There are a lot of changes in the Windows 11 2022 Update, which you may also know as Windows 11 Version 22H2. This is the first major update to Windows 11 since its debut in October 2021, and there are many improvements to various aspects of the experience. One of them is File Explorer, which is a core component of Windows. Windows 11 2022 Update brings some design improvements and new features to File Explorer, both at launch and in future updates.
In fact, Microsoft is also rolling out a new cadence of minor updates with the Windows 11 2022 Update, so some changes to File Explorer are slated for an October update. This includes tabs (similar to those you would find in a web browser) and a few other design tweaks. These changes are already available to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel, so we’ll cover them all here. We’ll split them up into what’s new at launch and what’s coming later. Let’s start.
What’s new in File Explorer in Windows 11 2022 Update
We’ll start with the changes to File Explorer that you can now take advantage of in Windows 11 2022 Update. This is a relatively small set of improvements, but there are still a few notable changes worth pointing out.
A new home page
With the Windows 11 2022 update, the default page for File Explorer is changing. What used to be called Quick Access has now been renamed Home, and the page itself has seen a few changes. At the top is a quick access section where you can see your pinned folders as well as the folders you access most often.
Below that is a pinned files section that has been newly added. If you have files that you want to work with frequently, you can pin them to Start for quick access when you need them. Below that, just like before, you’ll see a list of recent files, including recent files from OneDrive and any SharePoint servers you may have access to.
You’ll also notice a new filter option in the File Explorer toolbar on this new home page. Now you can easily filter by different document types such as Word, Excel or PDF files, so you can quickly find what you are looking for.
New context menu functions
The modern context menu in Windows 11 tried to simplify things since the classic context menu had a lot of options that aren’t commonly used. Initially, however, some important ones were missing, and Microsoft addresses that in this update.
If you have a support font file, the first thing you can do now is find one To install Option directly in the context menu of the file explorer. This also applies to certificates (.cer) and system information files (.inf), so installing these types of files is now much easier.
Also in This PC File Explorer section, the context menu that appears when you right-click an empty area of the window now includes an option to map a network drive. You can also right-click an existing network drive for easier disconnection.
On the desktop, Microsoft has also enabled the modern context menu for the recycle bin.
While these additions aren’t enough to make the modern context menu appealing to you, you can now open the classic context menu more easily as well. You can hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while right-clicking to go straight to the classic menu without seeing the modern menu.
OneDrive storage
Finally, another update you might like in File Explorer has to do with OneDrive specifically. Now when you open your OneDrive folder, you will see a OneDrive icon in the toolbar. If you click on it, you will see how much of your cloud storage space you are using and how much you have left.
Which is later coming to File Explorer in Windows 11 2022 Update
As mentioned above, some changes to File Explorer are coming with another update coming later in October. One of them is tab support, which has been in high demand for a number of years.
File Explorer tabs
Getting straight to the point – File Explorer finally gets tab support, much like what you’ve come to expect from your browser. When the update rolls out with this change, you’ll notice it the first time you launch File Explorer. Once you open it, you will see that a tab is open at the top and you can click the + button to open a new one.
Just like your browser, there are also some keyboard shortcuts you can use, e.g Ctrl + T to open a new tab, or Ctrl + W to close the open tab. However, not every shortcut is supported – for example, if you accidentally close a tab, you won’t be able to reopen it with Ctrl + Shift + T. At least not in the current iteration.
However, some mouse functions are also supported. If you have a scroll wheel mouse, clicking on a folder with the scroll wheel will open that folder in a new tab. You can also middle-click a tab to close it.
This is a feature that doesn’t need much explanation, but its usefulness is immediately apparent. Microsoft has tried many times in the past to implement this and now it’s finally coming.
Reorganized navigation area
A smaller but also welcome change coming with the October update has to do with the navigation pane on the left side of File Explorer. Microsoft cleaned up and made some big changes. Now the Home section is no longer expandable, and you’ll see both Home and OneDrive at the top of the navigation pane. Below that you’ll see your quick access folders from Home, which have their own section instead of collapsing under Home.
At the bottom of the navigation pane, you’ll see This PC and This Network. The This PC folder has also been optimized so that you no longer see your libraries such as documents or pictures. Because these folders are pinned to Quick Access by default, Microsoft removes the duplicate content and cleans up the navigation pane. However, this change also applies to the This PC view when you open it in File Explorer, which brings your drives and shared folders to the fore.
This can be a little inconvenient if you accidentally detach your documents, pictures, or other libraries, but you can always recover them. You can find them in your operating system drive by going into the user Folder, and then open the folder that points to you. You’ll find different folders here, but the default libraries have special icons so they should be easy to spot.
And that’s all the new File Explorer in Windows 11 2022 Update has to offer. There are some big and very welcome changes here, and while they’re not all available right now, you won’t have to wait long. If you’re looking for more help on new features in Windows 11 2022 Update, check out our guides on using touch gestures or Start menu folders in this release.
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