Windows 10 20H1 update will finally fix File Explorer

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The soon-to-be-released Windows 10 20H1 update looks set to finally fix Microsoft’s bug-prone File Explorer experience.

Windows 10 users have long been having issues with Microsoft’s integrated Search platform. This began with the release of the Windows 10 November 2020 Update, which promised a smoother, faster search experience and brought with it major File Explorer improvements, including a dedicated files preview UI that displays web-powered suggestions of files stored in OneDrive and previews of files stored locally. 

However, the glitch-prone update also broke the search bar, disabled right-click and removed the option to delete recent searches. Some users also complained that, after installing the November update, the File Explorer window freezes and becomes unresponsive. 

"Sometimes search box is getting totally stuck,"one user complained on the Microsoft Answers website. "In Windows Explorer, it's not clickable at all, neither right-click nor left click works, until you force restart windows explorer. That fixes it for a while, until it gets stuck again…"

Fixing the problem

Although these issues haven’t been addressed in any of Microsoft’s recent updates, the company’s incoming Windows 10 20H1 update, which could launch in April, might finally fix the broken File Explorer experience.

As per Windows Latest, the update brings a number of hotfixes to iron out the bugs plaguing File Explorer’s search bar. In a newly-released build of the next major update for Windows 10, Microsoft has also reinstated the ability to delete previous search results in the Search bar – a common complaint among Windows 10 users. 

Beyond File Explorer updates, Microsoft’s first major Windows 10 update of 2020 will also give users more control over optional updates and bring with it an all-new Cortana experience with a text-based chat UI, the ability to make your device password less, and the option to rename virtual desktops.

It will, naturally, also include a bunch of security updates, including a fix for a problem whereby ActiveX content fails to load and patches for the Microsoft Edge web browser. 

Although Microsoft is yet to announce a firm release date for the update, it’s expected to land within the first two weeks of April. 

Carly Page

Carly Page is a Freelance journalist, copywriter and editor specialising in Consumer/B2B technology. She has written for a range of titles including Computer Shopper, Expert Reviews, IT Pro, the Metro, PC Pro, TechRadar and Tes.