The topic Microsoft finally re-adds refreshing File Explorer to the right-click menu is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
I think one of my most annoying grievances with Windows 11 is its right-click menus. For some reason, when moving from Windows 10 to 11, some right-click options remained, some got stuffed into a “Show more options” menu, and others still just flat-out didn’t appear until you used the legacy right-click menu.
Well, it seems Microsoft is finally getting the memo. In the latest Experimental build, a hidden option re-adds the ‘Refresh’ button to the File Explorer right-click menu. Plus, the ‘Print’ option is emerging from its “Show more options” limbo.
This discovery was made by PhantomOfEarth on X, who regularly dives into preview builds on the hunt for features that have been added but hidden from public view. This time around, they’ve spotted that the option to refresh File Explorer, which prompts Windows to reload the view and is especially handy if a file seems to be ‘missing’, has been put back on the right-click menu. It was previously only available on the Desktop for revealing missing icons.
The change is hidden on the Experimental build right now, so it’ll be a little while before it arrives on release, but it’ll be a welcome return for sure.
PhantomOfEarth also discovered that the right-click option to Print has moved up from the “Show more options” menu to the main one, which should mean one less click to get that document printed off.
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