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Winstep Xtreme v11.2 Released!

March 14, 2011




An integrated workspace environment, Winstep Xtreme is a powerful suite of applications that merge incredible usability and performance with breathtaking eye candy.

Winstep Xtreme runs on the 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and Windows 7.

Supported Languages


Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, Dutch, English, Farsi (Persian), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brasil), Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish.

Would you like to receive a FREE Winstep Xtreme license key and have your name credited? You can by translating Winstep Xtreme into a language not listed above! Please click here for more information.


WorkShelf v11.2 Changelog:


  • Added Greek language file.
  • Added Finnish language file.
  • Added Indonesian language file.
  • Added Croatian language file.
  • Updated Polish language file.
  • Updated French language file.
  • Updated Farsi language file.
  • Updated German language file.
  • Non-square icon images and document thumbnails are now displayed with the proper aspect ratio.
  • Added an automatic retry after 30 seconds if Weather.com returns an 'unknown error'when polling weather data.
  • URL files (such as shortcuts to Steam games) now show the correct icons.
  • The 'Delete Item' explosion animation is now smoother and twice as fast.
  • Glass blur for semi-transparent backgrounds on Vista and 7 is now enabled by default.
  • Moved dock's 'Lock Position' Nexus menu setting to the 'Screen Position' sub-menu.
  • Changed UI background color so buttons no longer have ugly white border under Vista/7.
  • Added support for the new NOOA Weather module METAR URL.
  • The My Computer (Drives) Shelf tab now updates automatically when adding and removing drives.
  • Besides the already existing right-click option, you can now also customize the image displayed by a system tray expand icon by dropping an .ICO, .PNG or .TIF file into it.
  • You can now use CTRL+TAB and CTRL+SHIFT+TAB to switch Shelf tabs via the keyboard, provided the Shelf has the focus.
  • Languages in the About tab of Preferences are now sorted in Alphabetical order.
  • RAM Meter Desktop Module is now able to properly sort and display 64 bit processes using more than 2 GB of RAM on 64 bit systems.
  • Set the Tab order of all dialogs.
  • It's now possible to 'Browse', via the right click context menu, the contents of virtual folders in Internal Commands (e.g.; My Computer).
  • Added support for the new Help system.
  • You can now drag files over taskbar window thumbnails - after half a second the associated window is restored and brought to the foreground.
  • Added support for RocketDock skins with negative margin coordinates.
  • Re-organized the Advanced dialog in the Advanced tab of Preferences.
  • Added a 'Thumbnail File Types' button to the Advanced Settings dialog from where you can set which document, video and image files generate thumbnails.
  • Changed the default clock and recycler module images so they are no longer NeXT based.
  • Improved usability of task window thumbnails in the dock.
  • Right clicking on a folder in an Explorer window and selecting Send to -> WorkShelf, now automatically creates a new tab in the Shelf displaying the contents of that folder.
  • Added two extra messages to help troubleshoot when registration fails for some reason.
  • Thumbnail Window Previews can now be skinned.
  • Changed application icon.
  • Added ability to translate suffix and prefix strings used in Desktop Modules.
  • Added troubleshoot warning that pops up if Comctl32.ocx is not installed correctly.
  • Optimized handling of RocketDock backgrounds with negative coordinates.
  • Theme wallpapers that are not set to tile are now automatically set to stretch.
  • Edge bump activation when dock are visible is now turned off by default.
  • Fixed problem preventing the application from being registered with a serial number.
  • The 'Exit' button in Preferences was not being translated when switching languages.
  • If the dock was set to 100% transparent with opaque icons and the dock background skin was already semi-transparent, mouse movement over the dock and drag & drop operations could become erratic.
  • Selecting the first monitor in the Monitors right-click menu was not docking a dock to the selected monitor but instead toggled the dock position lock.
  • Fixed issue where deleting a Shelf tab in the Content tab of Shelf Properties was not updating the currently selected tab view.
  • Selecting 'Shelf Properties' from the Shelf's body context menu was opening the tab properties dialog instead.
  • Application was not being high DPI virtualized on Vista/7 with high DPI (150%) when starting up.
  • Fixed crash when mousing over a module if the current mouse over effect was 'Sonic boom' and the modules icon cache had been disabled in Performance Settings.
  • Customized system tray expand buttons images were not being shown unless the dock was also set to display the currently running applications.
  • Fixed some major issues with high DPI virtualization on 7 and Vista.
  • The right click 'Insert New Dock Item -> NextSTART Hotspot' method was not working properly on docks.
  • The Effect 'Settings' button was sometimes enabled when it should not be.
  • Editing a virtual shell folder with the Item Properties dialog would break the ability to browse it's contents via the context menu.
  • Under XP non-square image and document thumbnails displayed white borders.
  • Hotkeys were being activated even if the Shift key combination wasn't an exact match (for instance, CTRL+1 would also activate if the user pressed CTRL+SHIFT+1)
  • When moving a dock from one quadrant of the screen to another, so that the background would flip or mirror, under Vista/7 the 'glass' region wouldn't always update to overlap the new background.
  • After beta 1, selecting a new language in WorkShelf would select the wrong language in NextSTART.
  • Added missing icon to Weather.com's icon set.
  • When switching to a new theme, a collapsed Shelf would not properly update the glass blurred region.
  • Fixed some minor issues with the size and position of the 'number of instances' text that overlaps the icons of running applications in groupped mode.
  • Windows preview thumbnails sometimes lost their 'Always on top' status just before Aero Peek, which could cause windows to overlap the thumbnails.
  • Groupped task icons could sometimes not display the number of running instances.
  • Fixed application icon not appearing properly on the taskbar.
  • Since beta 1, WorkShelf was crashing after displaying the uninstall survey.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause WorkShelf to stall for a while after installing a new font if another application was not responding to broadcasted messages.
  • Fixed bug that could cause icons on vertical magnifying docks to appear cropped.


NextSTART v11.2 Changelog:


  • Added Polish language file.
  • Added Indonesian language file.
  • Added Croatian language file.
  • Updated French language file.
  • Updated Farsi language file.
  • Updated German language file.
  • Glass blur for semi-transparent backgrounds on Vista and 7 is now enabled by default.
  • Changed UI background color so buttons no longer have ugly white border under Vista/7.
  • It is now possible to drag items from 'Show Running Application' menus.
  • Under Windows 7, Pinned applications now show up properly in the NextSTART taskbar's Quick Launch section.
  • Languages in the About tab of Preferences are now sorted in Alphabetical order.
  • You can now drag files over taskbar window thumbnails - after half a second the associated window is restored and brought to the foreground.
  • The Customize/Font Manager dialog can now also set text colors for inactive menus.
  • Added two extra messages to help troubleshoot when registration fails for some reason.
  • Thumbnail Window Previews can now be skinned.
  • Added troubleshoot warning that pops up if Comctl32.ocx is not installed correctly.
  • Theme wallpapers that are not set to tile are now automatically set to stretch.
  • Fixed problem preventing the application from being registered with a serial number.
  • The 'Exit' button in Preferences was not being translated when switching languages.
  • The Glass blur effect was not being correctly applied when the menu was rolled up.
  • Application was not being high DPI virtualized on Vista/7 with high DPI (150%) when starting up.
  • Remove from Menu, Insert New Menu Item, Make Tab from Folder and Show Container context menu actions where not working if the currently selected language was any other than English.
  • It was possible to initiate a drag & drop operation on a menu simply by mousing over the menu with the left mouse button already pressed (i.
    • e.; menu was not detecting that the operation was not being initiated in the menu itself).
  • Fixed some major issues with high DPI virtualization on 7 and Vista.
  • Hotkeys were being activated even if the Shift key combination wasn't an exact match (for instance, CTRL+1 would also activate if the user pressed CTRL+SHIFT+1)
  • After beta 1, selecting a new language in NextSTART would select the wrong language in WorkShelf.
  • When changing a Theme via NextSTART, WorkShelf Desktop modules attached to the NextSTART taskbar would become detached.
  • Colors set using the Customize/Font Manager dialog were not being saved into the theme.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause NextSTART to stall for a while after installing a new font if another application was not responding to broadcasted messages.

Archived News

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Happy Holidays 2021!

December 22, 2021

Once again and still in difficult times, wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay safe!

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December 20, 2020

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Winstep Xtreme v20.10 Released!

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Nexus Dock v20.10 Released!

October 28, 2020

v20.10 brings many new features and stability improvements, increased compatibility with Windows 10 and much more!

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Happy Holidays!

December 18, 2019

Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Winstep 20th Annniversary!

February 28, 2019

Winstep is celebrating 20 years in business with a fantastic, time-limited, price reduction all across the board! Enjoy it while it lasts!

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Winstep Xtreme v19.2 Released!

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v19.2 is mainly a maintenance release with a few goodies thrown in such as a matching Windows 10 Light Mode and much more!

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Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Winstep Xtreme v18.12 Released!

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Just in time for Christmas, v18.12 is a massive release featuring the new Grid Stacks and Search Filters (Nexus Ultimate), multi monitor profiles and much more!

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Cyber Monday!

November 26, 2018

Cyber Monday 2018 is here and Winstep Xtreme is 50% off for the next 24 hours. So, will you take the final chance to bag a deal?

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Black Friday!

November 23, 2018

Black Friday 2018 is upon us and Nexus Ultimate is 40% off.

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Winstep Xtreme v18.10 Released!

October 9, 2018

Icon colorization, center icons in Shelves, Drawer resizing, improved handling of hybrid Win32/UWP apps, menu scaling and much more!

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October 9, 2018

Icon colorization, improved handling of hybrid Win32/UWP apps, context menu scaling and much more!

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Price Increase Announcement

October 7, 2018

After nearly 20 years providing the best products at competitive prices, Winstep is increasing the prices of all its applications for the first time - just to make up (barely) for inflation.

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Winstep Xtreme v18.8 Released!

August 30, 2018

Major release featuring the new Drawers, support for multiple and vertical Shelves and much more!

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August 30, 2018

Major release featuring new colorization options, new Drawers and support for multiple and vertical Shelves (Nexus Ultimate) and much more!

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Winstep Xtreme v18.5 Released!

June 1, 2018

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Nexus Dock v18.5 Released!

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Winstep and the EU GDPR

May 25, 2018

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information of individuals within the European Union (EU).

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Winstep Xtreme v18.3 Released!

March 31, 2018

Major release with new alarm options, power saving modes and media player internal command, plus many other performance and stability improvements!

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March 31, 2018

New alarm options, full dock keyboard support, power saving modes and media player internal command, plus many other performance and stability improvements!

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Winstep Xtreme v18.1 Released!

January 20, 2018

New optional Dark Mode for the User Interface, new Windows 10 icons, many other performance and stability improvements!

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Winstep Xtreme v17.12 Released!

December 28, 2017

A bit late for Christmas but still not too late, v17.2 is here. Many Windows 10 related additions and fixes and much more!

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December 28, 2017

A bit late for Christmas but still not too late, v17.2 is here. Many Windows 10 related additions and fixes and much more!

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Happy Holidays!

December 22, 2017

Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Cyber Monday!

November 27, 2017

Cyber Monday 2017 is upon us and Winstep Xtreme is 50% off.

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Winstep Xtreme v17.1 Released!

January 27, 2017

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January 27, 2017

Wallpaper hot-track smooth colorization transitions, new moon module and pop-up calendar (Nexus Ultimate), and much more!

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Happy Holidays!

December 23, 2016

Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Winstep Xtreme v16.12 Released!

December 8, 2016

New calendar module, high-quality voice packs in multiple languages, and much more!

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Nexus Dock v16.12 Released!

December 8, 2016

High-quality voice packs in multiple languages, Email Checker module now displays number of unread messages on the icon itself, and much more!

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Winstep Xtreme v16.9 Released!

September 30, 2016

v16.9 is is mostly a maintenance release, fixing some issues in the previous version and restoring the NOOA/METAR Weather feed.

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Nexus Dock v16.9 Released!

September 30, 2016

v16.9 is is mostly a maintenance release, fixing some issues in the previous version and restoring the NOOA/METAR Weather feed..

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Winstep Xtreme v16.6 Released!

June 27, 2016

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Nexus Dock v16.6 Released!

June 27, 2016

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Winstep Xtreme v16.5 Released!

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Nexus Dock v16.5 Released!

May 28, 2016

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Winstep Xtreme v16.3 Released!

March 10, 2016

Maintenance release fixing all the issues we know of in v16.2.

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Nexus Dock v16.3 Released!

March 10, 2016

Maintenance release fixing all the issues we know of in v16.2.

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Winstep Xtreme v16.2 Released!

February 11, 2016

New battery module, clock alarms, 10 amazing new mouse-over, launch and attention effects and much more in this new release!

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Nexus Dock v16.2 Released!

February 11, 2016

Minimize windows to the dock, new internal commands, performance improvements and much more in this release!

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Winstep Xtreme v15.9 Released!

September 29, 2015

High DPI compatibility, Language Bar, Weather module Geo location, better Windows 10 integration and much more in this new release!

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Nexus Dock v15.9 Released!

September 29, 2015

High DPI compatibility, combined dock shortcuts with running applications, Weather module Geo location, better Windows 10 integration and much more in this release!

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Winstep Xtreme v15.7 Released!

July 27, 2015

Winstep Xtreme is now 100% compatible with Windows 10 and much more in this new release!

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Nexus Dock v15.7 Released!

July 27, 2015

Nexus is now 100% compatible with Windows 10 and much more in this new release!

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Windows 10 and Winstep applications

June 27, 2015

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Winstep Xtreme v14.11 Released!

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Nexus Dock v14.11 Released!

November 7, 2014

Restored weather feed for weather forecast and more in this maintenance release!

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Take back what is yours!

March 23, 2012

In an effort to force you into using Metro, Microsoft stripped the familiar Start Menu out of Windows 8. In the process it also stripped your ability to chose for yourself what is best for you.

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Winstep Xtreme v12.2 Released!

March 22, 2012

This is a monster release, click the Read More link below for a guided tour on what's new!

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Nexus Dock v12.2 Released!

March 22, 2012

This is a monster release, click the Read More link below for a guided tour on what's new!

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Winstep Xtreme v11.10 Released!

November 18, 2011

Weather module working again, new Launch and Attention effects, new Tray tab in Preferences, and more...

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Nexus Dock v11.10 Released!

November 18, 2011

Weather module working again, new Launch and Attention effects, and more...

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Weather feed down!

November 6, 2011

Weather module not working? Find out why and what is being done about it.

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Winstep Xtreme v11.6 Released!

July 6, 2011

Maintenance release of Winstep Xtreme.

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Nexus Dock v11.6 Released!

July 6, 2011

Maintenance release of Nexus and Nexus Ultimate.

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New Winstep Theme: DarkTech

June 24, 2011

Brought to you by the Winstep design team - more in-house themes currently in the pipeline.

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Winstep Xtreme v11.5 Released!

June 23, 2011

System tray icon customization, ability to mix mouseover effects, support for animated icons, and much more!

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Nexus Dock v11.5 Released!

June 20, 2011

Dock mouseover effects can now be combined with magnify effect, support for animated icons, and much more!

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Winstep Xtreme v11.2 Released!

March 14, 2011

New release featuring increased support for Microsoft's High DPI virtualization technology, and much more!

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Nexus Dock v11.2 Released!

March 14, 2011

New release featuring increased support for backgrounds of 3rd party docks, preserving aspect ratio of image thumbnails, and much more!

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Start Menu Organizer v1.5 Released!

March 14, 2011

New release adding more languages and increasing compatibility with 64 bit versions of Windows!

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Winstep Xtreme v10.9 Released!

October 14, 2010

Major release featuring nine new incredible dock mouseover effects, five new menu opening animations, Windows 7 "Superbar" ability with window previews and aeropeek capability on docks, horizontal sub-docks, and much more!

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Nexus Dock v10.9 Released!

October 8, 2010

Major release featuring nine new incredible dock mouseover effects, Windows 7 "Superbar" ability with window previews and aeropeek capability, and much more!

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Nexus featured at Download.com!

October 8, 2010

Nexus featured on the front page of Cnet's Download.com!

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Start Menu Organizer v1.4 Released!

August 9, 2010

Version 1.4 fixes an issue in which the Pro version of the program could stop when expanding the Administrative Tools group and adds support for 23 languages.

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Winstep Xtreme featured at Download.com!

July 18, 2010

Winstep Xtreme has been featured on the front page of Cnet's Download.com, not once, but twice!

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Winstep Xtreme v10.6 Final Released!

July 13, 2010

Roughly 1 year in the making, the official upgrade to Winstep Xtreme v9.5 is finally here!

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Nexus Dock v10.6 Released!

July 13, 2010

Maintenance release of our free popular Winstep Nexus dock.

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Winstep announces strategic alliance with Proxma AG!

July 13, 2010

Proxma AG will market Winstep products in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

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Start Menu Organizer v1.3 Released!

July 2, 2010

New version of the Winstep Start Menu Organizer featuring support for even more languages.

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Welcome to our new web site!

June 15, 2010

The Winstep web site gets a brand new face to match the quality of our products.

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