Windows 11 24H2 bans some desktop customization apps in test builds – and many people aren’t happy
Windows 11 users who have customized the operating system’s interface with a third-party app could be in trouble with the upcoming 24H2 update later this year, if what happens during testing is anything to go by.
Tom’s hardware saw one New report that in the recently deployed preview build 26100 of Windows 11, presumably the RTM version of the 24H2 update, Microsoft has surreptitiously (and rather rudely) disabled a number of apps that modify the interface.
Specifically, StartAllBack and ExplorerPatcher are the two UI customization apps that are blocked in Windows 11 24H2, meaning you won’t be able to get the update until you uninstall that software.
Why did this happen? As you might guess, the reason for effectively pushing aside these third-party apps is tied to the compatibility and potential stability and security issues they cause, as Windows developer Rafael Rivera makes clear on X (formerly Twitter).
There are plenty of reasons to keep Microsoft in line, but this isn’t one of them. Here Microsoft blocks unreliable software with a high crash rate that is extremely sensitive to OS changes. Fixing the bugs and revising the version number is probably all that’s needed here (this time). https://t.co/bm8E8LEdZ4April 6, 2024
As Neowin notes, when you try to install ExplorerPatcher on build 26100, the operating system tells you it can’t run because the app “causes security or performance issues on Windows.”
Analysis: a rush to RTM?
As a bright spark on X points out with its tongue firmly in cheek, Microsoft Teams is also “an unreliable piece of software with a high crash rate,” so why doesn’t Microsoft block its installation? Well, Rivera does respond to that bit of trolling, noting that whatever stability issues Teams has, it doesn’t hinder the OS’s boot or recovery options – which suggests there are some serious flaws in these customization apps and the 24H2 update.
If you remember, 24H2 has a brand new underlying platform called Germanium, so there are some big changes here – and we suspect this shift under the hood is why the apps are problematic. That’s pure guesswork, you know.
Whatever the reason behind the seemingly thorny compatibility issues, there are issues with the way Microsoft has handled this. Communication with the software developers would be expected – and normally happens in cases like this, giving them at least a heads up as to what is going on. Not this time though.
Furthermore, the way the ban has been implemented seems very crude: it’s a blanket ban on all EXE files containing the names of the offending apps (meaning all versions are affected, and all related apps). The way this was done smacks of laziness or haste to get this move through, which is not a good prospect for Microsoft.
It almost seems as if Microsoft put this in at a late stage because the 24H2 update RTM had to go out sharply. A problem was found at the last minute and a solution was hastily applied using an axe, not a scalpel (again, guesswork – but that’s what it feels like).
That theory does make sense, as the predicted date for the RTM candidate (almost complete) of the 24H2 update was April, and this build should be ready for new Snapdragon X Elite AI PCs coming in June (in theory). These laptops require Germanium to be built because of their ARM-based chips, so there is a critical need to get this done.
In short, it’s all a bit messy and some feathers have definitely been ruffled here – although due to the aforementioned sloppy implementation of the app ban, it’s actually very easy to get around it: simply rename the client’s EXE. However, we don’t recommend you do that because if the boot failure hints are on the money, it could throw a serious spanner in your PC’s works.
Meanwhile, these customization apps still work with Windows 11 23H2, the current version, and we should remember that these changes are still in the testing phase. We don’t know if this ban is temporary, or if it will actually be enforced when 24H2 arrives later this year (most likely from September).
Microsoft and the relevant developers should be able to work together and find a better solution, and even a complete solution, before then, and Rivera’s comments indicate that this will be the case.