To center taskbar icons and the Start menu on Windows 10, install ExplorerPatcher from its official GitHub releases page. After installing, right-click an empty area of the taskbar, choose Properties, set Start button style to “Windows 11”, set Primary taskbar alignment to “Centered with start button”, switch to the Start menu tab, change Position on screen to “Center”, and click Restart File Explorer.
Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) | Last updated: May 15, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Windows 10 has no built-in centered taskbar setting — you need a third-party tool. ExplorerPatcher is the free, open-source option I recommend.
- ExplorerPatcher is installed from its official GitHub releases page (
github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher). Avoid third-party mirrors — they sometimes bundle adware. - Two settings do the work: set Start button style to “Windows 11” and Primary taskbar alignment to “Centered with start button” in the Taskbar tab.
- Set “Position on screen” to Center under the Start menu tab so the Start menu also opens in the middle of the screen instead of the bottom-left corner.
- Reversible at any time — open ExplorerPatcher Properties, go to Settings and uninstall, and click Uninstall ExplorerPatcher. The Windows 10 taskbar returns to its default layout immediately.
Quick Steps:
- Open github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases and download
ep_setup.exe. - Run the installer and accept the UAC prompt. The taskbar will flash while ExplorerPatcher installs itself.
- Right-click an empty area on the taskbar and choose Properties.
- On the Taskbar tab, set Start button style to “Windows 11”.
- Set Primary taskbar alignment to “Centered with start button”.
- On the Start menu tab, change Position on screen to “Center”.
- Click Restart File Explorer to apply the changes instantly.
Why Center the Taskbar on Windows 10?
Windows 11 made the centered taskbar the default, and a lot of people genuinely prefer that layout — it feels more balanced, and on a wide or ultrawide monitor it puts the icons closer to where your eyes naturally land. Windows 10 does not include a built-in option to do the same, so a third-party tool is the only way to get it.
I set up customer PCs at the repair shop for years, and once Windows 11 launched a lot of Windows 10 users started asking for the same look without doing a full OS upgrade. ExplorerPatcher brings the Windows 11 taskbar style to Windows 10 without changing anything else about the system — your apps, shortcuts, and settings all stay exactly as they were.
Personally, I run the taskbar at the top of the screen on Windows 11 and align it to the left using StartAllBack. On Windows 10, the same kind of layout flexibility is available through ExplorerPatcher — you can center the icons, keep them on the left, or hide system tray items you do not use.
Step 1: Download ExplorerPatcher From GitHub
Open your browser and go straight to the official ExplorerPatcher releases page on GitHub: github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases. Download the file named ep_setup.exe from the latest release. It is small (around 5 MB) and downloads in a few seconds.
Tip: Always use the official GitHub releases page (
github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher). Search results for “ExplorerPatcher download” sometimes surface third-party mirrors that bundle adware or outdated builds. The GitHub project is the only source the developer maintains.
Step 2: Install ExplorerPatcher
Double-click ep_setup.exe to run it. Windows shows a User Account Control prompt — click Yes to continue. The installer runs silently with no setup wizard.
Your taskbar and desktop icons will disappear for a few seconds while Explorer restarts itself with the ExplorerPatcher hooks loaded. When everything reappears, the install is finished. You will know it worked because right-clicking the taskbar now shows a new Properties option that was not there before.
Step 3: Open ExplorerPatcher Properties
Right-click on an empty space on your taskbar and choose Properties from the context menu. This opens the ExplorerPatcher settings window, where every customization lives. If you do not see Properties in the right-click menu, ExplorerPatcher did not install correctly — restart your PC and run the installer again.
Step 4: Center the Taskbar Icons
In the Properties window, make sure you are on the Taskbar tab in the left sidebar. Two settings here do the work:
- Start button style — change this to “Windows 11”. This swaps the classic Windows 10 Start orb for the Windows 11 icon, which is required for centered alignment to look right.
- Primary taskbar alignment — change this to “Centered with start button”. The Start button and all pinned icons slide to the center of the taskbar.
The changes apply immediately. If you skip the Start button style change, the Start button stays glued to the left even though the rest of the icons center — that is the most common mistake people make on this step.
Step 5: Center the Start Menu
Click the Start menu tab in the left sidebar. Find Position on screen and change it to Center. Click Restart File Explorer at the bottom-left of the Properties window to apply the change. The Start menu now opens in the middle of the screen instead of the bottom-left corner.
Restarting File Explorer takes about two seconds and is not the same as restarting Windows. Your open programs and files stay exactly where they were.
Step 6: Fix the Search Box (If Needed)
After centering the taskbar, the wide Windows 10 search box sometimes looks stretched or misaligned. The fix is to switch it to a smaller search icon.
Go back to the Taskbar tab in ExplorerPatcher Properties, find the Search option, and change it to Show search icon. You can also pick Hide to remove it entirely — pressing the Windows key and just typing works the same way. I prefer hiding it on my own systems.
Optional: Round the Start Menu Corners
ExplorerPatcher can also give the Start menu the rounded, floating look from Windows 11 while keeping the Windows 10 layout (live tiles, pinned apps, and all).
Open Properties > Start menu tab. Find Corner preference setting and change it to Rounded corners with a floating menu. Click Restart File Explorer. The next time you open the Start menu, the corners will be rounded and the menu will float slightly above the taskbar.
How to Uninstall ExplorerPatcher
Reverting all of these changes takes one click. Right-click the taskbar and open Properties, click Settings and uninstall at the bottom of the left sidebar, and click Uninstall ExplorerPatcher. The taskbar restores to the default Windows 10 layout immediately.
If you want even more customization than ExplorerPatcher offers, my Winhance utility handles taskbar tweaks, bloatware removal, privacy settings, and dozens of other Windows 10 and 11 customizations from a single interface.
Common Issues & Solutions
Problem: Properties does not appear when I right-click the taskbar.
Solution: ExplorerPatcher did not install correctly. Restart your computer, then run ep_setup.exe again as administrator and accept every UAC prompt. If your antivirus blocked the installer, allow the file and re-run it.
Problem: Icons are centered but the Start button is still on the left.
Solution: You skipped the Start button style setting. Open Properties > Taskbar and change it to “Windows 11”. The centered alignment only takes effect with the Windows 11 Start button style selected.
Problem: The search box looks stretched or misaligned.
Solution: In Properties > Taskbar, change Search to either Show search icon or Hide. The full-width search box was not designed to work with centered icons.
Problem: Clicking “Restart File Explorer” does not apply my changes.
Solution: Restart Explorer manually instead. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, find Windows Explorer in the Processes tab, right-click it, and choose Restart. If that still does not apply the change, sign out of Windows and back in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ExplorerPatcher safe to use on Windows 10?
Yes. ExplorerPatcher is open source and hosted on GitHub, which means the code is publicly auditable. I have installed it on dozens of repair shop systems and on my own machines without any issues. Some antivirus engines flag it because it hooks into Windows Explorer, but that is normal for any customization tool that modifies the shell.
Will Windows updates break ExplorerPatcher?
Sometimes. Major Windows updates can temporarily break ExplorerPatcher because it hooks into the shell. When this happens, your taskbar reverts to the default Windows 10 layout — nothing is permanently broken. Download the latest ep_setup.exe from the GitHub releases page and run it; the developer ships compatibility updates quickly after each Windows update.
Can I use ExplorerPatcher on Windows 11?
Yes. ExplorerPatcher works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. On Windows 11, most people use it to restore the Windows 10 right-click context menu, bring back the classic taskbar, or undo other shell changes Microsoft made in Windows 11.
Does ExplorerPatcher affect system performance?
No noticeable impact. ExplorerPatcher uses a small amount of RAM (a few MB) and almost no CPU. I have run it on older Windows 10 systems with 4 GB of RAM without any measurable slowdown.
Can I still pin and unpin apps from the taskbar after centering it?
Yes. Every normal taskbar function works the same way — pinning, unpinning, rearranging, jump lists, system tray icons. ExplorerPatcher only changes how the taskbar looks and where things sit. It does not change how the taskbar functions.
Is there a way to center the taskbar without installing anything?
Not really. Windows 10 has no built-in centered taskbar setting. The closest hack is creating an empty toolbar and dragging the icons to the right, but the result is fragile and breaks after most Windows updates. ExplorerPatcher is the only reliable option, and it is the same tool I recommend to anyone who wants the Windows 11 taskbar look without upgrading.
