Hallelujah! A moment that has been waiting for a long time (years really), has finally become reality. Starting today, the Windows 11 file explorer satisfies a historic demand from its users, adopting a feature that has been present for decades in other operating systems, as well as in other types of applications. I admit that the emotion intoxicates me, and that I just opened Apple Music to put We Are The Champions on a loop, while I open a beer (non-alcoholic, which I’m working on) and a can of olives stuffed with anchovies, to enjoy this anniversary as it deserves.
Okay, okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit (plus, I’m having a milk tea, so the beer and olives don’t quite add up), but we’re definitely talking about the consummation of a wait of many months, if we start to count since Microsoft confirmed that it was already in it, and that grows to the magnitude of years if we start counting from when users began to demand it. It is probably, the most historic lawsuit against Microsoft by Windows 11 usersbut also many of its predecessors.
Although in principle its arrival was planned by the hand of Windows 11 22H2, as you will remember it finally left the list, being summoned, without a specific date, to Moments 1 or Moments 2. This change is part of the improvements that Microsoft wants to bring to the process update of the operating system, which was fully confirmed when we found out that, although they were not activated by default, Windows 11 22H2 already had the tabsand you could activate them very easily.
Now, it is not the same to activate them on your own, and with the risks that this may entail, than to know that their deployment has obtained the nihil obstat by the engineering team and that, therefore, its time has come. And such is the case then, as has been officially confirmed on the Windows blog, Windows 11 explorer tabs are now available with the latest update of the operating system. However, and as with Windows updates, its deployment will be progressive.
This is not, moreover, the only novelty that comes from the hand of this update, moreover, there are others that are almost as remarkable as the browser tabs. And so much so that, in some way, we can almost consider this Moments 1 as the second part of Windows 11 22H2. They are the following:
- Amazon App Store: I don’t think it’s necessary to explain how expected this feature was, right? Well, after a time present exclusively in the United States, it finally makes the leap to other geographies, among which is Spain. In this way, we will finally be able to install Android apps on Windows directly from the Microsoft Store, instead of having to download them from third-party repositories and perform manual installations. This is the list of countries that this update reaches, although unfortunately it will not land in any of Latin America yet.
- Taskbar overflow and easy access to Task Manager: We already told you about this improvement a few months ago, when it was seen in the systems of some insiders, and today it reaches the production version of Windows 11. On the one hand, when the taskbar is unable to display the icons of all the applications open at that moment, those that overflow will be shown grouped in a new space. And, on the other hand, it will also provide more direct access to the task manager, which prevents us from having to resort to the usual Control + Alt + Delete to invoke it.
- Suggested actions: Another function that we also knew was on the way is this, and it is that Windows 11 will analyze the content that we are seeing and, if it identifies an element such as a phone number or a date, it will suggest actions related to them, such as calling by phone or put on the calendar.
- Share with more devices: Windows 11 expands the list of devices with which you can share files directly. This feature is available in the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool (screenshots), Xbox, and other applications.
- New photos app: although in this case there is a catch, and it is that despite depending on this update, its deployment will still take a few days to start. In it we will find new functions to facilitate the organization of photos, a new memories function, in the style of those that we can already find in other operating systems and online image storage services and, finally (although this will begin to be deployed in November), the possibility of importing images from the iPhone without having to use other applications for it. It will be necessary, yes, to have the iCloud software for Windows installed.
Microsoft also mentions, in the post, the arrival of the ESPN app to the Microsoft Storesomething that will be great news for sports lovers.
So, as I said at the beginning, I would personally call this update Windows 11 22H2 part 2, since it largely completes what we expected from the first major update to Windows 11. Will it help speed up its rate of adoption? We will still have to wait a bit to verify it, but just for lack of details, the feeling, at least mine, is that Windows 11 has finally earned the right to be considered a complete upgrade from Windows 10.
