Microsoft has begun testing a faster File Explorer and a redesigned, more customizable context menu in Windows 11 preview builds for Insiders this week. The changes, detailed in a Monday blog post from the File Explorer team, are aimed at improving speed, performance, and reliability while addressing issues reported by customers. The new right-click menu is designed to be quicker, less cluttered, and more adjustable than previous versions, with a new "Customize menu" shortcut at the bottom that links directly to a Settings page for user preferences.
Microsoft said it has continued refining File Explorer based on user feedback, focusing on making everyday tasks feel more natural and predictable. For example, file renames are no longer interrupted by background file synchronization, and case-only filename changes now display immediately. The company also announced an updated context menu that reduces top-level clutter, keeps commonly used actions easily accessible, and introduces a new Settings experience for controlling which items appear in the menu.
These updates build on earlier efforts to boost Windows 11 File Explorer performance, including a set of improvements rolled out in April. In November, Microsoft also began testing an optional feature that preloads File Explorer in the background to shorten launch times, which users could disable by unchecking "Enable window preloading for faster launch times" in Folder Options under the View tab. The new changes follow a similar optional Startup Boost feature for Microsoft Office apps that was introduced in May 2025, which launches a scheduled Windows task at system logon to speed up Office app startup.
On the same day, Microsoft announced it is removing the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool, starting with Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, as well as the Windows 11 beta builds released this week. WMIC is known as a LOLBIN, or living-off-the-land binary, meaning it is a legitimate system tool that cybercriminals have frequently abused in attacks. The removal is part of Microsoft's broader security efforts, though the company did not provide additional specifics in the announcement.
For US users, these changes affect how they interact with one of the most-used parts of Windows 11 on a daily basis. The context menu customization option gives American consumers and enterprise IT teams more direct control over their workflow, while the performance tweaks target common frustrations like slow file renaming. The WMIC removal also has implications for US security teams, as the tool has been a known vector for malware activity in domestic networks.
