Create taskbar-ctrl-rightclick-open-file-location.wh.cpp

[triatomic]

Summary

New mod: hold a configurable modifier (default Ctrl) while clicking a taskbar button to:

• Open the running program's file location in Explorer (default)
• Copy the executable path to the clipboard
• Launch a new elevated instance (UAC prompt)

Works on the classic taskbar (MSTaskListWClass):

• Stock Windows 10
• Windows 11 with StartAllBack
• Windows 11 with ExplorerPatcher (legacy taskbar mode)

The mod subclasses MSTaskListWClass so the right-click never reaches the taskbar's own context-menu handler (this is what makes it work on StartAllBack, which doesn't go through taskbar.dll's _ComputeJumpViewPosition). Button-to-process resolution uses MSAA AccessibleObjectFromPoint and, when the accessible value doesn't expose an HWND directly (the StartAllBack case), a fallback that matches against the exe's FileDescription version-info field with alphanumeric normalization (handles e.g. ConEmu (x64) ↔ ConEmu64.exe, MSI Afterburner ↔ MSIAfterburner.exe).

Settings

• Modifier key — Ctrl / Shift / Alt / Win / None
• Mouse button — Right (suppresses jump list) / Middle
• Action — Open location / Copy path / Run as admin
• Hold time (ms) — 0 for instant, or require the click to be held for N ms before firing

Mod authorship

This mod was created by:

• • The submitter, without AI assistance
• • The submitter, with AI assistance
• • Claude
• • ChatGPT
• • Gemini
• • Another AI (please specify):
• • Other (please specify):

Test plan

• Install on Windows 11 with StartAllBack: Ctrl+Right-click a taskbar button opens its .exe location in Explorer without showing the SAB jump list
• Grouped buttons (multiple windows) resolve to the right .exe
• Ungrouped / single-window buttons resolve correctly
• Switching settings (modifier, mouse button, action, hold time) takes effect without restarting explorer
• Disabling/unloading the mod cleanly removes the subclass — no taskbar crash

[m417z]

Any thoughts about supporting the Windows 11 taskbar? I believe that's what most Windhawk users use.
Several mods demonstrate how to subclass it and receive events, for example "Taskbar Volume Control" or "Click on empty taskbar space".

windhawk-mods/mods/taskbar-volume-control.wh.cpp

Lines 1541 to 1557 in 22ec451

	WNDPROC InputSiteWindowProc_Original;
	LRESULT CALLBACK InputSiteWindowProc_Hook(HWND hWnd,
	UINT uMsg,
	WPARAM wParam,
	LPARAM lParam) {
	switch (uMsg) {
	case WM_POINTERWHEEL:
	if (HWND hRootWnd = GetAncestor(hWnd, GA_ROOT);
	IsTaskbarWindow(hRootWnd) &&
	OnMouseWheel(hRootWnd, wParam, lParam)) {
	return 0;
	}
	break;
	}
	return InputSiteWindowProc_Original(hWnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
	}

[triatomic]

Updated to support native windows 11.