Is File Explorer in Windows 11 popping to the front for you? You’re not alone

Opinion: It wants a little too much time in the spotlight

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We’re only a few days into 2023, and already a new bug inWindows 11has been frustrating some users, myself included. It’s all to do with File Explorer windows moving themselves to the front of your desktop when you’re using another app.

According toWindows Latest,Microsoftis aware of the issue and is working on a fix, but some users have reported instances where, for example, they’ve been on aZoomcall, and a File Explorer window would appear, obscuring the meeting window.

I’ve had similar experiences, where, for instance, I’d be playingBioshockthroughSteaminWindows 11, and File Explorer would rear its unwelcome head.

Astabsin File Explorer were a feature that many users had been waiting for for a long time, it’s disappointing that they appear to have arrived with bugs in tow.

Did File Explorer need more time in the Insider oven?

TheTabs feature in File Exploreris something that I, along with a lot of other users, had been waiting for since it was announced back in April 2022. While it was made available for some members of the Windows Insider program, which allows users to try out features that are in development, several months ago, we had to wait seven long months for the feature to be rolled out to all users.

However, issues like this one suggest to me that Microsoft needed to spend even more time working on this feature to get it right. Having to wait for a feature to arrive is frustrating enough, but finding that a feature doesn’t work as you expected it to when it finally doesn’t roll out, and coming across annoying bugs, compounds that frustration.It’s been reported that Microsoft is looking to bring new features to Windows 11 at a faster pace this year, ahead of a possible launch ofWindows 12in 2024; but, while we’re all for that in principle, if it wants to avoid incurring the wrath of users time and again, its developers are going to have to redouble their efforts to ensure that bugs are ironed out before features are rolled out to users.

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Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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