Windows 11 Dev Build 25290 has a hidden feature you may want to try
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Microsoft’s last Windows 11 Dev Insider Build 25290 introduced tons of new features or changes alongside bug fixes and improvements. However, Microsoft did not point out some noteworthy changes currently hidden in the latest Dev build. Even though they are hidden, you can enable them in a few quick steps.
As spotted by PhantonOcean3 on Twitter, Build 25290 comes with a minor improvement to the tab experience in Windows 11 File Explorer. The latest Dev build allows you to drag a File Explorer tab out and open a new window, a common feature in modern web browsers. It’s currently hidden, so you cannot see the change even if you are a Windows 11 Insider with the latest Dev build installed.
Apart from allowing you to drag File Explorer tabs to open a new window, it also makes it possible to drag tabs between windows, which is, again, a very common feature in web browsers. These improvements in File Explorer tabs are not as exciting as a new feature, but they alleviate the overall tabs experience in Windows 11.
Build 25290 includes a neat new hidden feature letting you drag a tab in File Explorer out of one window to open it in its own new window!
vivetool /enable /id:39661369 pic.twitter.com/qMkUs7bj1j
— PhantomOcean3 ?? (@PhantomOfEarth) February 1, 2023
It is also worth pointing out that these hidden features in File Explorer tabs can be enabled with a single Vive ID. If you running Dev Build 25290, follow the below steps to improve the tabs experience in File Explorer:
- Download ViveTool GUI from GitHub.
- Install the app.
- Open the app and search for feature ID 39661369.
- Enable it.
After following the above steps, you should be able to see the changes in File Explorer. However, there is a reason Microsoft has not released it to Insiders, and the reason is that the experience is still quite buggy.
These changes will eventually come to the Windows 11 Insiders in future builds. So, if you are not too enthusiastic about something as minor as this, you can wait until it becomes available for all Windows 11 Dev Insiders.
