{"id":13094,"date":"2026-04-22T04:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/microsoft-has-been-trying-to-fix-windows-11s-annoying-white-bug-in-file-explorer-for-over-2-years-has-it-finally-done-it\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T05:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:32:13","slug":"microsoft-has-been-trying-to-fix-windows-11s-annoying-white-bug-in-file-explorer-for-over-2-years-has-it-finally-done-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/microsoft-has-been-trying-to-fix-windows-11s-annoying-white-bug-in-file-explorer-for-over-2-years-has-it-finally-done-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft has been trying to fix Windows 11&#8217;s annoying white bug in File Explorer for over 2 years: Has it finally done it?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-364bda60-6475-411e-9b54-bdc6108db381\">The latest Microsoft Windows 11 release preview build includes a change that finally fixes the annoying white flash problem of File Explorer that appears whenever you open the app in dark mode. It&#8217;s a long story that we hope will eventually be resolved, because this is not the first time that Microsoft has said that this will be fixed.<\/p>\n<p>From what I can find, Microsoft first said that the white flash problem in File Explorer was fixed two years ago, in a Beta build released in August 2023: <em>&#8220;Fixed white light in dark mode when switching between home and gallery.&#8221;<\/em> A month later, another correction was observed in the structure of the Dev channel studied <em>&#8220;Fixed an issue where when you launch File Explorer with a dark theme you can see a bright white light as content loads.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-364bda60-6475-411e-9b54-bdc6108db381-2\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">So the issue was fixed from 2023, so why is it fixed again? Well, Microsoft seems to have broken the fix when it started rolling out the dark mode update back in December. Update<em> <\/em>KB5070311 introduced another dark mode interface, but also brought back the previously fixed white light issue.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-continues-below block py-2 text-sm\">The article continues below <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"inline-block w-2.5 h-2.5 ml-2\" fill=\"currentColor\" preserveaspectratio=\"xMidYMid meet\" viewbox=\"0 0 1000 1000\"><path d=\"M1000 100L500 900 0 100h1000z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><\/p>\n<p>            You might like it<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">That said, this issue was quickly resolved by Microsoft, which means that there is another white light issue that Microsoft is addressing with the latest Windows 11 Release Preview Build. The change reads as follows: <em>&#8220;Removes the white flash when launching File Explorer in dark mode when File Explorer is set to launch on this PC or when resizing the details pane.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-a11d88b9-0a48-4c79-a51f-e366bfe102fc\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:3038px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pyfeM55as54YPZs2FAZfsM-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pyfeM55as54YPZs2FAZfsM-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pyfeM55as54YPZs2FAZfsM-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pyfeM55as54YPZs2FAZfsM-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pyfeM55as54YPZs2FAZfsM-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pyfeM55as54YPZs2FAZfsM-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">This is an issue that has plagued File Explorer for years. <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Windows Central)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-6d5a3624-b304-4ad4-b02a-d8da5b5fb46f\">Little by little, Microsoft is addressing all areas of File Explorer that flash users a white screen when in dark mode. It&#8217;s interesting that it takes so long to complete the work, and you&#8217;d think it could be done in one fell swoop. But it turns out that File Explorer is more complicated than that.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike other areas of the Windows 11 interface, File Explorer is a mish-mash of old and new UI elements spanning decades. The app has modern WinUI features on top, but the actual file management and folder view uses very old UI frameworks used with older versions of Windows.<\/p>\n<p>This combination of old and new interfaces created many headaches, including graphical inconsistencies such as white flashes that continue to plague the app to this day. Microsoft is working to improve both the functionality and UI consistency of File Explorer this year, but they have a lot of work ahead of them before many consider it a great place.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-kX4tZ8kx5vMGQH5pgZXDui\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-kX4tZ8kx5vMGQH5pgZXDui slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The good news is that I can confirm that the preview build of the latest release also fixes the white flashing issue, and I can&#8217;t find any area of \u200b\u200bthe app still flashing white right now, which is great. There are still many areas of the straight-up File Explorer interface that don&#8217;t support dark mode yet, such as File Properties, but sources tell me that this will be addressed soon.<\/p>\n<hr id=\"elk-05a96c6b-289c-4e6f-b174-fcd09c7d89d2\"\/>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure pull-left inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1672px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:29.96%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj.png\" alt=\"Click to join us on r\/WindowsCentral\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-1200-80.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-1024-80.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-970-80.png 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-650-80.png 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-480-80.png 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj-320-80.png 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj.png\" class=\"pull-leftinline\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-cbdee8c8-1984-44a2-90f5-b33e94d90227\"><em>Join us <\/em><em>Reddit at r\/WindowsCentral <\/em><em>to share your information and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr id=\"elk-49b392f8-a297-474a-8364-cf24c443b040\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The latest Microsoft Windows 11 release preview build includes a change that finally fixes the annoying white flash problem of File Explorer that appears whenever you open the app in dark mode. It&#8217;s a long story that we hope will eventually be resolved, because this is not the first time that Microsoft has said that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13095,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to-tips"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13094"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13096,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13094\/revisions\/13096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}