Microsoft has released a new developer preview of Windows 11 that speeds up and makes it easier to view photos in Windows File Explorer, PetaPixel reports.

In the preview version, users can directly browse the Photos app’s image library while viewing files and folders in File Explorer.

Microsoft calls the new File Explorer feature “Gallery”. The new “Gallery” view is a display option within File Explorer, and by default shows users the same collection of images they would see when using the “All Photos” view in the Photos app.

Last September, Microsoft completely revamped its Photos app for Windows 11, giving it an improved user interface, a new gallery view, a better “Memories” feature, and more.

“Gallery is optimized for accessing your most recently taken photos. If you have OneDrive Camera Roll Backup set up on your phone, photos you take will show up automatically at the top of the view. You can choose which folders are shown in Gallery through the Collection dropdown. You can also add subfolders of existing sources to filter to a subset of your content, such as desktop backgrounds and SD card/camera imports,”

Microsoft explains.

What the company wants to explain is that even though the default view shows all photos in the Photos app, users can control how their images are displayed in the new File Explorer gallery view.

The “Gallery” function is also available from the “Select File” dialog. This makes it easy for users to find and select images for use in a PowerPoint presentation, email attachment or when creating social media posts.

The new version of Windows 11 also includes other changes and enhancements, including new login options, improved Narrator functionality, additional privacy and security settings, bug fixes, better accessibility controls, and more. However, there are also some difficulties with Gallery, such as occasional user experience issues, incorrect rendering of certain file types such as HEIC, real-time update issues, and more.