How do I cleanly uninstall Open-Shell please?

[annieb22]

Please could anyone help me uninstall Open-Shell cleanly. I installed both the start menu as well as the file explorer but I had a few problems after updating my Windows 11 machine to the 23H2 build. The issues may or may not be related.

I uninstalled Open-Shell through Programs and Features and reinstalled just the Start Menu. However, I still have a Menu bar pop up in Windows File Explorer starting with 'Organise' and sometimes other items next to it. This menu bar isn't showing all of the time.

How do I compeletly uninstall Open-Shell? When I reinstalled the Start Menu only, I noticed that I didn't have to import my menu settings so something must have been left behind from the previous uninstall. I have subsequently rolled my PC back to version 22H2 (OS Build 22621.2428) but that menu bar is still there. I have the latest version of Open-Shell.

This is how it looked when I had 23H2 on my PC.

[ge0rdi]

I uninstalled Open-Shell through Programs and Features

This is the proper way to uninstall. If it didn't report any issues then Open-Shell is uninstalled.
You can check that C:\Program Files\Open-Shell folder doesn't exist anymore.

I still have a Menu bar pop up in Windows File Explorer starting with 'Organise' and sometimes other items next to it.

I don't see how is this connected to Open-Shell. I don't think it is supposed to do anything with Explorer's menu.
Maybe you did change some Explorer settings?

I noticed that I didn't have to import my menu settings so something must have been left behind from the previous uninstall.

That is expected. Open-Shell keeps its settings in registry (even after uninstall). But this doesn't affect anything else than Open-Shell.

[ge0rdi]

So the menu bar starting with 'Organise' doesn't come from Open-Shell?? Is that correct?

Yes, I believe so.

That bar is in fact called Command bar and it looks like from Windows 7.
Maybe this will help:
https://www.askvg.com/enable-windows-7-command-bar-or-windows-10-ribbons-in-windows-11-file-explorer/

[annieb22]

Thank you for that link. I wonder how that Command bar has ended up on my PC. I have never installed Explorer Patcher and the PC was supposedly set up with a clean Windows 11 installation about a month ago. Most strange.

[Asad-13]

That command bar was in fact a part of Open Shell. It is called 'Classic Explorer' and you have the option to opt out of installing it while running setup.
I don't know how to uninstall it specifically though. Everytime I installed it, it was uninstalled along with the main Open Shell application.

[ge0rdi]

Command bar is for sure not part of Classic Explorer. I don't see anything related in the code.
Maybe installation of Classic Explorer somehow triggers the bar in the system? Though I have never seen anything like that.

[bonzibudd]

There is an app called OldNewExplorer which restores the command bar. There is also a Winaero program called Ribbon Disabler which does the same thing.

[dutchmendesign]

I had to reset folder view settings using a .bat file.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/17707-reset-folder-view-settings-default-windows-10-a.html