Microsoft Enhances File Explorer and Taskbar Flyouts in Microsoft is refining both the appearance and performance of File Explorer in the latest Windows 11 preview builds. Alongside these improvements, the company is testing a much-anticipated customization feature for taskbar flyout panels.
In the newest Dev Channel build, Microsoft has expanded dark mode support across more elements of File Explorer. It now extends to panels for copying, moving, and deleting files, as well as confirmation and error dialog boxes. These changes aim to create a more uniform experience by eliminating the jarring white panels that previously appeared during dark mode use.
These updates were first discovered hidden in older test versions but are now being rolled out to more users for testing.
Meanwhile, in the Canary builds Channel, Microsoft has made adjustments to improve File Explorer’s responsiveness. The company notes that cloud file launching and right-click context menu loading are now faster. Many Windows 11 users have long complained about lagging context menus, so this change could bring noticeable performance benefits.
Another welcome addition is a new setting allowing users to move hardware indicator flyouts for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different parts of the screen. By default, these panels appear at the bottom center, but the new options let users reposition them to the top center or top left.
This enhancement offers better control, particularly for users who find the bottom-centered volume slider obstructs subtitles or captions during video playback. While this addition improves flexibility, the inability to move the taskbar itself remains one of the most requested Windows 11 features.
In Windows 10, users could relocate the taskbar to the top or sides of the screen, but Windows 11 continues to restrict its placement to the bottom. Despite repeated community feedback, Microsoft has yet to bring back this feature, so it remains to be seen how it all plays out in the end.
