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Microsoft promised that it’ll steer Windows 11’s development in the right direction by scaling back Copilot integration and focusing on core components. What’s more ‘core’ than File Explorer? Microsoft now says it’s preparing a big update for File Explorer that would allow it to run faster, address ‘white flashes,’ add new archive support, and more.
Microsoft has rolled out Windows 11 Build 26200.8313 to testers in the Release Preview Channel, and I’ve been testing it for the past 24 hours.
In our tests, Windows Latest observed that File Explorer is in better shape than before, as it loads faster and no longer flashes a white background in dark mode.
Build 26200.8313 is only available for Windows Insiders, but all changes in this update will become available to the general public with the April 2026 optional update. If you don’t install monthly optional updates, you’ll get faster File Explorer and all other fixes, including more reliable folder views, in the May 2026 Patch Tuesday update.
Windows 11 May 2026 Patch Tuesday update is scheduled for May 12, 2026, and it’ll begin rolling out at 10 AM PT.
File Explorer feels faster and no longer causes white flash in dark mode
In our tests, Windows Latest observed that File Explorer feels faster, especially when you launch it for the first time after booting to the desktop.
Right now, File Explorer is a big mess on low-end hardware, and it’s quite evident in the recording below.
File Explorer takes a couple of seconds to finish loading, and that happens on the second or third attempt as well.
Thankfully, File Explorer is now a bit faster in the preview builds, and it’s not due to preloading that Microsoft previously tested for File Explorer. Preloading means File Explorer would launch automatically in the background to reduce load time.
In this case, it looks like Microsoft has made File Explorer itself faster, not just in performance, but also in how it handles Windows 11 themes.
I use File Explorer in dark mode, and I’ve configured it to open with the ‘This PC’ tab, not the default ‘Home’ tab, because it’s faster that way. However, if File Explorer is set to open ‘This PC’ in dark mode, you’ll notice white flashes when you open it, create new tabs, or switch folders from the This PC view.
You’ll also experience a white flash when you try to resize File Explorer’s Details pane.
The good news is that Microsoft has finally managed to patch these white flashes when File Explorer is in dark mode. The fix is included in Windows 11 Build 26200.8313 or newer.
Moreover, Microsoft is adding support for new archive formats. This means you can now right-click on file formats like xar and nupkg (NuGet packages) to extract their content. The full list of newly supported archive formats includes cpio, uu, xar, and nupkg.
Microsoft says it’ll add more archive support and improve performance in a future update.
Explorer.exe no longer crashes as frequently as it did in the past
Microsoft has improved the reliability of explorer.exe-related processes, and it could actually make Windows 11 more stable.
When you interact with File Explorer and suddenly close its window, the explorer.exe process won’t take a hit. Right now, sometimes, when closing File Explorer or booting Windows, the taskbar and system tray flyouts start crashing or lagging, largely due to explorer.exe issues.
This week’s preview update should make interacting with taskbar flyouts and even Task View more reliable. In fact, Microsoft confirmed that unpinning items from File Explorer’s Quick Access menu is more reliable after the update
In addition to all these performance improvements, Microsoft is adding the following features to File Explorer:
- Ability to preview internet downloaded files by clicking ‘Preview anyway.’
- The search bar in File Explorer now uses the same iconography as the rest of Windows 11.
- Right now, if you set a certain folder view, such as adjusting it by icon size, it reflects immediately. But when you access the same folder/path from another app, such as Microsoft Edge, Windows ignores your preferences and goes back to the default filters for sorting. This has now been fixed.
It’s all part of Microsoft’s efforts to make Windows a better operating system, and as expected, it’s not just words.
Microsoft is actively testing these improvements, and most changes highlighted above will begin rolling out in May 2026.
The post Microsoft is giving Windows 11 File Explorer a speed boost, dark mode fix, and reducing explorer.exe crashes appeared first on Windows Latest
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[[{“value”:”Microsoft now says it’s preparing a big update for File Explorer that would allow it to run faster, address ‘white flashes,’ and more.
The post Microsoft is giving Windows 11 File Explorer a speed boost, dark mode fix, and reducing explorer.exe crashes appeared first on Windows Latest”}]] Read More Windows Latest