Register Universal File Explorer app in Start in Windows 10

As you may already know, there a new File Explorer app in Windows 10 "Redstone 2". It is hidden and has no shortcut yet. Here is how you can make it visible and create a proper shortcut (and tile) for the app in the Start menu.

As of this writing, the Redstone 2 branch of Windows 10 is represented by Windows 10 build 14946. It was recently released for Fast Ring Insiders. Redstone 2 is the upcoming feature update to Windows 10, which will eventually become Windows 10 version 1703 when released. It comes with a new app, File Explorer, which is a special "Universal" app intended to replace or complement the good old File Explorer program in Windows 10.

The app is under development, so Microsoft does not include a shortcut in the Start menu. In the mentioned article above, we figured out how to launch it. We had to use the classic Explorer app for that task. Here is how to create a genuine, native shortcut and tile for the app, so it will become registered in Windows 10 like other apps such as Photos, Edge and so on.

Here is what you have to do.

Register Universal File Explorer app in Windows 10

  1. Open File Explorer and paste the following text into the address bar:
    C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.FileExplorer_cw5n1h2txyewy

  2. Open PowerShell as Administrator in this folder by clicking File - Open Windows PowerShell - Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator. See the following screenshot:
  3. Once PowerShell opens, run the following commands one by one:
    takeown /F .\AppxManifest.xml
    icacls .\AppxManifest.xml /reset

    The result will be as follows:

  4. Now open the AppxManifest.xml file in Notepad, find the string AppListEntry="none" and delete it:Save the file and close Notepad.
    Do not close PowerShell.
  5. Go to Settings - Updates & security - For developers and select the option "Developer Mode" as shown below.If you are already in Developer Mode, disable it and re-enable it.
  6. Once you have switched on the Developer mode, run the following command in PowerShell:
    Add-AppxPackage -Register .\AppxManifest.xml -DisableDevelopmentMode

Finally, the appropriate shortcut will appear in the Start menu:

All credits go to Inside Windows for this excellent finding.

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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

7 thoughts on “Register Universal File Explorer app in Start in Windows 10”

    1. It is VERY BAD even as a phone File Explorer…
      Default app setting, Open With option, Network drive support and proper copy/cut/paste utilizing the clipboard are a must.

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