How to uninstall ExplorerPatcher on Windows
Use ExplorerPatcher’s registered uninstaller rather than deleting shell DLLs by hand. Save open work first because removing the shell integration can restart File Explorer and briefly remove the taskbar.
Save your data and quit
Note the taskbar and shell preferences you may want later. Close File Explorer windows doing copies or other important operations. Keep the installer and installed files available until removal finishes. If the taskbar has not returned, inspect the vendor’s recovery guidance rather than removing more Windows files.
Uninstall the tested package
In Windows 11, open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find ExplorerPatcher, and choose Uninstall. In Windows 10, use Settings › Apps › Apps & features. Keep the installed program folder intact until its uninstaller finishes. If this was the winget package, first confirm its exact identity:
winget list --id valinet.ExplorerPatcher --exact
If the successful query shows the intended installation, remove that package:
winget uninstall --id valinet.ExplorerPatcher --exact
This follows the package’s registered removal method; portable packages use their package-manager removal instead. An error or a missing winget match is not proof that the app is absent: check the Windows app list and the original installation method. Follow any vendor confirmation or restart request after saving other work. See Microsoft’s uninstall command documentation.
Data and components to check
The following locations or components need separate decisions. A remaining folder is not automatically disposable.
| Location or component | What to keep or check |
|---|---|
| File Explorer shell integration | Managed by the product’s installer; do not delete similarly named DLLs elsewhere in Windows. |
| Taskbar and Explorer preferences | Record wanted settings before removal; a visual reset is not evidence that every setting was deleted. |
See ExplorerPatcher’s official documentation.
Check the outcome
winget list --id valinet.ExplorerPatcher --exact
A successful package query with no matching row means that package registration was not found. A matching row means it still exists; an error leaves the result unknown. Keep deliberately retained data. Check Task Manager for a process whose executable belongs to this installation, and distinguish another version or a separate companion app before acting.
What Mole lists
The x64 test removed ExplorerPatcher’s program items and left an empty, unnamed installation-registration entry. Its parent registry key was kept. ExplorerPatcher runs inside Explorer, so it has no separate application process row.
What this test covered
The x64 installer changed the taskbar and its removal restored it. An intermediate installer error was followed by its own Explorer recovery; the final module and program-file checks established removal. An earlier ARM64 attempt did not install and is not compatibility evidence. Upgrade and external-uninstall follow-up were not tested.
These results are from a development build of Mole. Other released builds were not individually tested.