How to replace Explorer.exe in Windows 7?

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Do you want to replace the Explorer.exe? Some Windows 7 themes that you can
download on this site will come with a file “explorer.exe”. This is a very important
system file, so please be careful, make a backup and follow the instructions closely when
you learn how to replace the explorer.exe.

Update 8/7/2010: The easiest and shortest way to replace the explorer.exe and any other
system files is to download a registry hack that will add the option Take Ownership to
your right-click context menu.

Download this script: Download TakeOwnership.zip and double-click on the .reg

(registry) file to add an option “Take Ownership” to your contextual menu (the right-
click menu).

You can then right-click on your system files and take ownership of them. After that, you
can rename all files and replace the system file / explorer.exe easily.

There are three methods, one for the beginners and the other for advanced users, click on
the links below to start:

• Method 1 (Beginner via Registry)

• Method 2 (Beginner via GUI)
• Method 3 (Advanced via Command Prompt)

Method 1: Change registry path to explorer.exe

The easiest method to replace explorer.exe is to open the registry and then change the
path to the explorer.exe.

If you still need the system icons: Volume, Network Connections, Battery and Action
Center, then don’t use Method1 because changing the registry path to explorer2.exe will
disable them.

0. Make sure to know the difference between a 64-bit explorer.exe and a 32-bit
explorer.exe. You can’t use a 64-bit explorer.exe on a 32-bit system. Should you have no
clue, please read this: What Windows Version do I have? 32 or 64?
1. Rename your new explorer.exe to explorer2.exe and copy it into the Windows
directory: C:\Windows\
2. Open the registry: Click on “Start” and enter regedit into the search field:

3. Right-click on regedit at the top and select “Run as administrator”

4. Uncollapse the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>Software>Microsoft>Windows
NT>CurrentVersion>Winlogon
5. Change explorer.exe to explorer2.exe.
6. End the process explorer.exe via the task manager and start a new process by entering
“explorer2.exe”.

If 6. is too complicated for you: Reboot or read below for more instructions how to end
the process explorer.exe.

Method 2: Take Ownership + Edit Permissions via

Interface
Assign Ownership of Explorer.exe
1. Right-click on explorer.exe and click on “Properties“. Go to the tab “Security“, click
on “Advanced“:

2. Go to the tab “Owner” and click on “Edit“:

3. Assign the ownership to your administrator account by selecting your “Administrator
account” (usually Administrators(username\Administrators)) and click on “Apply“:
The current owner should now be your administrator account. Confirm that!

Change Permissions of Explorer.exe

4. Click on “OK” and you will be back at the security tab of explorer.exe. There click on
“Edit”:
5. Select your administrator account (usually Administrators(username\Administrators )
and check the option “Full Control“. Click on “Apply“:
6. Now you can rename your explorer.exe to explorer.exe_old and copy your new
explorer.exe into the Windows folder.

Restart your PC or restart explorer.exe (instructions below).

Method 3: Take Ownership via Command Prompt

Copy your new explorer.exe to C:\

Take Ownership of new Explorer.exe

Next, we take control of it!

You can either download this script: Download TakeOwnership.zip (it will add the option
“take ownership to your context menu) or you can do it manually.

I usually do it manually:
Enter cmd.exe into the search field on the Start menu and right-click on cmd.exe, click on
“Run as administrator”.
 • Enter cd C:\Windows\
• Enter TAKEOWN /F explorer.exe

Terminate Explorer.exe

Open up the task manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL) and right-click on Explorer.exe and

terminate it:

New Task (Run…)

Don’t be shocked, your taskbar will disappear. You can always make it reappear again
by launching a new task and entering “explorer.exe”.
Now click on “New Task” and enter:

• runas /u:Administrator cmd.exe (this will launch cmd.exe as administrator)

You will be prompted for your password, enter it. If it does not work, read this tip:

Tip: If the command prompt immediately closes you did not enter an administrator
password. First active the hidden administrator account of Windows 7 and then set a
password for that account. Then you are able to open a command prompt via runas
/u:Administrator cmd.exe.

If you receive the error: No mapping between account names and security ID’s was done
please try another method of this tutorial or try running this after logging into the real
admin account.

Take Ownership of old Explorer.exe

5. Take ownership of the real explorer.exe and grant permission to administrators to

modify it :
 • cd C:\Windows\
• TAKEOWN /F explorer.exe
• ICACLS explorer.exe /grant administrators:F

Final Step: Rename and move Explorer.exe

Rename the explorer.exe and paste the new explorer.exe into the Windows folder:

• Enter rename explorer.exe explorer.exe_old

• Enter move C:\explorer.exe C:\windows\

Back in the taskmanager click on “New Task” and enter “explorer.exe”. Voilà, you just
replaced your explorer.exe!

Explorer.exe: Class not registered

If you receive the error “Class not registered”, you might want to try this:

Start > Run > regsvr32 ExplorerFrame.dll

Make sure that ExplorerFrame.dll is a valid DLL

If you receive the error “The module ExplorerFrame.dll was loaded but the entry-point
DllRegisterServer was not found. Make sure that ExplorerFrame.dll is a valid DLL or
OCX file and then try again”, you are probably trying to launch a 32-bit explorer.exe on a
64-bit system.

Are you running a 64-bit system? Then make sure that your new explorer.exe is a 64-bit
file or it won’t work!