As Microsoft continues to enhance the File Explorer experience in Windows 11, users have noted a growing sense of bloat within the application. Despite its sleek design updates, many find the new File Explorer to be less responsive than its predecessor from Windows 10. Furthermore, several essential features seem to be absent in this latest iteration.
Reviving the Classic Experience with Wintoys
For those feeling disenchanted with the new File Explorer, the Wintoys application offers a refreshing solution, allowing users to revert to the classic File Explorer interface with just a single click. My recent exploration of the Wintoys app revealed it to be one of the standout utilities for Windows 11, particularly for power users eager to customize their operating system.
The recently released Wintoys version 2.0.81.0 introduces a host of enhancements, chief among them the ability to activate the classic File Explorer on Windows 11. Users can easily download the Wintoys app for free from the Microsoft Store, ensuring they have the latest version installed. Once set up, navigating to the Tweaks section and expanding the File Explorer menu allows for a seamless transition back to the classic interface.
By simply toggling the “Classic interface” option and selecting “Restart” from the left pane, users can restore the familiar Ribbon menu, which provides quick access to a variety of tools. My testing of the classic File Explorer on a Windows 11 machine confirmed that all Ribbon functionalities operated smoothly.
Additionally, Wintoys enables users to activate the classic context menu under the Desktop section, further enhancing the nostalgic feel of the traditional File Explorer. However, it is worth noting that while the classic version is relatively quicker, it does not quite match the lightning-fast performance of the original File Explorer from Windows 10.
This performance discrepancy may stem from the reliance on WinUI 3 and XAML frameworks, which, while effective for modernizing the title bar, still depend on legacy components that can introduce processing overhead. In a peculiar twist reported earlier this year, a bug in File Explorer inadvertently improved its speed when users entered full-screen mode, prompting criticism of Microsoft’s handling of legacy code.
Despite these challenges, Wintoys provides a straightforward pathway to enjoy the classic File Explorer on Windows 11, potentially with enhanced performance. Beyond this feature, the latest version of Wintoys also offers the ability to uninstall Microsoft Edge, a task that is typically restricted through conventional methods.
