6 New Windows 11 File Explorer Features You Should Know in 2026

You may interact with Windows 11 File Explorer almost every day. Since Windows 11 was released, Microsoft has quietly improved how File Explorer handles tabs, file sizes, archives, previews, and common file-management tasks. Some of these changes are small, but they can make a noticeable difference. You can open folders in new tabs more quickly, understand file sizes at a glance, keep your preferred Home layout, and work with more archive formats without installing another app. There are also a few security-related changes worth knowing, especially when previewing files downloaded from the internet. In this guide, we’ll look at six Windows 11 File Explorer features worth trying if you haven’t noticed them yet.

1. File Explorer Can Open Folders in New Tabs Faster

File Explorer tabs are useful when you regularly work with multiple folders. Instead of opening a separate Explorer window for every location, you can keep several folders inside the same window and switch between them.

Windows 11 now makes this tabbed navigation more convenient. You can middle-click a folder to open it in a new tab. Microsoft has also expanded middle-click support to folders on the Home page and locations entered through the Address Bar.

For example, you could keep your Downloads, Documents, and project folder open in separate tabs. This makes it easier to copy or move files between locations without filling your desktop with multiple File Explorer windows.

How to Open a Folder in a New Tab

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Go to the folder that contains the folder you want to open.
3. Click the folder with the middle mouse button (or mouse wheel).
4. File Explorer opens that folder in a new tab.

You can still use a normal left-click to open the folder in the current tab.

This is a small change, but itis especially useful if you frequently work between two or more folders.

2. File Sizes Are Easier to Read

With the recent Windows 11 26H2 update, File Explorer has also received a simple change that makes file sizes easier to understand. In Details view, Windows 11 can now display file sizes in more appropriate units, such as KB, MB, and GB, instead of showing sizes only in KB.

For example, a small document might appear as 250 KB, while a large video could show as 2.4 GB. You no longer have to mentally convert a large KB value to get an idea of how much space a file takes.

This is a small change, but it helps when you’re looking through a folder with many files and trying to quickly identify which ones take up the most space.

To see the new file-size formatting:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Open a folder containing your files.
3. Select View > Details.
4. Look at the Size column.

The change is especially helpful when you’re cleaning up a drive or looking for large files to delete or move.

3. File Explorer Home Remembers Your Layout

File Explorer Home can now remember whether you expanded or collapsed its sections. That means you don’t have to rearrange the Home page every time you open File Explorer.

For example, if you collapse a section you rarely use, File Explorer remembers that choice. When you return to Home later, the section stays collapsed instead of opening again.

This is a small usability improvement, but it makes Home feel more consistent if you have a preferred layout.

Microsoft has also made other refinements to the Home experience, including improved thumbnails and fixes for issues such as unexpected scrolling and, in certain situations, duplicated OneDrive files.

4. More Archive Formats Work Directly in File Explorer

Windows 11 has been expanding File Explorer’s built-in support for archive formats. In addition to common formats such as ZIP, 7z, and TAR, Microsoft has added support for additional formats including UU, CPIO, XAR, and NuGet Packages (.nupkg).

This means you can work with more compressed file types directly from File Explorer instead of installing a third-party archive utility.

Depending on the archive type, File Explorer can offer extraction options, including an Extract all command for supported archive folders. Microsoft has also continued improving the extraction experience for non-ZIP archives.

If you regularly download software packages, developer files, or archives in less-common formats, this expanded support can save you from installing another program just to open a file.

However, this doesn’t mean File Explorer replaces every dedicated archive tool. Advanced users may still need third-party software for features such as advanced compression settings, encryption, or specialized archive formats.

5. Downloaded File Previews Are Safer

File Explorer’s Preview pane has received an important security-related change for files downloaded from the internet. Microsoft introduced this behavior after disabling automatic previews for internet-downloaded files to reduce security risks. The original change was designed to reduce the risk of NTLM credential information being exposed when potentially unsafe files were previewed.

In newer Windows 11 updates, the Preview pane handles these files differently. For HTML files downloaded from the web, File Explorer can show a warning and provide a Preview anyway button. You can use the button when you trust the file and want to preview it. Microsoft says it can now automatically preview supported non-HTML files, such as PDFs.

The important point is that Preview anyway isn’t a warning you should simply ignore. If you don’t recognize the file or aren’t sure where it came from, it’s safer not to preview it.

This change lets you preview a trusted downloaded file while keeping the security warning for potentially risky content.

6. File Explorer Handles Files and Folders More Reliably

Some of the most useful File Explorer changes aren’t new buttons or visible features. Microsoft has also worked on smaller issues that can make Explorer frustrating to use.

Recent updates have improved folder-view consistency, file renaming, the Address Bar, and the Details pane.

For example, Windows 11 can now preserve your view and sorting preferences when applications open File Explorer directly to locations such as Downloads and Documents. Previously, the folder could open with different viewing or sorting settings depending on how you reached it.

File renaming has also received several refinements. Microsoft has addressed issues where text could repeatedly be selected while renaming files and where case-only filename changes weren’t immediately reflected in folder views. Background synchronization is also less likely to interrupt a rename.

The Address Bar has been improved as well. It now supports a wider range of path inputs, including paths containing quotation marks and double backslashes. Microsoft has also fixed issues involving the Address Bar suggestion list and situations where its contents could disappear when entering edit mode.

The Details pane has also been reorganized so file properties are easier to find, while Microsoft has improved the reliability of thumbnail previews for cloud files.

These changes may not seem significant individually, but they address everyday frustrations that you can encounter when working with files and folders.

Keep Windows 11 Updated for the Latest File Explorer Changes

Many of these File Explorer improvements have rolled out through regular Windows 11 updates rather than one major File Explorer redesign. That means the features available on your PC can depend on your Windows version, installed updates, and Microsoft’s gradual rollout.

If you want to make sure your PC has the latest available improvements, go to:

Settings > Windows Update

Then select Check for updates.

If an update is available, install it and restart the PC when required. Microsoft has continued improving File Explorer across Windows 11 updates, including the latest releases.

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