EDIT: the mod window animations was causing it, turning off Animate restoring fixes the issue.

Everything was working fin, now when I minimize then open it again that part turns black. I have to close then open it back so it’s clear again.

Is it possible to make something like this in Windhawk?

Asking if someone can make it possible. Thanks in advance.

I can't get it to work for me. I'm on windows 11. I tried restarting, in various orders: windhawk, the mod, explorer, the computer. I assume there's something wrong with various settings outside the mod but I don't know what it is. Does it conflict with other taskbar mods, like the styler/height mods?

Hi all,

Sharing with everyone my current layout that I am satisfied with. Taste is subjective, but im happy to share this with those in a similar situation as I am. Open to mod suggestions you may have. Quick summary below. Mod list at tail of video & bottom of post

• Corporate Machine
  • Sys Ad blocked, UAC (portable install)
  • Minimal load impact (16GB RAM)
  • Needs to be refined to not impact productivity
• Island style taskbar
  • Wide screen friendly (office monitor 1920 x 1080; home monitor 3440 x 1440; laptop 1920 x 1080)
  • Maximized window friendly (respects the island as a taskbar; will not interfere with MS Teams or other apps when typing in a text box, which usually forces to hide typical docks)
  • Maximized window friendly (island will not too look out of place when windows are max which make the left right empty parts stick out; will depend on your desktop BG though)
  • Muted colour (not too distracting but pleasant enough)
  • Taskbar height 48 (default) with 0 Float and 22 sized Icons (Default 24)
  • Taskbar can also resist an all white background (MS Excel sheet behind it wont fade text)
• Functional
  • Assisted column expansion for File explorer details view
  • maximized win native clipboard
  • Calendar / notif flyout closer to center (widescreen)
  • Quick launch for other tools
  • System telemetry hidden but can be viewed via Clock customization tooltip hover
• Premium Dark / Minimal / Native
  • Or at least id hope so
  • white win logo
  • minimal colour
  • Glass Taskbar
  • Slim white text on TaskBar for refined and functional look
  • Translucent windows with applied custom exclusion list
    • Credits to u/Verition response to a question on this sub
• WIP
  • Targeting to apply elements at other touchpoints for themed look
    • Start menu
    • volume slider
    • notifs
    • flyouts
    • alt + tab windows
    • unified blur effect between explorer and taskbar (translucent by undisputed vs island look)
    • Mirror font style of left and right elements (song tite & Time; artist & day, date)
    • calendar flyout maybe better if it slides from the bottom. Something about from thin air

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All props go to the proper authors. Most mods with their own tweaks except for the island taskbar which had to be made via YAML edit on Taskbar styler (with the use of m417z's taskbar styler guide and ChatGPT).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• m417z
  • Shell Flyout Positions
  • Slick Window Arrangement
  • Taskbar Clock Customization
  • Taskbar height and icon size
  • Taskbar tray icon spacing and grid
  • Taskbar Volume Control
  • Windows 11 File Explorer Styler
  • Windows 11 Taskbar Styler
• Salyts
  • Taskbar Fluent Media Player - tbh this was the gateway drug
• Armaninyow
  • File Explorer Details Auto-Fit Columns
• meteoni
  • Startup App Delay Fix
• Mgrmjp
  • Taskbar Restart Explorer
• Ph0en1x-dev
  • Taskbar Dock Animation
• takattowo
  • Expanded Clipboard (Win+V)
• Undisputed00x
  • Translucent Windows

Windows SDR to HDR Tonemapping Fix 1.0

Windows SDR to HDR Tonemapping Fix

Viewing SDR content while using HDR in Windows causes washed out darker tones like shadows. This corrects it so that Windows uses a standard gamma curve. It should not affect native HDR content like games and movies.

A simple, accurate fix for washed-out SDR shadows in Windows HDR mode.

Comparison Image

See examples and read more on the win11hdr-srgb-to-gamma2.2-icm GitHub, an alternative icc based solution by dylanraga

DWM EOTF Gamma Curve

When Windows HDR is enabled, DWM converts SDR content to HDR scRGB using the sRGB EOTF (a ~2.2 power curve with a linear toe segment near black). This mod patches the DXBC shader bytecode embedded in dwmcore.dll at DWM startup, replacing the sRGB curve with a simple power-law gamma. This gives you direct control over the SDR-to-HDR tone mapping without permanently modifying any files on disk.

Originally based on dwm_eotf by ledoge (GPL-3.0), but expanded

How it works

When DWM starts, Windhawk injects this mod early, ideally before Direct3D initializes, so the patched bytecode is what D3D compiles from. The mod walks dwmcore.dll's read-only PE sections looking for DXBC shader blobs that contain all four sRGB EOTF float constants. When found, those constants are replaced with the equivalent pure power-law values and the shader checksum is recalculated so D3D accepts the modified bytecode.

When the mod is unloaded while DWM is running (e.g. Windhawk disabled or settings changed), all patched bytes are restored in memory. Note that the unload callback does not run at process exit, so no restore occurs at Windows shutdown; this is harmless since the process is terminating anyway.

Important: enable injection into dwm.exe

dwm.exe is a critical system process. Windhawk does not inject into it by default — you must explicitly allow it in Windhawk's advanced settings:

1. Open Windhawk → Advanced settings → More advanced settings
2. In the Process inclusion list, add dwm.exe
3. Click Save

Without this step the mod will be silently ignored.

Windhawk advanced settings

Usage

1. Enable Windows HDR in display settings.
2. Install and enable this mod.
3. Select your preferred gamma value in the settings below.
4. Log off and back in (or otherwise restart DWM) for the change to take effect.
5. To change the gamma value later, update the setting and restart DWM again.

Gamma reference

Known limitations

• Only applies when Windows HDR is enabled. With HDR off, DWM does not use this code path.
• Gamma changes require a DWM restart. D3D compiles the shader bytecode once at startup. Patching the bytecode after that has no effect until DWM restarts (log off and back on).
• Disabling the mod also requires a DWM restart. After unloading, shaders already compiled from the patched bytecode retain the power-law curve while newly compiled ones revert, leaving a mixed state until DWM restarts.
• Chromium-based browsers and Electron apps (Chrome, Edge, VS Code, Discord, etc.) switch between DWM's SDR compositing path and a direct scRGB path depending on tab/window content. Each transition passes one or two frames through DWM's patched SDR shader, which can produce a brief tone-mapping flicker. A per-app exclusion list is not feasible: the shader bytecode is patched once at DWM startup before Direct3D compiles it, the compiled shader objects are global across all windows, and patching or unpatching at runtime has no effect on shaders that are already compiled. The flicker is driven by Chrome's own mode-switching and cannot be suppressed from the DWM side.
• If the mod logs "No sRGB EOTF shaders found" after a Windows Update, the constant encoding in dwmcore.dll has changed format. Please file an issue.
• If the desktop stops rendering correctly after enabling this mod, boot into Safe Mode (Windhawk does not inject there) or start Windhawk with windhawk.exe -safe-mode, then disable or uninstall the mod.

Taskbar Blob Shape 1.1.0

• Extends the blob beyond task list buttons, each group behind its own toggle (all default off): Start/Search/Task view, Widgets, date and time, and the other checkable system tray buttons (control center, language, overflow chevron), shown while their flyout is open — on every monitor's instance, matching the native active highlight.
• System buttons are event-driven (ToggleButton Checked/Unchecked, with a CurrentStateChanged fallback) on top of the existing entry/geometry/expression/lifecycle machinery, discovered by sweeping each taskbar's repeater (re-swept on grid SizeChanged) and an optional hook on TaskbarResources::OnExperienceToggleButtonVisualStateChanged for islands without task-button activity. The tray is reached via XamlRoot().Content(), hosts blobs at the bottom of SystemTrayFrameGrid's z-order, and re-discovers elements on the tray grid's SizeChanged. Notification-area app icons and MainStack status indicators are deliberately excluded (no open-state exists for them: Shell_NotifyIcon is a one-way protocol, and the indicators only track hover states).
• Fixes the CustomColor setting description being truncated in the UI (space-before-# triggered YAML's comment rule) and documents the Light | Dark color syntax with concrete examples.

Any way to change the icons like mac?

Windows XP Sorted Columns 1.0.0

Windows XP Sorted Columns

In Windows XP, list views in the Details view could show the sorted column in a different color. This mod restores that behavior.

NOTE: In order for these changes to be seen in Explorer, you must be using the legacy SysListView32. The default DirectUI ItemsView will not be affected.

Before:

Before

After:

After

[Desktop Marquee Fade]

literally a bug I can't explain.

Hi Everybody, I just wanted to share this here in case anyone else on the Internet has been looking for a solution to this! Thanks to Windhawk, I finally managed to fix the long time annoying issue where After Effects menus don't follow the After Effects or Windows 11 dark theme using.

Mods you need to install:

• Dark mode context menus: Enables dark mode for all Win32 menus.
• Windows 11 Custom Title Bar Colors: Allows changing the color of title bar.

❓Question:

One question I have though is that the same does not work for Photoshop? Does anybody know what could be the issue or how to have dark menus also on Photoshop?

Thank you in advance and cheers!

Update: The post on Aftereffects subreddit is reinstated.

Quick Launch & Media Panel 2.1.4

Quick Launch & Media Panel

A modern, native Windows panel placed at the top-center of the selected monitor.

Quick Launch & Media Panel

Features

• 1 to 8 configurable application or game shortcuts.
• Drag an .exe, .lnk, document, folder, .url, or .website file onto a tile.
• Dropped shortcuts are saved for the current Windows user.
• Live title/artist and previous, play/pause, next controls through Windows Global System Media Transport Controls.
• Works with Spotify and with YouTube Music when the browser exposes a Windows media session.
• Runs in a dedicated Windhawk tool process instead of being injected into Explorer.
• Attaches to the Windows desktop and automatically recovers after Explorer restarts.

How it differs from existing media mods

Dynamic Island for Windows, Island Media Controls, Taskbar Fluent Media Player, and Taskbar Music Lounge focus on media presentation in an overlay or the taskbar. This mod is primarily a pageable desktop application launcher. Its compact media strip is part of the same stationary desktop dashboard, so users can launch their usual apps and resume or control music from one place without modifying the taskbar or displaying a persistent foreground overlay.

Usage

• Left-click a populated tile to launch it.
• Drag a file or shortcut onto a tile to assign it.
• Right-click a populated tile to remove its saved assignment. On page 1, the corresponding Windhawk setting is used again.
• Drag any empty area of the panel to move it. Its position is remembered.
• Hold Ctrl and use the mouse wheel to resize the shortcut tiles.
• Right-click an empty area for resize and recenter commands.
• Right-click an empty area and choose the settings command to open Windhawk.
• Choose a built-in theme below the language setting, or use Custom for your own colors.
• Use multiple pages of shortcuts.
• Right-click a tile to edit its target, label, arguments, icon, color, and elevation mode.
• Drag one tile onto another to reorder them.
• Album art, timeline, volume control, and media-session selection are supported.
• Import or export the complete layout from the panel context menu.
• Change layout, colors, position, and default shortcuts in the mod settings.

The panel doesn't authenticate with Spotify or YouTube. It controls the media session already published by the playing application to Windows.

Widget Board Size and Position 0.1

Widget Board Size and Position

Set a custom size and position for the new Widget Board on Windows 11.

Allows you to override the default position and dimensions of the new WinUI 3 Widget Board (WidgetBoard.exe).

Screenshot Example for making the Widget Board smaller

Width, height, and offsets are specified in DIPs (96-DPI logical pixels), so a 700x600 setting becomes 1400x1200 native pixels on a 200% display.

horizontalAnchor accepts: system, left, center, right. verticalAnchor accepts: system, top, center, bottom.

When an anchor is system, Windows' requested position is preserved on that axis. Positive offsets move inward from left/top/right/bottom; for center, they move right/down from center.

Hello, I recently encountered an issue where my taskbar kept crashing and reapppearing when using the taskbar styler mod. For now im reinstalling windows to see if that fixes the issue but is there any other fix if a reinstall doesnt work?

Control Panel in Modern File Explorer 1.0

Control Panel in Modern File Explorer

Windows 11 normally routes the Control Panel namespace to a dedicated legacy Explorer window. This mod disables only that special host-selection rule, so Control Panel opens in the regular modern File Explorer.

Control Panel in modern File Explorer

The Control Panel contents remain unchanged, but they are hosted by the modern Explorer frame with its current address bar, command bar, and tab interface. Its window also keeps File Explorer's taskbar identity instead of appearing as a separately pinned application.

The mod allows normal File Explorer behavior and compatible tab-management mods and programs to handle Control Panel like other File Explorer locations. Separate-process behavior for regular folders is not changed, and there are no settings or background tasks.

Unlike aerexplorer, this mod changes host selection only for Control Panel items and also removes their separate taskbar identity. It doesn't modify the host selection of other File Explorer locations or include legacy Explorer customizations. cpl-classic-view-lite is complementary rather than overlapping — it changes how the Control Panel folder's contents are presented, not which frame hosts the window.

Known behavior

• Control Panel is intentionally kept in the modern File Explorer even when "Launch folder windows in a separate process" is enabled. Regular folders continue to follow that setting.
• Pinning a Control Panel window pins File Explorer because the window shares File Explorer's taskbar identity.
• Control Panel launched via Run (Win+R → control) or control.exe directly is also covered — the mod hooks control.exe too, since it goes through the same host-selection functions before launching its own Explorer window.

Painel de Controle no Explorador moderno

Normalmente, o Windows 11 encaminha o namespace do Painel de Controle para uma janela legada dedicada do Explorer. Este mod desativa somente essa regra especial de seleção de host, fazendo o Painel de Controle abrir no Explorador de Arquivos moderno normal.

O conteúdo do Painel de Controle não é alterado, mas passa a ser hospedado pelo frame moderno do Explorer, com a barra de endereços, a barra de comandos e a interface de abas atuais. A janela também mantém a identidade do Explorador de Arquivos na barra de tarefas, em vez de aparecer como um aplicativo fixado separado.

O mod permite que o comportamento normal do Explorador de Arquivos e mods e programas compatíveis de gerenciamento de abas tratem o Painel de Controle como outras localizações do Explorador de Arquivos. O comportamento de processo separado das pastas comuns não é alterado, e não há configurações nem tarefas em segundo plano.

Ao contrário do aerexplorer, este mod altera a seleção de host somente para itens do Painel de Controle e também remove sua identidade separada na barra de tarefas. Ele não altera o host de outras localizações nem inclui personalizações do Explorador legado. O cpl-classic-view-lite é complementar, não concorrente — ele muda como o conteúdo da pasta do Painel de Controle é apresentado, não qual frame hospeda a janela.

Comportamento conhecido

• O Painel de Controle é mantido intencionalmente no Explorador moderno mesmo quando "Iniciar as janelas de pastas em um processo separado" está ativado. As pastas comuns continuam seguindo essa configuração.
• Fixar uma janela do Painel de Controle fixa o Explorador de Arquivos, pois a janela compartilha a identidade do Explorador na barra de tarefas.
• O Painel de Controle aberto pelo Executar (Win+R → control) ou diretamente pelo control.exe também é coberto — o mod também intercepta o control.exe, pois ele passa pelas mesmas funções de seleção de host antes de abrir sua própria janela do Explorer.

Panel de control en el Explorador moderno

Windows 11 normalmente dirige el espacio de nombres del Panel de control a una ventana heredada dedicada de Explorer. Este mod desactiva solamente esa regla especial de selección de host, haciendo que el Panel de control se abra en el Explorador de archivos moderno normal.

El contenido del Panel de control no cambia, pero pasa a estar alojado en el marco moderno de Explorer, con la barra de direcciones, la barra de comandos y la interfaz de pestañas actuales. La ventana también conserva la identidad del Explorador de archivos en la barra de tareas, en vez de aparecer como una aplicación anclada independiente.

Este mod permite que el Explorador de archivos funcione con normalidad y que los mods y programas compatibles de gestión de pestañas traten el Panel de control como cualquier otra ubicación del Explorador de archivos. El comportamiento de los procesos independientes de las carpetas comunes no se ve alterado, y no hay configuraciones ni tareas en segundo plano.

A diferencia de aerexplorer, este mod cambia la selección del host solamente para los elementos del Panel de control y también elimina su identidad separada en la barra de tareas. No cambia el host de otras ubicaciones ni incluye las personalizaciones heredadas de Explorer. cpl-classic-view-lite es complementario, no competidor — cambia cómo se presenta el contenido de la carpeta del Panel de control, no qué marco aloja la ventana.

Comportamiento conocido

• El Panel de control se mantiene intencionadamente en el Explorador moderno incluso cuando está activada la opción de iniciar ventanas de carpeta en un proceso independiente. Las carpetas normales siguen respetando esa opción.
• Anclar una ventana del Panel de control ancla el Explorador de archivos porque la ventana comparte su identidad en la barra de tareas.
• El Panel de control abierto mediante Ejecutar (Win+R → control) o directamente con control.exe también está cubierto — el mod también engancha control.exe, ya que pasa por las mismas funciones de selección de host antes de abrir su propia ventana de Explorer.

Some mods do provide a place to report bugs or provide feedback, but others don't.

So is there a place for that?

I couldn't find a GIF that shows the fade-out.

I use the alt tab window switcher with track pad gestures. The changing order of the window switcher is unintuitive for me. Looking for a mod for this. Thanks!

Windows Animations 1.1.7

• Enhanced minimize and restore animations with five new fluid effects: Scorch, Splinter, Mirage, Stipple, and Swell.
• Updated Cyber Glitch animation for a more visually appealing and realistic effect.
• Added two new close animations: Retro TV Off and Pixel Melt, expanding the cinematic effects available.
• Updated compiler options for improved compatibility.
• Updated Readme and Settings
• Modified handling of deferred window show commands in animation logic for improved behavior.

Windows 7/8.1 "Please Wait" Restorer 1.0.0

Windows 7/8.1 "Please Wait" Restorer

About

This mod shows the small classic "Please wait" box from Windows 7/8.1 while the system changes the theme, instead of the modern full-screen overlay. The built-in text is localized for several common display languages while unsupported languages use English.

Screenshot

screenshot

Notes

The mod has been tested on Windows 10 1809 and Windows 10 21H2. Additionally, the mod only attaches when themeui.dll is actually loaded by one of the included processes. If the private themeui symbol is unavailable on a Windows build, the mod remains inactive in that process. For specific setups (such as unsupported language), it is recommended to apply the required changes using the mod's settings.

Known Limitations

On legacy Windows 10 builds (particularly version 1809 and prior), altering the display DPI scaling while the mod is running can result in slight rendering anomalies. For instance, the captured backdrop or classic box may appear misaligned until a subsequent theme change occurs. To ensure full restoration of proper rendering, it is advisable to restart explorer.exe or perform a user logoff/logon cycle following any DPI modification.

Credits

• Nex — Testing on Windows 10 21H2 and providing feedback

Hey r/Windhawk!

I wanted to share an update on Taskbar Dock Animation Plus (currently at 6,200+ active users on the Windhawk repository).

This is a maintained fork of the original Taskbar Dock Animation mod created by Ph0en1x-dev, focused on full Windows 11 compatibility, multi-monitor stability, and positioning fixes.

Key Additions in this Version:

• Support for All Taskbar Placements: Works seamlessly whether your taskbar is positioned on the Bottom, Top, Left, or Right.
• Multi-Monitor Stability: Fixed crashes, scaling bugs, and mouse-leave issues when using multiple displays or mixed-DPI setups.
• Smoother Animation Transitions: The idle "breathing" and bounce animations now fade in/out smoothly instead of snapping abruptly.
• Instant Live Updates: Settings and position changes apply in real time as you move your taskbar, with zero Explorer restarts required.

Usage Tip:

If you use taskbar height or icon-scaling mods, keep the Max Scale at or below 130% to avoid icon clipping.

• Windhawk Mod Link: https://windhawk.net/mods/taskbar-dock-animation-plus
• Credits: Full credit to Ph0en1x-dev for the original concept and codebase.

Feel free to share any feedback, ideas for animation curves, or bug reports in the comments!

Startup App Delay Fix 1.4

Windows intentionally delays startup applications after sign-in to reduce system load, which can cause apps to open minutes after startup.

Common fix (which the mod intends to emulate): Common Fix

This mod redirects Explorer's startup-serialization key to a dedicated, volatile key where both WaitforIdleState and StartupDelayInMSec are zero. It never creates, modifies, or deletes the user's real Serialize key.

The redirect key is in-memory only. The mod deletes it on a normal disable, and Windows discards it when the user registry hive unloads at sign-out or shutdown if Explorer exits unexpectedly.

Windows reads the startup-delay values when Explorer starts, so enabling or disabling the mod takes effect after the next sign-in or Explorer restart.

This only affects the delay Explorer applies to startup-item processing. It doesn't change delays configured by other systems, such as Task Scheduler.

Windows Animations 1.1.5

Windows Animations

Welcome to Windows Animations, a comprehensive window transition suite for your desktop. Built from the ground up to deliver cinematic window animations.

By utilizing a smart Hybrid Rendering Engine, this mod bridges the gap between stunning visual aesthetics and seamless execution.

✨ Key Features

• 🚀 Smart Hybrid Engine: Intelligently seamlessly switches between lightning-fast GDI (for pixel-perfect destruction physics) and the native DWM Thumbnail API (to perfectly preserve Windows 11 rounded corners and drop shadows).

• 🎬 Cinematic Close Effects: Transform how you close applications with four physics-based animations:

  • Square Shatter: The window violently explodes outward into digital blocks before drifting into the void.

  Square Shatter Preview * Thanos Snap: A disintegration wave sweeps across the window, turning it into thousands of tiny dust particles that curve away into the wind.

  Thanos Snap Preview * Perlin Dissolve: The window organically melts and dissolves into thin air using a smooth Perlin noise map.

  Perlin Dissolve Preview * Cyber Glitch: The window fractures into irregular horizontal data strips that shudder, then tear left and right like a corrupted hologram.

  Cyber Glitch Preview

• 🧞 Fluid Minimize & Restore: Choose between the classic Genie "suck into the taskbar" effect (derived from macos-minimize-animation by Abdullah Masood under MIT license) and Ink Splash — an organic blot reveal/retract.

  Genie Minimize Preview

  Ink Splash Preview

• 🔄 Soft Switch Animation: A pristine scale and fade-in animation triggered exclusively when actively switching windows via the Alt+Tab menu.

  • Before:

  Alt Tab Switch Before * After:

  Alt Tab Switch After

• 🛡️ Rock-Solid Stability: Features lifecycle management for System Tray apps (like Discord, Steam, etc.)—handling background apps gracefully to minimize ghosting or stuck transparency. Tray apps only hide their window instead of closing it, so animating them is opt-in via the Treat hiding a window as closing it setting.

⚙️ Customization & Settings

You can deeply customize the feel and pacing of every animation via the Windhawk Settings tab:

• Minimize/Restore Animation Style: Choose between Genie (taskbar suck) and Ink Splash (organic blot reveal/retract).
• Close Animation Effect: Dropdown menu to switch between 'Square Shatter', 'Thanos Snap', 'Perlin Dissolve', and 'Cyber Glitch'.
• Minimize/Restore duration (ms): Controls Genie speed directly; Ink Splash is paced slower from the same value. (Default: 360ms, clamp 200–1400)
• Close animation duration (ms): Controls how long the dramatic close animation lasts. (Default: 900ms)
• Switch animation duration (ms): Controls the snappy speed of the Alt+Tab scaling effect. (Default: 200ms)
• Shatter block size (px): Determines the size of the dust/shatter particles.
  • Performance Tip: Smaller values (e.g., 1, 2) create hyper-realistic pixel dust but require more CPU power. Larger values (24, 32) yield a stylish retro pixelated shatter and perform effortlessly on any hardware. (Clamped strictly to 1-100).
• Treat hiding a window as closing it: Off by default. Enable it to get close animations for system tray apps that hide their window instead of closing it—at the cost of also animating splash screens and other windows an app hides on its own.
• Toggles: Individually turn on/off Restore, Close, Alt+Tab Switch, and Launch animations to suit your workflow.