File Explorer to get Fluent Design revamp with Windows 10 April 2020 update

The new File Explorer will also support tabbed windows. (Source: Michael West)

Microsoft plans to implement the new Fluent Design framework across the entire Windows 10 OS, and File Explorer appears to be the next part to get the new look. Apart from new transparent and reworked visuals, File Explorer will finally support tabbed windows and sets. This revamp is scheduled to be introduced with the 2020 major update.

by Bogdan Solca, 2019/03/26

Windows Software

When Windows 10 was launched back in 2015, the interface was very similar to the Windows 8.1 one, but Microsoft promised to release yearly updates that would change the look and feel over time. The more noticeable design changes came with the introduction of the Fluent Design framework in 2017, which aimed at delivering “intuitive, harmonious, responsive and inclusive cross-device experiences and interactions.” Microsoft has been constantly revamping parts of the OS with the new look ever since, and, according to HTNovo, the latest essential Windows feature to get the upgrade is File Explorer.

The Fluent Design revamp has a fair number of fans, but there are quite a few users who dislike the new UI framework due to its more resource-intensive nature, thus preferring to stick with the Windows 7 interface. File Explorer received a dark mode treatment in 2018 to match the new settings panel, but this was just a minor update. The Fluent Design revamp will add transparent left-side panels, right-click context menus and title bars, plus a few new functional features like tabs and sets, as shown in a recent tweet from Microsoft’s Windows Design MVP Michael West.

This new look is scheduled to be implemented in the April 2020 update. Still, members of the Windows Insider program will be able to test it sooner, possibly right after the release of the April 2019 update.