diff --git a/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/Native.cs b/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/Native.cs
index edf3c062dc..5a4b480b6c 100644
--- a/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/Native.cs
+++ b/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/Native.cs
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ public sealed partial class Native
 
         void GetParent(out IShellItem ppsi);
 
-        void GetDisplayName(SIGDN sigdnName, out string ppszName);
+        void GetDisplayName(SIGDN sigdnName, out IntPtr ppszName);
 
         void GetAttributes(uint sfgaoMask, out uint psfgaoAttribs);
 
@@ -173,12 +173,9 @@ public sealed partial class Native
             return (IShellItem)obj;
         }
 
-        public static void Free(IntPtr? managed)
+        public static void Free(IntPtr managed)
         {
-            if (managed != null)
-            {
-                Marshal.ReleaseComObject(managed);
-            }
+            Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(managed);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/ShellLocalization.cs b/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/ShellLocalization.cs
index a57fe1e092..830b00065d 100644
--- a/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/ShellLocalization.cs
+++ b/src/modules/cmdpal/ext/Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps/Utils/ShellLocalization.cs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Concurrent;
 using System.IO;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using static Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps.Utils.Native;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps.Utils;
@@ -45,7 +46,16 @@ public class ShellLocalization
             return string.Empty;
         }
 
-        shellItem.GetDisplayName(SIGDN.NORMALDISPLAY, out var filename);
+        shellItem.GetDisplayName(SIGDN.NORMALDISPLAY, out var filenamePtr);
+
+        // get filename from ptr
+        var filename = Marshal.PtrToStringUni(filenamePtr);
+        Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(filenamePtr);
+
+        if (filename == null)
+        {
+            return string.Empty;
+        }
 
         _ = _localizationCache.TryAdd(lowerInvariantPath, filename);