And not just on the desktop, as it’s the case right now

Dec 11, 2021 08:15 GMT  ·  By

Windows 11 comes with modern context menus, but on the other hand, it also sports changes that aren’t everybody’s cup of tea.

For example, the original version of the operating system lacked the popular refresh option in the context menu pretty much everywhere, therefore making it impossible for users to refresh the content they’re looking at.

The only way to refresh a folder or the desktop was to access the old context menu options, also linked in the modern version of the context menu, though it goes without saying that an extra step for such a simple task isn’t by any means convenient.

Microsoft eventually addressed this shortcoming on the desktop, bringing the refresh menu option back for Windows 11 users. However, this only happened on the desktop and not everywhere across the OS.

Other ways to refresh folders

But a feedback post in the Windows Feedback calls for Microsoft to make it happen in folders as well, with the suggestion already receiving over 300 upvotes.

Microsoft engineer Jen Gentleman has already responded to the suggestion, though she hasn’t confirmed that the refresh button is returning everywhere across Windows 11. Gentleman, however, highlighted other methods to refresh the files in a folder.

“Appreciate the feedback - it's been shared with the team for future consideration. While Refresh isn't currently a top level option when right clicking a folder in File Explorer, for what it's worth, you can click the refresh button directly in the address bar without having to open the context menu at all (and for those who prefer keyboard access, you can press F5 to refresh a folder),” she said.

Of course, there’s no confirmation of a possible return of the refresh option in folders, but most likely, it’s probably just a matter of time until this happens given this is such a minor update anyway.