Windows 11 Settings and File Explorer app leak — see the new interfaces

Windows 11: Your guide to Microsoft's next Windows OS

Windows 11 (Image credit: Laptop Mag)

Windows 11, after months of rumors, leaks and scuttlebutt, finally got its official reveal last Thursday. Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay confirmed that the next-generation OS is on the horizon, and it's zipping its way into our PCs with an attractive makeover and host of new features.

However, the Windows 11 virtual event offered a broad overview of the OS and not too many nitty-gritty details. Fortunately, the leaks just keep on coming. New photos of Windows 11 surfaced today, revealing a new UI and a slick dark mode.

Windows 11 File Explorer

The Verge Senior Editor Tom Warren spotted a Microsoft employee tweeting screenshots of an internal Windows 11 build. The photos show the new File Explorer, Start Menu, Settings app and dark mode feature.

a Microsoft employee has been tweeting a bunch of screenshots from an internal Windows 11 build. They show the new File Explorer, Settings, and dark mode pic.twitter.com/0M8H7EkNuVJune 28, 2021

The File Explorer's UI doesn't look drastically different, but you'll find new icons, rounded edges, softer visuals, and an elegant, modern aesthetic. Plus, the dark mode looks bewitching. However, I can't help but miss the old Pictures icon; the Windows 11 one is too abstract for my tastes.

Windows 11 file explorer (Image credit: @TomWarren/Twitter)

The Start Menu is just as Carmen Zlateff (partner director of the Windows Users Experience) described it: a simple, clean and centered layout. There's a Recommended section that makes it easier for users to jump back into recent workflows and a Pinned section that enables users to "bookmark" their favorite apps.

Windows 11 Settings app

Finally, the screenshots showed off the sleek new Settings app; options are more organized and sectioned off into a professional, urbane layout. There are drop-down menus that let users sift through additional settings.

Interestingly, the Microsoft employee is using Windows 11 on the Surface Studio 2, which packs a 7th Gen Intel Core i7-7820HQ CPU. However, according to Microsoft, the supported Windows 11 processors must be 8th Gen or later.

Warren informed his Twitter followers that Microsoft doesn't enforce system requirements on its employees during the beta phase.

Look out for Windows 11 this holiday season and check out all of our coverage on the next-gen OS below.

More Windows 11 news

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!