14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already confirmed a universal app version of File Explorer, and even though this was expected to launch with the Creators Update in April, the new file manager was nowhere to be seen when the company pushed the go-ahead button for the new OS update.
And yet, it appears that the new File Explorer version is actually there, only that it’s not directly available for users who install the Windows 10 Creators Update.
In fact, Microsoft hasn’t made it widely available in Windows 10 for a good reason: the UWP version of the File Explorer is not ready just yet, so the existing implementation is still work in progress. This means Microsoft is still developing the app and it should be released in the coming months, most likely with the Redstone 3 update to launch in September.
How to enable the UWP File Explorer
Fortunately, launching the new File Explorer for Windows 10 Creators Update or later is not rocket science, and all it takes is a simple trick that involves creating a new shortcut with a special target.
So what you need to do is right-click the desktop, create a new shortcut, and in the location box, enter the following path:
explorer shell:AppsFolder\c5e2524a-ea46-4f67-841f-6a9465d9d515_cw5n1h2txyewy!App
Click Next and then complete the setup process, and when double-clicking the shortcut to launch it, you should be able to see the new File Explorer and not the Win32 version that’s been around for so long.
This new version of the file manager is also optimized for touch and is already available on Windows 10 Mobile devices with the same look and features.
It remains to be seen when Microsoft makes the new File Explorer available for everyone, but in the meantime keep in mind that this is still work in progress and certain bugs might still be experienced because of that.