Last month I reported on Microsoft's plan to revamp the File Explorer on Windows 11. It now seems one of the features Microsoft is working on is a photo gallery integrated directly into File Explorer. This feature is already in Windows 11 preview builds, although it is currently hidden.
Microsoft watcher Albacore found the new feature flagged in Windows 11 build 25300, which is currently available to Insiders.
Of course, File Explorer can already display images in the “Pictures” folder mainly, but also in any other folder. Currently, these are displayed as icons or thumbnails. It seems the new feature will be much more like a proper gallery, showing larger images instead of just small thumbnails.
It will also offer more functionality, such as being able to sort through images in a timeline. It will also allow users to customize which photos they see. It also has a search function, but it does not seem to be an image search.
New File Explorer
The new File Explorer feature is in hidden pre-testing, so there may be some issues. Of course, you will need a third party tool to access the feature as it is currently not live.
Microsoft has been making tweaks and improvements to File Explorer for several years, starting in Windows 10 and extending into Windows 11. The company has already brought previews and tabs to the tool. Alongside the gallery, other new abilities are coming.
The recommendations addition that I reported on last month is also included. It is unclear what this feature will be. It could either be a folder recommendation component or a way for Microsoft to advertise other services within File Explorer.
Tip of the day: Whether it's for a presentation, song, or YouTube video, at some point in your life you'll need to record audio from your computer. Windows 11 has multiple options to record sound due to its litany of apps. In our tutorial, we show you how to record audio using the built-in Windows 10 Voice Recorder and the freeware audio editor Audacity.
