How to Restore Classic File Explorer Menu Ribbon in Windows 11

With the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft also introduced the new File Explorer. In the new File Explorer, the menu bar or ribbon has been made compact giving it a modern look. However, with the modern look, Microsoft has also removed several options from the ribbon. So, if you don’t like this new look, you can also restore the old classic File Explorer menu ribbon in Windows 11.

However, you will need to make changes to the Registry in order to get the old-style menu ribbon on Windows 11. And messing with the Registry in the wrong way may harm your system badly. So, we suggest you take a backup or Windows Registry or create a restore point first.

SEE ALSO: How to Disable or Remove Quick Access from File Explorer in Windows 11 & 10?

Get Back the Old Classic File Explorer Menu Ribbon in Windows 11

Before we start with the steps to restore the classic File Explorer menu ribbon in Windows 11, let’s have a look a the modern ribbon.

So, if you have made up your mind to get back the classic menu ribbon in File Explorer, follow these steps.

WARNING: As mentioned earlier, editing the Registry is to be done very carefully. Messing the Registry may make your system inoperable. So, make sure to take a backup of the Registry or create a restore point before moving forward.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

First of all, launch the Registry Editor in Windows 11. To do that, press the “Windows + R” shortcut on the keyboard, type regedit and press Enter.

You may see the UAC prompt, click Yes to continue. It will launch the Registry Editor. Now, we will make some changes to Shell Extensions to restore the classic File Explorer menu ribbon in Windows 11.

---

SEE ALSO: How to View the Saved WiFi Passwords in Windows 10 and 11?

Step 2: Create a New Registry Key in Shell Extensions

Now go to the following path in Registry Editor.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions

After that, right-click on the Shell Extensions registry key and select New > Key.

Now, name this newly created key as Blocked.

---

Step 3: Create a New String to Restore the Classic File Explorer Menu Ribbon

Next, select the newly created Blocked key and right-click on the blank space on the right side. From the right-click context menu, select New > String Value.

Now, name the new string value as {e2bf9676-5f8f-435c-97eb-11607a5bedf7} to restore the classic File Explorer menu ribbon in Windows 11.

---

SEE ALSO: How to Check the RAM Details in Windows 11 and Windows 10?

Step 4: Restart your PC to View the Classic File Explorer Menu Ribbon

After that, close the Registry Editor and restart your PC.

Now, open File Explorer on your Windows 11 PC after the reboot. You have successfully restored the classic menu ribbon in File Explorer on Windows 11.

---

SEE ALSO: How to Turn Off Taskbar Preview Thumbnails in Windows 11?

Step 5: Revert the Changes and Restore Default Menu Ribbon

Now, if you want the default File Explorer menu ribbon back in your Windows 11, go to the same Registry Key as in Step 2.

After that, delete the Blocked key from Shell Extensions in Registry Editor. You may also see a confirmation prompt, click Yes to continue.

Now, close the Registry Editor and restart your Windows 11 PC. After your computer restarts, you will see the modern (default) menu ribbon in File Explorer is back.

---

SEE ALSO: How to Enable the New File Explorer UI in Windows 11?

Restore the Classic File Explorer Menu Ribbon in Windows 11

The above tutorial explained how you can easily get the classic File Explorer menu ribbon in Windows 11. The process is very simple and straightforward. However, you must be careful while playing with the Registry Editor. So, we suggest you take a backup of the Registry or create a restore point in advance. You can also check more Registry Editor tricks here.

Hope you liked this trick. In case you are facing issues while following this tutorial, make sure to comment down below. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible. We also suggest you subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest tutorials directly into your inbox.