Microsoft is redesigning Windows 11's default app selector tool

As part of a broader WinUI/Fluent Design push for Sun Valley 2, Microsoft is testing a small tweak to a component that is particularly important and frequently used when managing files on Windows 11. The "Application Selector", which allows users to select an application file, is being updated with a new modern design.

Currently, when you try to open a file with an unknown extension, a pop-up window appears on the screen asking you to choose an application that is compatible with the file you are trying to view. The pop-up window is called "Application Selector".

The file launches in any application set as the default program. If you want to change the default application for a specific file type, you can do it in Settings, or you can open File Explorer and right-click the file you want to modify. For example, you can right-click a .txt file and select a third-party application from the pop-up menu.

Pop-up menus are currently based on Windows 8 design principles, but the tech giant is finally testing a redesigned App Chooser with Windows 11’s Fluent Design.

Functionality remains the same, so you can still simply click on the file and select a specific application once, or you can enable Always Option to open file types with specific applications. "Find another app.." gives you the option to search the Microsoft Store to find and select another app that isn't available in the app picker.

As you can see in the screenshot above, Windows 11’s new App Picker fits in with the company’s plan to apply Fluent Design and WinUI everywhere.

Everything is slightly larger than before, and the app selector makes better use of the available space. Users also don't have to deal with Windows 8 design when it comes to choosing default apps for specific file types.

Overall, this is a very nice improvement, and it is currently available in the development channel of the Windows Insiders program to some users using Windows 11 Build 22563. It's worth noting that the design changes will benefit all applications.

Other areas such as File Explorer's built-in "File/Application Picker Tool" are not there yet, and they still use the Windows 7-era design language, although File Explorer-related design changes may take time to promoted to consumers.

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