Releases: memstechtips/Winhance
Releases · memstechtips/Winhance
Winhance Release #23 v26.03.12
Changes in v26.03.12
Features
- Added CCleaner to the External Apps catalog.
- Winhance now ships as a self-contained .NET deployment, so users no longer need to install .NET separately. The PowerShell installer also now offers a portable install option.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed scroll performance on the External Apps tab, which could feel sluggish with many apps listed.
- Fixed app uninstall to correctly use the WinGet package ID when available, with a proper fallback progress indicator when the Microsoft Store ID is used instead.
- Fixed missing translation keys across all localization files to prevent fallback text issues and add tests for localization files to ensure all languages work at runtime.
Improvements
- Cleaned up the build script and reorganized internal packaging files.
Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Winhance Release #22 v26.03.11
Changes in v26.03.11
Bug Fixes
- Fixed in-app update flow with overhauled silent install support, portable mode detection, and improved installer page ordering.
- Fixed update downloads failing to launch the installer due to a file lock from undisposed download streams.
- Fixed web search redirect failing to detect the default browser after Microsoft Edge is removed.
- Fixed bloat removal failing when the PowerShell runspace pool encounters errors, by adding a sequential fallback.
- Fixed battery notification toggles being inverted in power settings.
- Fixed ISO creation failing with "The path is empty" error due to missing working directory guards in WIM utility steps.
- Fixed ghost or corrupt Winhance Power Plan blocking new plan creation and activation.
- Fixed uninstall from Add & Remove Programs being broken due to an uninstaller rename.
- Fixed startup update check being silently skipped when the ViewModel was not yet initialized.
- Fixed installer post-install launch failing with elevation error 740.
- Fixed installer scripts not creating shortcuts or auto-launching after silent install.
- Fixed WinGet AppInstaller upgrade progress indicator showing when no update was available.
- Fixed preference JSON deserialization error and restore point creation proceeding without verification.
Improvements
- Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts are now enabled by default for regular installations.
Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Winhance Release #21 v26.03.06
Changes in Release 21 v26.03.06
Features
- Added Korean and Turkish language support.
- Added new external apps: CDBurnerXP, StartIsBack++ for Windows 10, and updated StartAllBack label.
- Added automatic fallback to Chocolatey when WinGet installation fails, along with direct download fallback URLs for more reliable app installs.
- Added DefaultValue column to Technical Details panel, now fully localized.
- Added Recommended section dependency for settings, showing suggested content and updated descriptions.
- Added task progress indicators to Windows image customization (WimUtil) steps.
- Added Microsoft OSCDIMG as a WinGet package for easier ISO creation tool setup.
- Installer now launches silently when run from the PowerShell script.
- Replaced privacy-related fields in the log header with useful technical diagnostics.
- Separated theme change and wallpaper notifications in config review mode for clearer feedback.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed config import crashes, group policy cleanup for Windows Defaults, and group policy state detection issues.
- Fixed config review badge not updating correctly on cancel, when fully reviewed, and during concurrent UI updates.
- Fixed context menu settings not detecting or displaying technical details correctly.
- Fixed registry detection for settings with multiple enabled/disabled values and null EnabledValue.
- Fixed Technical Details Current/Recommended/Default values not aligning across rows.
- Fixed dialog card borders not matching the current theme (light/dark).
- Fixed breadcrumb dropdown not updating localization on cached page navigation.
- Fixed remaining hardcoded dialog titles that were not localized.
- Fixed app installation status detection being unreliable in several cases.
- Fixed AllowTelemetry registry conflict with O&O ShutUp10++ and added AITEnable support.
- Fixed touchpad scrolling issues caused by nested scroll containers.
- Fixed "No Internet Connection" error for PPPoE and non-standard network adapters.
- Fixed Windows Spotlight disappearing from lock screen settings.
- Fixed hybrid sleep setting appearing when not supported by the system.
- Fixed duplicate progress bar and cancel behavior issues during app removal.
- Fixed Windows Defender ASR false positive by signing and renaming the uninstaller.
- Fixed SkipSystemBackup preference causing JSON deserialization errors.
- Fixed autounattend script failing due to HKCU registry remapping issues.
- Fixed SID lookup failure under Constrained Language Mode.
- Removed BITS service and PCA Patch Task settings that Windows automatically re-enables.
- Removed non-existent "Show all pins by default" Start Menu setting.
- Added missing GameDVR registry keys and Windows Defender warning to Take Ownership description.
Improvements
- Major internal code quality overhaul across 19 phases, improving reliability, thread safety, resource management, and performance throughout the application.
- Decomposed large services into focused, testable components for better maintainability.
- Added over 100 automated tests covering settings loading, config review, and integration scenarios.
- Added website icon to External Apps DataGrid view.
Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Winhance Release #20 v26.02.20
Changes in v26.02.20
Features
- Added a terminal output dialog that shows live, real-time progress during app installations and uninstallations.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed Over the Shoulder (OTS) UAC elevation registry detection accuracy, improved performance, corrected registry editor navigation, and fixed elevation running under the wrong user account.
- Fixed Winhance window theme not correctly following the logged-in user's theme when running under OTS elevation.
- Fixed WinGet uninstall reporting false-positives where apps were incorrectly shown as uninstalled. Added Chocolatey as a fallback uninstall method for apps that WinGet cannot remove.
- Fixed unnecessary Explorer restarts during config import.
- Fixed config review mode incorrectly counting settings that are hidden due to Windows version filtering.
- Fixed theme settings reverting unexpectedly and reduced excessive log output.
- Fixed inverted JavaScript Timer Frequency power setting values.
Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Winhance Release #19 v26.02.18
🚀 Changes in v26.02.18
- Fixed a bug where "Optimizations for windowed games" and "Variable Refresh Rate" were not applied correctly due to incorrect setting definitions.
- Added "Auto HDR" setting in Gaming and Performance (related to the two settings above)
- Bundle desktop VC++ Runtime DLLs with WinGet to fix missing file errors on startup of Winhance and remove unused _app.dll VC++ Runtime files from bundled WinGet in previous version (v26.02.17)
- Fixed hibernation detection, auto-enable hibernate start menu option, and restore AC/DC dual controls for laptops
- Update hybrid sleep config entries from toggle to combobox format with On & Off options to match Windows
- Fix Menu Show Delay toggle detection and update setting Name and Description including localization
📥 Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Winhance Release #18 v26.02.17
🚀 Changes in v26.02.17
✨ Features
- Convert TaskbarAcrylicOpacity from toggle to 3-option ComboBox with config migration
- Add beta installer download script for pre-release testing purposes
🐛 Bug Fixes
- Replace WinGet COM install/uninstall with bundled CLI to ensure winget is always available and add source targeting
- Add startup resilience: self-contained App SDK, COM timeouts, and backup safeguard to prevent app from crashing on startup
- Apply Nagle's Algorithm setting per network interface
- Route setting writes through SettingApplicationService and refresh UI on navigation
- Resolve app blurriness at non-100% display scaling
- Update Network Throttling Setting with correct values and accurate description
📥 Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Winhance Release-Preview v26.02.16-beta
🚀 Changes in v26.02.16-beta
- Replace WinGet COM install/uninstall with bundled CLI and add source targeting
- Add startup resilience: self-contained App SDK, COM timeouts, and backup safeguard to prevent app from crashing on startup
📥 Installation
Install directly from this release or run the code below in PowerShell (Admin):
irm "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/memstechtips/Winhance/dev/Winhance-Beta.ps1" | iexWinhance Release #17 v26.02.13
🚀 Changes in v26.02.13
User Interface: Migrated from WPF to WinUI 3
- Complete UI migration from WPF to WinUI 3 — Microsoft's modern native UI framework (the same framework used by Windows 11 Settings, Task Manager, etc.)
- Modern look and feel consistent with Windows 11, including native rounded corners, accent colors, transparency effects, and animations (when enabled in Windows)
- Winhance now respects your Windows accent color, transparency effects, and animation effects settings automatically
- Less bloat — no more custom templates needed to achieve a modern look in outdated WPF
- Lower resource usage — previously the Optimize page rendered all settings on one page using ~300–400 MB of RAM; now each sub-feature has its own page, reducing usage to ~200–300 MB or less depending on the amount of content on the page.
- Faster UI response — dragging the WPF window used to leave a white trail; navigation between sections is now near-instant
- New loading/splash screen
- Migration was between Avalonia and WinUI 3, but WinUI 3 was chosen because Winhance is for Windows, not cross-platform
New UI Features
- Software & Apps View Modes — switch between Card view and Table view; Table view supports sorting by name, type, status, installed status, and reinstall availability
- Optimize & Customize Sections Restructured — settings are now organized into separate sub-pages instead of one large scrollable page, with a dropdown navigation bar to switch between sub-features
- Technical Details Toggle — a new toggle next to the search bar in Optimize and Customize features to show/hide technical details (registry path, current value, and recommended value) for each setting. Off by default for casual users, toggle it on for full transparency
- Open in Registry Editor — when technical details are visible, click an icon to jump directly to that setting's registry key in regedit
- Cross-Section Search — searching now shows results from other sub feature sections in the selected parent feature (Optimize or Customize) too, with clickable links to navigate directly to the matching setting
- Update Info Bar — the update-available dialog has been replaced with a dismissible info bar at the top of the window
- Documentation Button — new button in the title bar to quickly access the Winhance documentation website
- Help Links — the Windows Apps and External Apps Help dialog now includes links to the Winhance website documentation
- Version Compatibility Info Bars — Windows version filter messages have been replaced with cleaner info bars showing which settings only apply to a different OS version
- Advanced Tools Overview Page — replaced the flyout menu with a proper overview page to choose between WimUtil and Autounattend XML generation
- Collapsible Navigation Pane — the sidebar can be collapsed to show only icons, saving screen space
- Window Size & Position Persistence — Winhance remembers your window size and position between sessions
- Improved App Operation Dialogs — cleaner dialogs for install/uninstall operations
Config Import & Review System
- Config Review Mode — when importing a config, you can now review every setting change before it's applied. Each section must be reviewed (marked complete) before the Apply Config button becomes available. Settings are shown with their current value and what the config wants to change them to, with Apply/Skip options per setting
- Skip Review Option — for users who prefer the old behavior, a "Skip review and apply immediately" checkbox is available (unchecked by default)
- Backup Config — automatically created on first launch, capturing your system's current state for all Winhance-known settings. Import it later to restore your pre-Winhance settings
- Restore Windows Defaults Config — pre-made config files for Windows 11 25H2 and Windows 10 22H2, created from fresh installs. Winhance auto-selects the correct one based on your OS version
- Removal Script Save Option — you now get a choice whether to save removal scripts for continuous removals, instead of it being saved automatically
- Parallel Config Application — settings are now applied in parallel for faster config imports
Backend: Native APIs Replace PowerShell Wrappers
- WinGet COM API — replaced CLI-based WinGet operations with the native COM API for much faster and more reliable package management. Integration based on https://github.com/marticliment/WinGet-API-from-CSharp
- WinRT PackageManager — native API for Windows app queries and operations
- Native DISM API — managed DISM API for system image queries
- Power Profile API —
CallNtPowerInformationP/Invoke for power operations (zero process spawning) - Native Scheduled Task API — Task Scheduler COM API for enabling/disabling scheduled tasks and folder operations
- Chocolatey Fallback — added Chocolatey as a fallback package manager if WinGet can't install a package. If Chocolatey is installed, it can also detect the installation status of External Apps.
- Faster Startup — backend optimizations contribute to significantly faster application startup
- Faster App Detection — installation status detection for Windows Apps and External Software is faster
- Parallel Bloat Removal — Windows app removal scripts now run in parallel for faster processing
Translations
- Added Arabic translation credit: @qais-mle7y
- Added FlowDirection full right-to-left (RTL) layout support for Arabic translation
- Added Hungarian translation (credit: @JohnFowler58)
- Cleaned up translations and fixed missing usage of localization keys
- Fixed duplicate language entry for German
Accessibility & Keyboard Navigation
- Full keyboard navigation — every setting, toggle, button, and dialog in Winhance can be reached and operated with the keyboard alone
- Screen reader support (Narrator) — all controls announce their name, state, and changes to Narrator. Setting toggles announce "Applying..." and their new state when done, review mode decisions announce "Apply" or "Don't apply", checkbox state changes are read aloud, and status overlays announce progress updates
- Keyboard shortcuts:
Ctrl+1throughCtrl+5— navigate between sections (Software & Apps, Optimize, Customize, Advanced Tools, Settings)Ctrl+6— open the More menuCtrl+S— save configurationCtrl+Shift+1throughCtrl+Shift+6— activate title bar buttons (Save, Import, Windows Filter, Donate, Bug Report, Docs)Ctrl+D— toggle Technical Details for the focused settingTab/Shift+Tab— move between settings and their interactive elements (toggles, info banners, review radio buttons) naturally
Framework & Licensing
- Updated from .NET 9 to .NET 10
- License changed from CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 to PolyForm Shield 1.0.0 — Winhance is free to use for everyone: individuals, businesses, and IT professionals. You can use it to service and consult for clients. You just can't fork or rebrand it and redistribute it as a competing product
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where OneDrive removal unintentionally caused startup programs not to start
- Fixed portable apps creating shortcuts to the wrong executable
- Fixed PotPlayer website link
- Fixed search bug when navigating between sections
- Removed redundant OneDrive registry check in app status discovery
📥 Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Note: Installer size is much larger due to the bundled Windows App SDK, using self contained doesn't work with the WinGet COM API implementation on Windows 10.
Contributors
qais-mle7y and JohnFowler58
Assets 3
Winhance Release #16 v26.01.26
🚀 Changes in v26.01.26
- Improve EdgeRemoval & OneDrive Removal script accuracy and cleanup & add script version numbers to auto update scripts that are out of date
- Improve app installation status detection accuracy by removing registry and fuzzy matching based logic and relying on WinGet export results to determine installation status and add diagnostic logging for easier troubleshooting
- Add portable app handling in External Apps and fix installation detection
- Add Hover Indicator Line on SettingsCards for better visibility
- Add UltraViewer to External Apps
📥 Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.
Winhance Release #15 v26.01.19
🚀 Changes in v26.01.19
- Fix config import ignoring IsSelected value for Windows Apps
- Update Winhance Recommended Config with new legacy capabilities
- feat: Add Notepad to legacy capabilities and update Quick Assist Legacy name
- feat: Implement Winhance Window Size and Position Persistence
- Rename Office Hub to MS 365 Copilot just like Microsoft did
- fix: Improve app installation checks to include msstore ids
- Improve logging for app installation checks
- feat: Add Deskflow to External Software
- Add missing 'Progress_WinGet_Updating' & 'Ads, Suggestions and Promotional Content' warning text translations
- refactor: Consolidate app grouping properties into GroupName
- feat: Add Copilot Preview taskbar button toggle for supported builds on Windows 10 & 11
- feat: Add various missing localization keys and translations
- fix: Resolve power plan creation failure due to system latency
- fix: Resolve language dropdown blank selection for Chinese variants
- fix: resolve Windows Update DLL collision handling
- fix: Resolve WinGet 0x80080005 installation errors
- fix: Resolve ISO extraction failure due to PowerShell profile output
Localization 🌐
I used AI (Gemini 2.5 Pro) to generate initial translations for Winhance, so it's available in multiple languages right out of the gate. That said, AI isn't perfect, and there are probably some mistakes or awkward phrasings in there.
If you spot any translation errors or have suggestions to make things sound more natural, I'd love your help! Feel free to open a Pull Request with corrections or create an Issue to let me know what needs fixing. The localization files can be found in the src/Winhance.WPF/Localization directory.
Want to see Winhance in a language that's not currently supported? Open an Issue with the "feature request" label and I'll see what I can do!
📥 Installation
Download from winhance.net or directly from this release.