Explorer with Ribbon in Windows 8

Windows 8 will deliver a series of changes affecting the Windows Explorer too, but few of them will relate to the interface the file manager sports at the moment.

Windows Explorer will feature the ribbon interface that Microsoft adopted for Office a few years ago, though it will be minimized by default.

Not everybody likes the ribbon interface or the idea of having it around in Windows Explorer as well, and Microsoft is aware of that. However, the company says that those who are against the ribbon are few, while the many approve it.

Moreover, the company suggests that there are third-party tools designed to enable them to set new interfaces to their Windows PCs.

“We do embrace the notion that third-party tools play an important part in the Windows experience,” Ilana Smith, a lead program manager on the Engineering System team, notes in a recent blog post.

In Windows 8 Beta, the ribbon will be minimized by default, unlike in Developer Preview. Thus, users will be able to discover functionality on their own, Ilana Smith explains.

Data collected internally at Microsoft (see charts embedded below) shows that tech-savvy users would go with either the minimized or with the maximized ribbon, but that Explorer users would rather have it maximized.

“For lighter file browsing scenarios, we can provide a UI with reduced distractions, and still trust that users who want to really exercise Explorer functionality will maximize and leverage the ribbon,” Ilana Smith notes.

Moreover, Microsoft concluded that users who minimize the ribbon tend to take advantage of hotkeys. When hitting the Alt key, keytips will appear, and will also point at keyboard shortcuts for those who are fond of them.

“The ribbon provides new ways to access functionality via the keyboard with keytips (those floating cues that pop up when you hit Alt), but traditional shortcut keys like Ctrl+V remain the most efficient method,” Ilana says.

Another important feature that will arrive in Windows 8 Beta will revolve around user personalization. People will only have to configure Explorer options once.

“If you maximize your ribbon, and add Undo and Map Network Drive in your Quick Access Toolbar, we want your Explorer to look like that every time,” Ilana notes.

“For the beta release, we’ve added Explorer settings to the attributes that are roamed to your other Windows 8 PCs.” When going to the “Sync your settings” UI, this will show up under “Other Windows settings,” just as in the last image below.