How to disable the File Explorer Command Bar in Windows 11

With the new version of the Windows operating system came a flurry of UI and design updates. One of the more significant design changes, at least for me, was in the File Explorer. From the looks of it, Microsoft has scraped off the conventional ribbon that would appear on the top of the File Explorer with some very handy file operations. In Windows 11 all we have is a command bar with some pretty basic tools. While the look of the new command bar is prettier, you are robbed off of some important features. A way to get back the conventional toolbar ribbon is to disable the File Explorer Command bar. In this article, we will discuss two ways in which you can do so.

To help you better visualize, below is a picture of the File Explorer interface with the Command Bar first enabled, and then disabled.

Enable or Disable Explorer Command Bar in Windows 11

The two ways in which you can disable the Command Bar are:

1. Via a .REG file
2. By running a command on the Command Prompt

How to disable File Explorer Command Bar using a .REG file

• Download this zipped .REG file here and save it on your desktop
• Once downloaded, extract its contents and double-click on Disable Explorer Command Bar.reg to merge it with your existing registry settings
• Confirm the UAC warning prompt and click on ‘Ok’ to permit the merge

Restart your PC to make the change take effect and once it has, you can delete the original .REG file.

To re-enable the Command Bar, use the Enable Explorer Command Bar.reg file.

How to disable File Explorer Command Bar using the Command Prompt

In a similar fashion, you can pass a command from your Windows Terminal and make the change to your Registry. Here’s what you have to do:

Open the Windows Terminal app and select either Command Prompt.

There, paste the following line of code:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{d93ed569-3b3e-4bff-8355-3c44f6a52bb5}\InprocServer32" /f /ve​

Press Enter and wait for the command to execute. It usually doesn’t take a lot of time

You can now close the Terminal since the change has been made.

To re-enable it, execute this command:

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{d93ed569-3b3e-4bff-8355-3c44f6a52bb5}" /f​

How to disable Compact View in File Explorer in Windows 11?

The Compact View feature in File Explorer helps you reduce the gaps between file icons. Here is how you can enable or disable this mode in Windows 11. In order to do so, you have to make use of the Command bar that has been discussed above. Here’s how:

• Open the File Explorer
• In the Explorer window, locate the option View and open the drop-down
• In the list of options, you will see one named Compact View. If you don’t see a checkbox in front of it, it means it’s disabled so click on it to enable it

You can exercise the same change using the Folders Options or the Registry Editor, but this is the easiest of them all.

How do I turn off Preview in File Explorer?

Here’s how you can turn off the preview pane on File Explorer:

• Open File Explorer
• Click on the View tab
• Click on Preview Pane and select to view or hide it.

We hope this helps you in navigating through the new UI of File Explorer with ease!