🚀 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• Less bloat — no more custom templates needed to achieve a modern look in outdated WPF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 — CallNtPowerInformation P/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+1 through Ctrl+5 — navigate between sections (Software & Apps, Optimize, Customize, Advanced Tools, Settings)
  • Ctrl+6 — open the More menu
  • Ctrl+S — save configuration
  • Ctrl+Shift+1 through Ctrl+Shift+6 — activate title bar buttons (Save, Import, Windows Filter, Donate, Bug Report, Docs)
  • Ctrl+D — toggle Technical Details for the focused setting
  • Tab / 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.