This week, Windows 11 marked its second anniversary and the end of the initial release, version 21H2, which was infamous for its lack of polish and certain features. However, Windows 11 also introduced new things, such as a redesigned File Explorer, which later received tabs support and plenty of modernized UI elements and features.
The Windows 11 Moment 4 update Microsoft released to the general public in late September brought one of the biggest updates to File Explorer since the initial release. In February, we published an article detailing the top 10 features and changes Windows 11 users want Microsoft to add to File Explorer. Now, it is time to compare the requests with what Microsoft delivered.
| Request | Changes |
|---|---|
| Make File Explorer faster when performing common actions. | Made it worse. Intentionally or not, Microsoft did the opposite. Although the redesigned File Explorer looks better, it suffers from severe performance issues even on the latest and powerful hardware. |
| Revamp the Properties window and add dark mode support. | Unchanged. |
| Support more archive formats. | Delivered. File Explorer in the Windows 11 Moment 4 update supports many different archive formats, such as RAR, 7Z, TAR, and more. Many think this is the best change in the update. However, those frequently working with archives may still prefer dedicated software. Our tests showed that File Explorer is much slower than WinRAR and 7Zip. |
| Improve design consistency. | Delivered (partially). The Moment 4 update introduces more modern UI bits for File Explorer, such as the address and search bar, toolbar, and more. In addition to looking better, they work better with touchscreen devices. There is a catch: the updated address bar no longer supports drag and drop. |
| Redesign the disk storage usage indicators. | Unchanged. |
| Make File Explorer display how much space each folder takes. | Unchanged. |
| Allow dragging tabs between different File Explorer windows. | Delivered. |
| Merge context menus and remove the "Show more options" button. | Unchanged. |
| Add a "Refresh" option to the context menu. | Unchanged. |
| Let users set the "Show more options" view as the default. | Unchanged. |
Now, here are the File Explorer changes Microsoft introduced in the Moment 4 update:
- Gallery. A new section where you can browse all your photos stored locally and in OneDrive.
- Details Pane. A redesigned Details pane with extra information about a file and related activity.
- Better OneDrive integration. You can click the OneDrive icon in the address bar to check your storage, sync status, backup files, and more.
At the end of the day, we have three feedback pieces addressed fully or partially. The six most popular requests remain unchanged, and one took a massive step back. In addition, Microsoft introduced three new features to improve your productivity.
File Explorer is now more capable, but its performance issues and the lack of drag-and-drop support for the address bar will make many users think twice before upgrading. You might not care about the latter (Microsoft claims few people use it), but you will surely notice that the new Explorer is not fast and snappy. With performance improvements being the most popular request, Microsoft failed the only job it had.
Interestingly, there is no escape from the new Explorer—Moment 4 will become a mandatory update in November 2023. Whether you want it or not, Microsoft will force-update your Windows 11 PC unless you are willing to mess with Windows Update settings and stay away from security updates.
Hopefully, things will change for the better. Almost every Windows 11 preview build contains File Explorer-related improvements, so maybe the hope is not lost.