Over the past few years, I’ve highlighted tons of Windows concepts designed by Windows enthusiasts, including “Windows 12.2” and more. But what if Microsoft rebuilt File Explorer from the ground up for Windows 12?
YouTuber and concept designer Abdi (aka AR 4789) shared an intriguing Windows 12 design with a bias on the File Explorer. As expected, the design gives the File Explorer a modern look, which aligns with Microsoft’s Fluent design language (via Neowin).
The File Explorer icon on the Taskbar remains pretty much the same, but it would add new features like Collectzone, which, as Abdi highlights, allows users to drag and drop items that belong to the same category into a collection, which can also be pinned on the navigation pane.
This concept design also adds Widgets to the File Explorer that highlight your content and collections across the app, alongside showing how much storage your files and folders have taken up on your drives.
File Explorer itself would also have a consistent dark theme, which is arguably better than Microsoft’s current setup in Windows 11 that Zac Bowden describes as “embarrassingly incomplete with common UI interfaces still brightly colored when dark mode is enabled.”
Windows 12’s imaginary File Explorer app also features a redesigned Properties UI and a file restoration experience, with photos getting a glow-up with a new feature called Filmstrip view, which is essentially a carousel that lets users jump between images.
Of course, Generative AI is in there, too. An AI-powered search experience would help users find content by understanding their intent and context, rather than just matching file names. You could also assign your folders and icons different colors for better categorization and identification.
💬 Could Microsoft give File Explorer the upgrade it deserves?
As always, this is just a concept design that could represent (even in part) some of Microsoft’s plans to revamp its File Explorer app in Windows in the future.
To be honest, I’m even adding it to my Windows 12 wishlist. I want to see it happen.
If Microsoft built this AI-powered File Explorer for Windows 12, how would you feel? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.
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