Microsoft is making some changes to File Explorer in Windows 11 that will make it less cluttered and launch faster. The latest dev preview build of Windows 11 includes File Explorer preloading “to help improve File Explorer launch performance,” and changes to the context menu to reduce the amount of space taken up by less commonly used actions.
Hopefully the preloading of File Explorer should mean that Microsoft’s file and folder management tool launches faster on systems where performance is hindered. On modern PCs this is almost instant, but I’ve definitely noticed it loading slower on less powerful devices like Windows handhelds and tablets.
You will be able to disable File Explorer preloading so that it doesn’t always run in the background. After all, most PCs won’t need to preload File Explorer. This is similar to the work Microsoft did with its Office apps earlier this year to improve Word’s startup speed with a scheduled task that runs silently when you boot your PC so Office apps can open quickly.
The File Explorer context menu changes will be welcome on fast and sluggish PCs. Microsoft is reducing clutter in the context menu by moving actions that are rarely used to sub menus. There’s a new management file flyout that includes compressing files to zip, copying as a path, setting as desktop background, and rotating right or left.
The cloud file options have also been moved to a separate cloud provider flyout, where you’ll also find Send to My Phone. The changes mean that the context menu now looks much cleaner, and frequently used actions should be easier to find.
All of these changes are being tested in the latest Dev Preview builds of Windows 11, so they should be rolled out to all Windows 11 users in early 2026.
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