Microsoft says it’s engaged on a serious redesign of all present legacy dialog containers in Home windows 11, and it’s going to be greater than only a darkish theme. Proper now, Home windows barely has trendy (WinUI 3)-based pop-ups or dialogs, as many of the working system falls again to the legacy aspect. This can change within the subsequent huge replace.
Microsoft has repeatedly advised us that it plans to essentially enhance the working system. When Microsoft says “basic enhancements,” it refers back to the areas that actually matter, together with reminiscence administration, total efficiency, a constant design language, and extra.
We’re already seeing efficiency enhancements with options like Low Latency Profile and a extra dependable explorer.exe.
As for design, Microsoft not too long ago rolled out darkish mode to a few of the legacy dialogs in Home windows 11, beginning with file operation dialogs.
If you happen to haven’t seen it but, strive turning on darkish mode if it’s disabled, after which carry out file operations, resembling transferring all of your information from one partition to a different. The brand new file switch with a darkish background is straight away seen.
Comparable darkish mode enhancements have rolled out throughout the working system over the previous few months, together with file copy, delete, reduce, and different file operations.
It is a step above having light-themed legacy dialogs in darkish mode, nevertheless it’s removed from being trendy until it’s changed with a WinUI 3 counterpart.
A fantastic instance is Home windows Run, which was developed a long time in the past and is now being redesigned utilizing WinUI as an optionally available replace.
It appears like Microsoft is planning to proceed pursuing that path, if a brand new assertion by a senior government is something to go by.
Microsoft teases main design replace for Home windows 11
As first noticed by Home windows Newest on X, one person argued that modernizing the Run dialog is a superb step, however Home windows nonetheless has many older dialogs that want greater than a recent coat of paint.
One person pointed to examples just like the widespread file open dialog, which is the dialog that exhibits up while you’re making an attempt to browse a partition for information, folders, or a sure path.
One other person tagged a number of Microsoft Home windows workers and requested for these older dialogs to be up to date. Fortunately, one of many executives responded to the query and promised {that a} main redesign effort is certainly underway.
March Rogers, who’s Companion Director of Design at Microsoft, says the corporate is working by means of its checklist of older dialogs and rewriting them in WinUI.
March added that Microsoft has already redesigned the file copy dialog internally, and it’s additionally engaged on the widespread file dialog.
“We’re working by means of our checklist of all older dialogs and rewriting them in WinUI 3,” March wrote in an X put up. “The file copy dialog is already carried out, the widespread file dialog is on our checklist.”
Microsoft hasn’t reworked these legacy dialogs in a long time, so it is going to be fascinating to look at the way it performs out.
However trendy WinUI-based options are slower than legacy Win32 options, so will this rewrite harm Home windows 11’s efficiency?
If you happen to haven’t been following Home windows improvement carefully, you would possibly argue that WinUI will use extra reminiscence and undermine Microsoft’s efforts to make Home windows 11 sooner.
It’s a good argument, as trendy apps or redesigns are certainly slower, and probably the greatest examples is File Explorer. However is that also the case? File Explorer in Home windows 11 25H2 with the Might 2026 Replace is far sooner than the unique modernization efforts, largely as a result of WinUI has made important progress.
For instance, the brand new Run dialog is being rewritten in WinUI, and also you’d assume that it should be slower than the present Run dialog, however that’s not the case. New Run is quicker than the legacy model by just a few milliseconds.
According to Microsoft, legacy Run median time-to-show is 103ms, whereas trendy Run masses in slightly below 94ms. Whereas it’s not an enormous quantity on paper, it does let you know that the trendy UI framework isn’t essentially sluggish any longer, and if Microsoft rewrites legacy dialogs in WinUI, it wouldn’t actually wreck Home windows 11.
The implementation simply must be carried out the precise manner, and based mostly on my dialog with a few senior executives at Microsoft, it’s already taking place.
Microsoft is slowly working with its companions, builders, and others to make these UI surfaces really feel snappy.
Microsoft understands a few of you’re keen on the legacy aspect of Home windows, and it’s not going to wreck it for you
The unique Home windows Run dialog has been constructed with legacy UI/API (Win32), and it really works properly sufficient. All of us have totally different use circumstances for Run. Some use it for what it’s designed to do: run a command or open a particular listing, whereas others use it to take away formatting from textual content.
Microsoft doesn’t need to wreck it, so it developed a contemporary model and made it totally optionally available, which must be turned on from Superior settings within the Settings app.
I wouldn’t be stunned if the opposite trendy dialogs ship as optionally available options initially, and Microsoft takes all of your suggestions earlier than transport them because the default.
Do you suppose it’s a good suggestion to rewrite legacy dialogs in WinUI? Let me know within the feedback under.