Leaked screenshots show the new Windows Explorer

The explorer in Windows 11 has since the beginning had a slightly different user interface compared to Windows 10 and older versions of the system. Now the program is about to get another big update.

In recent months, information has trickled out from Microsoft that it will be the biggest news since Windows 8, and now Windows Latest obtained and published screenshots from an internal test version of the new Explorer. The news matches what Microsoft teased at the Build 2023 conference.

Microsoft has rewritten the program using the modern WinappSDK framework, which gives it access to several useful APIs and features that were not available before. Here are the news expected when the update is released later this year:

• New navigation bar at the top with path, search field and button to move forward, backward and up in the folder hierarchy.

• Significantly faster search function.

• Microsoft 365 functions baked into the Explorer, for example with the share button in the details panel.

• New details panel in the same design language as Windows 11.

• New gallery view to preview and navigate photos.

Another nice news is that tabs become more powerful and you can, for example, drag and drop to move tabs between different windows or place them outside in a new window. The update is expected to arrive with version 23H2, which is scheduled for fall 2023.