Microsoft to Hide Multiple Folder Options from Windows File Explorer

[AleksandarK]

Microsoft published its Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23481 a few weeks ago. However, the latest build preview came with a big change, primarily targeting the File Explorer. Microsoft's File Explorer for Windows 11 serves as an interactive tool to explore files and access their locations. However, Microsoft developers have released a preview build for insiders that removes some folder options from File Explorer. The following will no longer appear under "Folder Options": Hide Folder Merge conflict; Always show icons, never thumbnails; Display file icon on thumbnails; Display file type information on Folder tips; Hide protected OS files; Show drive letters; Show popup description for Folder and Desktop items; Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color; Use sharing wizard.

The company explains the reason for these changes: "We are removing a handful of old settings under Folder Options in File Explorer as part of an effort to clean up the number of settings for File Explorer. Many of these are legacy settings that have been around for ages and are not being regularly used by people on Windows 11." However, there are some promising signs, as these settings can still be accessed via registry keys. It is not entirely gone, just much more difficult to enable.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[ymdhis]

So now you can't turn off thumbnails and can't set it to show OS files. What next, files with the Hidden attribute will not be possible to show either? Maybe permanently hide the file extensions?

 

[AusWolf]

When there's nothing more you can add, just take something away. Genius!

I've never liked the idea of Windows 11, but now I'm utterly disgusted by it.

 

[Chrispy_]

Ruining the OS to appease the ignorant and clueless masses isn't the answer. Those features are still VERY IMPORTANT INDEED. If not to the people Microsoft is targeting, at least to the competent users that have to help and support those people.

I don't understand why Microsoft doesn't just have a toggle button in the interface that switches between "simple mode" and "advanced mode". If they did that they could have had a legitimate excuse for the schizophrenia introduced to the UI from Windows 8 onwards....

 

[64K]

Not a big fan of Win 11. Seems that MS just set out to complicate things over Win 10 for no reason. For example right clicking on a file. To use the most commonly chosen options, Send To, Copy, Delete, you have to click on "choose more options". It's not a big deal but it just doesn't make sense to have to click on "choose more options" to get to the most commonly chosen options.

I look for MS to move things around in Win 11 for no good reason and try to tighten up their control over what the user can do and increase their spying ability and call it Win 12

or......we could be just following the MS historical pattern

Good: Win 95
Not so good: Win ME (you really screwed that one up MS)
Good: Win XP
Not so good: Vista
Good: Win 7
Not so good: Win 8
Good: Win 10
Not so good: Win 11
Good: Win 12 ?????

 

[Wirko]

Is there an app for Windows that does the same as the old TweakUI, the one from the nineties, did? It exposed many UI settings that MS didn't (but were otherwise changeable through registry editing). Nothing more and nothing less than that.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Just because you can get to them from the registry doesnt mean you should be removing them from your UI. "were cleaning up the legacy view" is such an insanely stupid move, your crayon eating target audience doesnt know these exist nor how to get to them, stop ruining it for power users!

Not a big fan of Win 11. Seems that MS just set out to complicate things over Win 10 for no reason. For example right clicking on a file. To use the most commonly chosen options, Send To, Copy, Delete, you have to click on "choose more options". It's not a big deal but it just doesn't make sense to have to click on "choose more options" to get to the most commonly chosen options.

I look for MS to move things around in Win 11 for no good reason and try to tighten up their control over what the user can do and increase their spying ability and call it Win 12

or......we could be just following the MS historical pattern

Good: Win 95
Not so good: Win ME (you really screwed that one up MS)
Good: Win XP
Not so good: Vista
Good: Win 7
Not so good: Win 8
Good: Win 10
Not so good: Win 11
Good: Win 12 ?????

More like:
Good: Win 95
Not so good: Win ME (you really screwed that one up MS)
Good: Win XP
Not so good: Vista
Good: Win 7
Not so good: Win 8
Stockholm Syndrome: Win 10
Trash: Win 11
Abysmal night after gas station sushi: Win 12 ?????

Windows 10 isnt good. People think its good now, but the vast majority of the issues windows 7 users had with 10 have either not been addressed or been made worse. It's still a cluster of an OS with split up system menus, forced updates, system breaking auto driver updates, ads forced into your start menu, ece.

 

[R0H1T]

No guarantee this will ship in stable releases! Calm yourself folks

 

[Deleted member 185088]

Here's an idea, create a version of Windows say called Home for users that don't require lots of features/options and another let's call it pro with ALL the options available. On the one hand people used to phones can easily navigate Windows and power users can tinker Windows to their liking.

 

[64K]

Just because you can get to them from the registry doesnt mean you should be removing them from your UI. "were cleaning up the legacy view" is such an insanely stupid move, your crayon eating target audience doesnt know these exist nor how to get to them, stop ruining it for power users!


More like:
Good: Win 95
Not so good: Win ME (you really screwed that one up MS)
Good: Win XP
Not so good: Vista
Good: Win 7
Not so good: Win 8
Stockholm Syndrome: Win 10
Trash: Win 11
Abysmal night after gas station sushi: Win 12 ?????

Windows 10 isnt good. People think its good now, but the vast majority of the issues windows 7 users had with 10 have either not been addressed or been made worse. It's still a cluster of an OS with split up system menus, forced updates, system breaking auto driver updates, ads forced into your start menu, ece.

I see Win 10 as an improvement over Win 8 from user feedback that I've read over the years. Having never used Win 8 I'm not speaking from personal experience though.

 

[Marcus L]

Not a big fan of Win 11. Seems that MS just set out to complicate things over Win 10 for no reason. For example right clicking on a file. To use the most commonly chosen options, Send To, Copy, Delete, you have to click on "choose more options". It's not a big deal but it just doesn't make sense to have to click on "choose more options" to get to the most commonly chosen options.

I look for MS to move things around in Win 11 for no good reason and try to tighten up their control over what the user can do and increase their spying ability and call it Win 12

or......we could be just following the MS historical pattern

Good: Win 95
Not so good: Win ME (you really screwed that one up MS)
Good: Win XP
Not so good: Vista
Good: Win 7
Not so good: Win 8
Good: Win 10
Not so good: Win 11
Good: Win 12 ?????

Windows 98 is sad

 

[R0H1T]

No it was the best Windows ever!

 

[lemonadesoda]

Many of these are legacy settings that have been around for ages and are not being regularly used by people on Windows 11.

right there! the stupidity of MS spying through telemetry. Smart people turn off telemetry. Fools and idiots don't know or don't care and leave it on. RESULT = MS optimises Windows features to the lowest common denominator of those with telemetry on.

 

[ymdhis]

Not a big fan of Win 11. Seems that MS just set out to complicate things over Win 10 for no reason. For example right clicking on a file. To use the most commonly chosen options, Send To, Copy, Delete, you have to click on "choose more options". It's not a big deal but it just doesn't make sense to have to click on "choose more options" to get to the most commonly chosen options.

I look for MS to move things around in Win 11 for no good reason and try to tighten up their control over what the user can do and increase their spying ability and call it Win 12

or......we could be just following the MS historical pattern

Good: Win 95
Not so good: Win ME (you really screwed that one up MS)
Good: Win XP
Not so good: Vista
Good: Win 7
Not so good: Win 8
Good: Win 10
Not so good: Win 11
Good: Win 12 ?????

You can freely mix the release orders any way you want, skipping entire versions, to make the pattern hold up. For example 95 was horrible (tolerated at best even with OSR2), 98 was bad but 98SE was pretty good for the time, 2k was great, XP was somewhere between horrible and a huge joke on release but by SP3 it was decent-ish, Vista had some bugs on release but most of the problems came from hardware vendors screwing people over, Win7 was great but it was only really Vista with a new taskbar and a now mature hardware ecosystem (and not all software defaulting to running as admins), etc... Win8 was considered crap and 8.1 a big improvement but I haven't used either, and Win10 was reviled and a decade later all it achieved was moving 2/3rds of the settings in a new settings panel (a move that is still not complete).

I think the real pattern here is that most Windows versions start so shit that people like the previous versions more, but after a few service packs they get good enough that everyone forgets and the cycle repeats. The only releases that have loved from release to their end was 2000 and 7.

 

[wheresmycar]

uh oh.... now the Win 10 end of support 2025 deadline seems more terrifying.

I agree with Chrispy_, Win 11 should adopt "basic mode" by default and the option of enabling "advanced mode" at the switch of a button. This makes more sense opposed to eliminating features.

 

[64K]

uh oh.... now the Win 10 end of support 2025 deadline seems more terrifying.

I agree with Chrispy_, Win 11 should adopt "basic mode" by default and the option of enabling "advanced mode" at the switch of a button. This makes more sense opposed to eliminating features.

Win 12 may be out before Extended Support ends for Win 10 but imo we are stuck with Win 11 at least for a little while after support for Win 10 ends because Win 12 on release could be a mess. We will have to wait and see.

 

[wheresmycar]

Win 12 may be out before Extended Support ends for Win 10 but imo we are stuck with Win 11 at least for a little while after support for Win 10 ends because Win 12 on release could be a mess. We will have to wait and see.

When support ended for win 7 I ended up upgrading all of our desktops and laptops to 10. Hope it lasts way longer than 2025

 

[JAB Creations]

No guarantee this will ship in stable releases! Calm yourself folks

Yeah people! Just because someone is getting robbed doesn't mean they'll get killed just because they said they would! Put your sidearms away and trust in the mental soundness of the crimina...your best friend you've been able to trust since the first day you met them about 37 seconds ago.

 

[Isaak]

I use at least two of those options. There is no legitimate reason to do this other than inconvenience users, and their justification is demented. Die in a ditch Microsoft.

 

[Wirko]

What is that Windows "12" that everyone is talking about? Microsoft has never been able to keep a consistent naming scheme for more than two consecutive releases of client-side Windows. 10, then 11, then 12 would be too orderly, too boring.

 

[Tomorrow]

So now you can't turn off thumbnails and can't set it to show OS files. What next, files with the Hidden attribute will not be possible to show either? Maybe permanently hide the file extensions?

These options still exist in the registry. For some reason they are hidden from the UI.

Is there an app for Windows that does the same as the old TweakUI, the one from the nineties, did? It exposed many UI settings that MS didn't (but were otherwise changeable through registry editing). Nothing more and nothing less than that.

Winaero Tweaker

The ultimate all-in-one tweaker for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.

winaerotweaker.com

 

[AusWolf]

I look for MS to move things around in Win 11 for no good reason and try to tighten up their control over what the user can do and increase their spying ability and call it Win 12

That's actually what they did with 11 after 10. There was absolutely no reason to release it, just like there is absolutely no reason to upgrade to it (it's more like a downgrade anyway).

 

[TheDeeGee]

Next feature should be hiding Windows 11 itself.

 

[Marsil]

glad Apple is close to make Windows games playable on mac, I'll do the switch to mac once they do!

 

[ExcuseMeWtf]

Yeah people! Just because someone is getting robbed doesn't mean they'll get killed just because they said they would! Put your sidearms away and trust in the mental soundness of the crimina...your best friend you've been able to trust since the first day you met them about 37 seconds ago.

No guarantee this will ship in stable releases! Calm yourself folks

Wanna bet?
People here are vocal minority. 90+% of users didn't even know those options exist, and even if they did, they wouldn't give a crap what happens to them.