Using the free open-source program ViVeTool, enable hidden features in Windows 11. ViVeTool is a freemium command-line application for Windows 11 that allows you to disable, seek alternatives and enable hidden features in Windows 11. After installing the tool, you must use Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell to disable or enable hidden features in Windows 11.
If you don’t want to use the command-line tool, ViVeTool now has a graphical version called ‘ViVeTool GUI’ that allows you to disable or enable hidden features in Windows 11.
Enable Hidden Features In Windows 11 Using the ViVeTool GUI
If you don’t have the ViVeTool GUI application installed on your PC, you can get the most recent version from GitHub. To download the software, go to the GitHub website and scroll down to ‘ViVeTool.GUI.X.X.X.Portable.zip’ (Portable) or ‘ViVeTool.GUI.Setup.exe’ (Installer).
Extract the file and run the software if you downloaded a Portable version. If you downloaded the setup, double-click the installer to install the tool.
Click the More info option if your PC is protected by Windows. This message appears because you are attempting to install a third-party application. Click the Run anyway button after that.
To continue, click Yes when the UAC dialogue box opens. Then, to install and launch the program, follow the on-screen instructions.
You will see an empty window when the tool first starts.
Every month, Microsoft publishes new builds, each with its own set of hidden features. As a result, you must select the build that you have downloaded on your computer.
- Open the Settings app (Windows+I) and go to the System tab on the left to see what build you’re running. Then go down to the bottom and click About.
- Scroll to the bottom of the Windows Specifications section on the About settings page, and note the build number under OS build.
- Now, return to the ViVeTool GUI and choose the Windows build number from the top left-hand menu.
- After you choose a build, the tool will search for all accessible features on your Windows 11 PC, which you can enable or disable.
ViVeTool will divide the hidden features into the following categories once the scan is finished:
- Always disabled
- Always Enabled
- Disabled by default
- Enabled by default
- Modifiable
You can explore each category to see the features that are offered. You can’t see the features’ details, but you can see their name, ID, and status. By using the search bar above, you can locate a specific feature by its name or ID.
Select the function you want to enable or deactivate from the menu bar above, then click the Perform Action from the drop-down menu. Select Activate Feature to activate the feature or Deactivate Feature to disable it from the drop-down menu.
If you already know the feature code or ID, simply click or press the Manually Change a Feature (F12) button. In the text area, type the Feature ID and select either Activate Feature or Deactivate Feature from the drop-down menu.
Click About & Settings in the top right corner to load the ready features for the newest release every time you run the app. Switch to the Settings tab in the About & Settings dialogue box and enable the Automatically load the latest Build option.
Hidden Features usually give you a sneak peek of upcoming features before they are made public. And through this, you can enable hidden features in Windows 11.
Use The ViVeTool command-line tool
In order to enable hidden features in Windows 11 by using old ViVeTool via Command Prompt or PowerShell, follow these steps.
You’ll need a separate configuration to use ViVeTool commands. The ViVeTool command-line tool can be downloaded from this page.
- To extract the files, right-click the ViVeTool-vx.x.x.zip file and pick the Extract All choice from the context menu.
Then, using the Browse option; select the desired area for the tool to be extracted, and then click Extract.
You’ll need to have the exact Feature ID to add or remove a feature. To get the list of features on every build, click here. Scroll down the screen to the OS build you installed on your machine and click it. At the bottom of the website, you’ll find the latest recent build.
The list of possible features and their IDs will appear on the following page, as shown below. Now write down the ID of the feature you’d like to enable or disable.
Then, with administrator access, open Command Prompt or PowerShell. To do so, hit the Windows key, type cmd or PowerShell into the top-right search box, and then select Run as administrator from the right-hand pane.
To browse to the extracted ViveTool folder, enter the following command in the authorized Command Prompt or PowerShell:
Cd C:\Users\aksha\Documents\New folder\ViVeTool-v0.2.1
Replace C:\Users\aksha\Documents\New folder\ViVeTool-v0.2.1 with the path to your extracted folder.
Run the following command to enable the feature.
vivetool addconfig <feature_ID> 2
Now, replace the feature ID with the ID of the feature you want to enable or disable in the above script. For example, on Windows 11, use the following command to enable tabs in File Explorer. The feature ID for the File Explorer tabs feature is 34370472.
Restart your computer after running the above program. After restarting your computer; the feature will be enabled. Run the following commands and restart your computer to remove or disable a feature.