Microsoft hopes to make Windows 11 faster by decoupling functionality from explorer.exe

Windows Task Manager

If you are a long-time Windows user, you will know that several processes or functions in the operating system are related to File Explorer Union. While explorer.exe should only be associated with file management, it is also associated with other parts of the Windows experience, such as the taskbar, which is not a good thing for performance.

Microsoft has been taking steps to decouple features like the taskbar, notification center, and more from File Explorer (explorer.exe). The integration between the desktop and explorer.exe is one of the operating system's bottlenecks, as heavy resource-intensive file operations can make unrelated features like the taskbar unresponsive.

Even worse, if your explorer.exe process crashes, it can also cause the desktop and several other features to crash. Of course, this can be fixed if you restart the process itself, but Windows 11 desktop crashes can be significantly reduced if the functionality is detached from explorer.exe Explorer in Task Manager. exe

Microsoft has now started to separate the "Impressive Shell" from File Explorer.

For those unfamiliar with Windows development, the Impressive Shell was added to Windows with Windows 8 and was originally responsible for features like the Charms Bar. Impressive Shell is associated with a process named "ShellAppRuntime.exe", which is linked to explorer.exe.

In the latest preview build, Microsoft has been experimenting with moving Immersive Shell out of File Explorer.

This was first discovered by the developers of "Start Is All Back" who observed: "Interesting feature in dev 25252: ImmersiveShellInShellAppRuntime (id:39319758). Move immersive shell out of explorer." ShellAppRuntime.exe hasn't been started yet, but ultimately, all this subway hodgepodge might be a little more reliable."

At the time, Windows was unable to launch ShellAppRuntime.exe, but this appears to have been fixed in the latest version.

In newer versions, ShellAppRuntime.exe can now be launched independently. ShellAppRuntime.exe, which was previously linked to explorer.exe, can now start and work independently without Explorer.exe. In fact, the Search UI won't open until the ShellAppRuntime is also started.

Of course, the experience is problematic, and other aspects of the operating system are still deeply integrated into the file management process.

In the near future, Windows 11 features will live in different software processes, making it easier for Windows to run these features without relying on File Explorer. It should also reduce crashes and make the operating system faster. For example, a File Explorer crash won't destroy the entire desktop.

It’s important to understand that “Decoupling functionality from explorer.exe” is in its early stages and users won’t see or feel any changes anytime soon. In addition to performance, the move also paves the way to make the development process faster and easier.

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