Hands on with Windows 11's new leaked File Explorer feature

Microsoft is working on a new XAML-based gallery view for Windows 11 File Explorer.

This new Gallery option can be accessed via the right sidebar of File Explorer, letting you view your pictures in one place.

New Gallery View in Explorer

In a way, it's similar to the Microsoft Photos app, but Microsoft is using XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language), which brings the best of the web to desktop apps. This new Gallery view is still a work in progress and will eventually improve in a future release.

It appears that the Gallery view is optimized for touch screen devices, and BleepingComputer understands that Microsoft will expand the integration to include your pictures from OneDrive.

In the last major Windows 11 update, File Explorer got tabs feature. With tabs support, users can manage folders/directories with ease, and the experience is similar to tabs in Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft also worked on a new modern sidebar called ‘Home’, which housed options like This PC. The update also improved OneDrive integration in File Explorer, thus making it easier to find what you were looking for, allowing you to see all files in one centralized place.

You can pin and mark files as favourites like how you can already do in Microsoft 365 or OneDrive.

Additionally, Microsoft also added the contextual suggestions feature. This allows users to share files with their contacts easily.