Microsoft finishes turning File Explorer dark in latest Windows update

By Chuong Nguyen Published August 8, 2018

If you typically work in low ambient lighting conditions, Microsoft’s latest Windows Insider Preview build will help ease eye strain. The most notable feature of Windows Insider Preview Build 17733 is a new dark mode for the Windows File Explorer, which replaces the typical white background of the File Explorer window for a black one.

“With Build 17666 we started our journey bringing dark theme to File Explorer,” Microsoft said in a blog post detailing the new features of the software release. “Today’s build marks the turning point where we’ve finished what we set out to do for this release.”

Image: Microsoft

The dark theme for File Explorer was initially introduced in May, and it appears that Microsoft has completed its work on this feature. General users of Windows 10 who are not part of Microsoft’s Windows Insider program will get to experience this feature this fall when Microsoft releases its Windows 10 Redstone 5 update.

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The latest Insider Preview build is available for testers in the Windows Insider program in the Fast ring. In addition to the dark mode, the build also delivers a number of bug fixes and some general improvements for Narrator. This release doesn’t include much in the way of new features.

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As with the prior release, Microsoft also outlined a number of known bugs in this release. If you’re running Windows 10 in S Mode, the version of Microsoft Office downloaded from the Windows Store may not run properly, and Microsoft recommends that you can work around this glitch by uninstalling and reinstalling that software package. Like the previous Windows Insider Preview, users of Windows Mixed Reality headsets may need to repair their controllers.

Microsoft isn’t the only one to focus on launching a dark mode. At its developer conference earlier this year, rival Apple introduced a system-wide dark mode that will be part of the new Mojave operating system for Macs. Both Mojave and Microsoft’s Redstone 5 update for Windows 10 will be available for consumers to download this fall. Be sure to check out our guide on how to apply a dark theme for File Explorer and Windows 10 if you’re part of the Windows Insider program today.

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