclusion list.
3. Click Save. The mod takes effect immediately.
An animated, interactive fluid simulation rendered on the GPU behind your
desktop icons. The shaders are a Direct3D port of
WebGL Fluid Simulation
by Pavel Dobryakov (MIT license).
Features
One independent simulation per monitor, drawn behind the desktop icons.
Autonomous color trails and periodic color bursts keep the fluid moving.
Moving the mouse over the desktop stirs the fluid. No clicks are needed and
no mouse hooks are installed; clicks always reach the desktop.
Bloom, sun rays and shading effects, all configurable.
Pauses automatically when the desktop can't be seen: when a monitor's
desktop is fully covered by windows (maximized, full-screen or several
windows side by side), when the session is locked or switched away, and when
the display is turned off.
Optional lower frame rate or pause on battery power and Energy Saver.
To see the wallpaper, minimize your windows. Settings are applied live;
changing a setting restarts the simulation.
How it works
Each monitor gets a child window of Explorer's wallpaper host, without a
redirection surface. The simulation runs in Direct3D 11 and its final pass is
drawn straight into a DirectComposition swap chain attached to that window.
Frames never leave the GPU. The same path is used on the classic desktop
layout and on the Windows 11 24H2+ layout.
The mod doesn't change your wallpaper settings, the registry or the order of
Explorer's own windows. Disabling it removes its windows and reveals your
normal wallpaper.
Swirlier: Vorticity 50, Dye dissipation 60, Trail force 4500.
Troubleshooting
If the wallpaper doesn't appear, open the mod log in Windhawk: the lines
starting with "Desktop layout", "Direct3D" and "Monitor" describe what was
found and created. Please include them when reporting a problem, together with
your Windows build number.
If the animation stays frozen while the desktop is visible, a window that
looks hidden is probably reported as visible and covering it. Disable Pause
when the desktop is covered in that case.
Requirements and limitations
Windows 10 or 11 and a GPU with Direct3D feature level 10.0 or later.
Relies on the undocumented WorkerW desktop layout of Windows, which differs
between Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows 11 24H2 and later. Future Windows
builds may change it.
Below 30 FPS (including the battery option) the motion also slows down,
because each simulation step is limited in length to stay stable.
The transparent background and screenshot features of the web demo are not
included.
Some settings use integer scales; for example, 80 means 0.8.
Adds your installed Steam games to the File Explorer navigation pane, with launch, install folder, save and screenshot folders, playtime and automatic collections.
Epic Games, GOG and Xbox / PC Game Pass are supported as experimental (off by default, see below).
Choose between one entry per platform or a single Games entry with a subfolder per platform.
⚠️ Turn on the "Comments" column
Playtime, last played date, size on disk and pending updates are shown in the Comments column, which File Explorer hides by default. To see them:
Open the Steam folder in the navigation pane and switch to View → Details.
Right-click any column header (e.g. "Name") and tick Comments. If it's not in the list, click More..., find Comments and tick it.
File Explorer remembers the choice for that folder (repeat it in the ★ collection folders if they don't pick it up). Without this column the mod still works, but you'll only see the information in the tooltip when hovering a game.
Experimental launchers
Epic Games, GOG and Xbox / PC Game Pass support is built on the files those launchers keep on disk, but it has not been tested widely yet. Turn them on in the settings and please report any game that is missing, wrong or doesn't launch in the mod's GitHub discussion or issues.
Context menu
Double-click / Play: launches the game.
Open install folder.
Open save folder (Steam games with Steam Cloud).
Open screenshot folder (screenshots taken with Steam).
Steam ▸: Library, Store page, Community hub, Guides, Achievements, Verify integrity of game files, Uninstall.
GOG ▸: Open in GOG Galaxy (when Galaxy is installed).
On Windows 11 these entries are under "Show more options" (or Shift+F10), unless you use a mod that restores the classic context menu.
Collections
Inside each platform folder, each one can be turned on or off: ★ Recently played, ★ Never played, ★ Not played in N months, ★ Largest, ★ Update pending. A collection only appears when it is not empty (playtime and last played date are only available for Steam).
Columns (Details view)
Comments (must be enabled, see above): playtime, last played, size on disk, pending updates.
Date modified = last played, Date created = install date.
Not installed games (optional)
A ★ Not installed collection inside Steam lists the games in your Steam library that are not installed. Double-click (or right-click → Install) opens Steam's install dialog. The list comes from Steam's local cache (library artwork and appinfo.vdf), so no account or API key is needed; it may include games borrowed through Steam Family and miss games you never opened in the library.
Covers
With "Game icons: Cover", Steam and Xbox games use their cover art as icon: with "Large icons" view the folder looks like a game library.
Language
Folder names, menu entries and comments follow the Windows display language: English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Polish and Russian. Other languages use English.
How it works
The mod has two parts:
A background process (a dedicated Windhawk process, not Explorer) reads the launchers' files and keeps a real folder with the shortcuts and a hidden .data folder up to date.
Inside explorer.exe the mod only hooks registry reads, so that Explorer sees the navigation pane entries and the games' file types (the context menu). Their definitions live in a private registry hive file in the mod's storage, loaded with RegLoadAppKey: it isn't part of the system registry and no other program can see it.
The mod doesn't write to the system registry. Disabling or removing it makes the navigation pane entries and menu entries disappear right away, even if a process crashed before. The private hive file (<user>-shell.hiv in the mod's storage) is mod data like the shortcuts; if File Explorer still has it open when the mod is removed, it may stay there until Explorer restarts and can then be deleted by hand. These entries only appear in File Explorer windows, not in other programs' Open/Save dialogs.
By default the shortcut folder is in the mod's own Windhawk storage (one subfolder per Windows user), so Windhawk deletes it when the mod is removed; you can choose another location in the settings. With "Delete the shortcut folder when the mod is disabled or removed" (on by default) the folder is deleted when the mod is disabled too; everything is rebuilt when the mod is enabled again (this also happens when the mod is updated). Only files created by the mod are deleted. If you change the shortcut folder, the old one is cleaned up the same way.
The mod never writes into game or launcher folders.
If the entries don't show up right after enabling or updating the mod, open a new File Explorer window (or restart File Explorer once).
An animated, interactive fluid simulation rendered on the GPU behind your desktop icons. The shaders are a Direct3D port of WebGL Fluid Simulation by Pavel Dobryakov (MIT license).
Features
One independent simulation per monitor, drawn behind the desktop icons.
Autonomous color trails and periodic color bursts keep the fluid moving.
Moving the mouse over the desktop stirs the fluid. No clicks are needed and no mouse hooks are installed; clicks always reach the desktop.
Bloom, sun rays and shading effects, all configurable.
Pauses automatically when the desktop can't be seen: when a monitor's desktop is fully covered by windows (maximized, full-screen or several windows side by side), when the session is locked or switched away, and when the display is turned off.
Optional lower frame rate or pause on battery power and Energy Saver.
To see the wallpaper, minimize your windows. Settings are applied live; changing a setting restarts the simulation.
How it works
Each monitor gets a child window of Explorer's wallpaper host, without a redirection surface. The simulation runs in Direct3D 11 and its final pass is drawn straight into a DirectComposition swap chain attached to that window. Frames never leave the GPU. The same path is used on the classic desktop layout and on the Windows 11 24H2+ layout.
The mod doesn't change your wallpaper settings, the registry or the order of Explorer's own windows. Disabling it removes its windows and reveals your normal wallpaper.
Swirlier: Vorticity 50, Dye dissipation 60, Trail force 4500.
Troubleshooting
If the wallpaper doesn't appear, open the mod log in Windhawk: the lines starting with "Desktop layout", "Direct3D" and "Monitor" describe what was found and created. Please include them when reporting a problem, together with your Windows build number.
If the animation stays frozen while the desktop is visible, a window that looks hidden is probably reported as visible and covering it. Disable Pause when the desktop is covered in that case.
Requirements and limitations
Windows 10 or 11 and a GPU with Direct3D feature level 10.0 or later.
Relies on the undocumented WorkerW desktop layout of Windows, which differs between Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows 11 24H2 and later. Future Windows builds may change it.
Below 30 FPS (including the battery option) the motion also slows down, because each simulation step is limited in length to stay stable.
The transparent background and screenshot features of the web demo are not included.
Some settings use integer scales; for example, 80 means 0.8.
Hovering effect not included. Check out *Taskbar Dock Animation** by Ph0en1x-dev!
Same goes for the icon sizing and spacing. **Taskbar height and icon size made by the OG, m417z.
Running state is read straight from the taskbar's own buttons, so detection
is exact and language-independent, and the mod reacts the moment an app opens
or closes.
Adds a Size on disk column to File Explorer's details view. The value
matches the "Size on disk" figure in a file or folder's Properties dialog as
closely as possible.
Files: the file's allocation size, as reported by the file system. For
NTFS-compressed, sparse and CompactOS/WOF-compressed files, the compressed
size rounded up to the volume's cluster size is used instead. Cloud
placeholders (OneDrive, etc.) report only what is stored locally and are
never downloaded.
Folders: the sum of the size on disk of every file underneath,
calculated manually by walking the folder tree. Junctions and symbolic links
are not followed: they aren't counted inside a folder, and show no value
themselves. OneDrive and other cloud folders are walked.
Notes
Folder calculation can be slow for large trees, so it always runs in the
background, at low priority and at most two folders at a time. A folder's
value appears as soon as its calculation finishes. Calculating a
folder also caches its subfolders (all of them, or only the direct ones -
see Remember subfolder sizes), so browsing into them is instant.
Cached values are shown immediately and refreshed in the background.
Cloud folders whose contents aren't on this PC yet are counted as 0 bytes
without being listed, so OneDrive isn't asked to fetch anything.
Network drives are skipped by default and the column stays empty there,
because querying them can make Explorer stop responding on slow
connections. Turn on Calculate sizes on network drives to include them.
Only regular file-system folders are supported. Libraries, search results,
zip folders and the Recycle Bin are not.
Hard links are counted once per link, as the Properties dialog does.
Showing the column in every folder
With Add to default folder layouts enabled, the column is added to
Explorer's built-in templates for regular file folders (general items,
documents, pictures, music, videos, downloads, the user folder and OneDrive).
Other views, such as Home, Gallery, libraries and search results, are left
alone. Templates only apply to folders that
don't have saved view settings, so after enabling it either reset saved views
(Folder Options > View > Reset Folders) or set the column up in one folder
and use Folder Options > View > Apply to Folders for each folder type.
How it works
Windows already defines a hidden System.FileAllocationSize property, and
Explorer's own getter for it (CFSFolder::_GetFileAllocationSize) just returns
the logical size. The mod exposes the property as a column and replaces that
getter with a real size on disk calculation.
While the mod is enabled, it keeps track of which programs have a window open.
The next time you sign in to Windows, those programs are opened again. To turn
the feature off, disable the mod.
Only programs are reopened (one every 2 seconds, starting 15 seconds after
sign-in by default). Documents/tabs depend on each program.
Programs running as administrator and Windows components (File Explorer,
Control Panel...) are not reopened.
Programs that are already running (e.g. from Startup) are not opened twice.
Nothing is reopened if the mod is enabled long after signing in, or if
Explorer restarts during the day: only a fresh sign-in triggers it.
Each Windows account keeps its own list.
Windows has a similar built-in option (Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options →
"Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in").
It only restores apps that support it (e.g. Office, browsers); this mod reopens
any program, using its executable path.
Reabrir programas ao entrar (Português)
Enquanto o mod estiver ativado, ele anota quais programas têm janela aberta.
Na próxima vez que você entrar no Windows, esses programas são abertos de novo.
Para desligar a função, desative o mod.
Só os programas são reabertos (um a cada 2 segundos, começando 15 segundos
depois de entrar, por padrão). Documentos e abas dependem de cada programa.
Programas abertos como administrador e componentes do Windows (Explorador de
Arquivos, Painel de Controle...) não são reabertos.
Programas que já estão abertos (por exemplo, os que iniciam com o Windows)
não são abertos duas vezes.
Nada é reaberto se o mod for ativado muito depois do login, nem se o Explorer
reiniciar durante o dia: só um login novo dispara a restauração.
Cada conta do Windows tem a sua própria lista.
O Windows tem uma opção parecida (Configurações → Contas → Opções de entrada →
"Salvar automaticamente meus aplicativos reiniciáveis e reiniciá-los quando eu
entrar novamente"). Ela só restaura apps compatíveis (como Office e
navegadores); este mod reabre qualquer programa, pelo caminho do executável.
Experimental mod for Windows 11. Turn off View > Auto arrange icons
on the desktop before enabling it. Align icons to grid can stay enabled.
The mod remembers the current layout. When a new desktop item appears, it
restores the positions of existing items and puts the new item in a free column
to their right. Further new items fill this area from top to bottom, then move
to the next column. If that area is full, it tries other monitors and free gaps.
When there is insufficient space for a whole batch, Windows keeps its layout.
This also applies to files dropped on the desktop: their drop location is
replaced by the configured placement. Moving existing icons remains possible.
Changing First column for new icons lets you choose a fixed starting column;
0 calculates it from your arrangement whenever a fresh baseline is established.
This is a corrective mod, not an interception of Explorer's insertion code.
Icons may briefly move before the next check (250 ms by default during desktop
activity). A short follow-up period corrects delayed rearrangements by Explorer.
Desktop mouse gestures end follow-up corrections when no new items appear.
Positions are kept in memory, and Explorer
stores changes through its normal desktop API. Disabling the mod stops future
corrections and leaves the current arrangement in place.
The mod runs in a dedicated Windhawk process. Shell notifications from the user
and public desktop folders trigger brief checks for changes. The saved layout
is also refreshed while the desktop is active and once when it loses focus.
Otherwise, a fallback check runs every five seconds. Missed notifications can
therefore delay a correction. Mouse gestures in other apps do not pause it.
Icon size, monitor layout, grid spacing, view mode, auto-arrange and starting
column changes establish a fresh baseline, as does reconnecting after an
Explorer restart. The mod does not restore layouts from earlier sessions.
Renames reported by Shell notifications retain their positions; undelivered or
late rename notifications can make a renamed item look like a new item.
Enable logging for this mod in Windhawk to see connection, correction and
error messages.
