Windows hides completed options from you, however this free instrument unlocks them

Microsoft continually provides new options and tweaks to Windows. While plenty of these are well-received, some updates make the person expertise worse, just like the Windows 11 25H2 Start Menu overhaul. Regardless, I’m all the time curious to check out new Windows options as quickly as they’re obtainable. The solely catch is that Windows would not roll out new options to everybody all of sudden. Instead, these updates occur in a phased method, and it is downright conspiratorial how I all the time find yourself within the final group to obtain them.

But because of an app referred to as ViVeTool, I merely do not care if I’m within the final group anymore, as a result of it lets me allow new Windows options weeks earlier than their official rollout date. It can do that as a result of Windows Update often installs new options in your PC upfront, however they lie dormant till Microsoft decides it is time so that you can strive them out. You can even use the instrument to allow experimental options not obtainable on normal Windows releases.

Be able to sort in a couple of instructions although

Despite being a command-line based tool, I discovered ViVeTool surprisingly straightforward to put in and use. In truth, there is no set up as such: merely obtain the ViVeTool ZIP file from GitHub, and extract its contents to a location of your alternative. The actual ZIP file you obtain is determined by the processor you are utilizing. If your PC is operating an everyday x86 or x64 chip, select the one with “IntelAmd” in its filename. If you are putting in ViVeTool on a tool with an ARM64 chip, choose the ZIP file that has “SnapdragonArm64” in its filename.

You’ll use ViVeTool by way of the Command Prompt. So, as soon as you have extracted the ZIP file, launch an elevated occasion of Command Prompt, sort cd adopted by the trail the place you copied the contents of the ZIP file to. In my case, I extracted the archive to a folder referred to as “ViVe Tool” on the C: drive, so my command regarded like cd C:ViVe Tool. Now, you’ll be able to start utilizing ViVeTool to allow hidden Windows options.

The vivetoolcommand lists all obtainable instructions and what they do. There are a bunch of them, however a very powerful ones are:

• /allow: Enables a function.
• /disable: Disables a function.
• /question: Lists all present function configurations in your PC and their standing.
• /fullreset: Switches all function configurations you have overridden utilizing ViVeTool again to default.

To allow a function, sort in: vivetool /allow /id:XXXXXXXX, and press Enter, the place the Xes stand for the distinctive function ID. Usually, you may have to restart your PC for the adjustments to take impact, however you may get away with simply restarting sure processes like explorer.exe if the adjustments had been associated to them. You can even allow a number of function IDs directly, by separating every one with a comma. The very first thing I did after downloading ViVeTool was allow the brand new Start menu customization settings (function ID: 61754985) that had been a part of the September replace however had been nonetheless disabled on my PC. And as a lot as I like to dunk on Windows, the flexibility to resize and customise the Start menu with out utilizing third-party instruments is definitely helpful.

But you’d nonetheless wish to watch out

ViVeTool interacts immediately with the Windows FeatureSupervisor API and identifies obtainable options utilizing Feature IDs. It additionally identifies their state (Enabled/Disabled), and allows you to change them. What it would not do, is inject DLLs or “hack” something. This makes it unlikely that you’re going to brick your machine on account of tinkering round with ViVeTool.

However, some Windows options are experimental by their very nature, and chances are you’ll run into the occasional bluescreen or face different points if you happen to allow them. My recommendation is to allow one function at a time and see the way it works; if it is problematic, you’ll be able to all the time disable it utilizing the /disable command. Additionally, you should use the vivetool /fullreset command to disable reverse all adjustments you made utilizing ViVeTool. Or you possibly can create a System Restore Point earlier than enabling a single function.

Finding function IDs to allow in ViVeTool

You’ll have to know the function ID for the particular function you wish to allow in your Windows construct. While you’ll be able to all the time Google this info, my favourite useful resource for it’s phantomofearth‘s X profile. They continually submit the most recent Windows options together with the function IDs. You can even use the vivetool /question command to listing all obtainable options and their function IDs in your present Windows construct together with their present standing. However, some experimental options might be lacking from the output.