Microsoft is testing tweaks to a particularly important and frequently used component when managing files on Windows 11, which will be part of Sun Valley 2’s broader WinUI/Fluent Design push. The update to the App Picker, which allows users to select an app file, uses a new modern design.
When a user opens a file with an unknown extension, a popup appears on the screen asking the user to select an application that is compatible with the viewed file. This popup is called App Picker.
All files will be started with the default open program. Of course, it is also possible to modify the default application for a specific file type through settings, or open File Explorer and right-click the file you want to modify.
The pop-up App Picker is currently based on the Windows 8 design, but recently Microsoft is testing an App Picker with a Fluent Design design for Windows 11.
Although the new App Picker, its functionality remains the same. Users can still simply click a file and select a specific application once, or you can enable the option to always use a specific application to open file types.
As shown, the Windows 11 App Picker design matches the Windows 11 Fluent Design and WinUI.
Compared to the previous App Picker design, the new App Picker is slightly larger, making better use of the available space. Users will also not see the Windows 8 design when choosing default applications for specific file types.
This new App Picker is a very good improvement, and users currently using Windows 11 Build 22563 can experience the new App Picker.
But other areas like File Explorer’s built-in “file/app selector tool” haven’t been redesigned yet, and they still use the Windows 7-era design language. It appears that the design changes related to File Explorer will take some time to roll out gradually.
