Microsoft recently rolled out a new Windows 11 build that enables a brand-new look for File Explorer. This new design has a more streamlined UI for the address bar, and it also improves the Home page, especially for users with an Azure Active Directory.

However, as the company tends to do, this feature is only enabled for a subset of Insiders in the Dev channel, even if you install the latest build. Thankfully, enabling this new look is fairly easy with ViveTool GUI. If you want to try the new File Explorer in Windows 11 for yourself, we're here to help you do just that.

How to use ViveTool GUI to enable the new Windows 11 File Explorer

ViiveTool GUI is a program that can enable hidden features in Windows builds. It's based on ViveTool, which is a command-line tool, but we prefer the GUI version for ease of use, though it's maintained by a different developer. Either way, that's what we'll be using for this guide on enabling the new File Explorer design in Windows 11 build 23475 or newer:

  1. Download ViveTool GUI from GitHub. Either the portable or setup version will work.
  2. Install or extract the program, and then run ViveTool GUI.
  3. Click Manually enable a feature (F12) at the top of the window.
    Screenshot of ViveTool GUI with the Manually change a Feature button highlighted
  4. Enter 42105254 and then click Perform Action then Activate feature.
    Screenshot of ViveTool GUI enabling feature ID 42105254
  5. Click Close when you see the confirmation message.
  6. Repeat the process for the following features: 40950262 and 41076133.
  7. Restart your computer.

Once your computer boots back up, you should be able to see both the new Home page and the redesigned address bar in File Explorer. If you have an Azure Active Directory account, you should now see Recommended files in a carousel at the top of the page, and you'll soon be able to see thumbnails for those files.

If you'd like to learn more about other Windows Insider features, check out our hub for all the Windows 11 features currently in preview. You may also want to stop by our Windows 11 update tracker to stay on top of all the latest updates.