Microsoft will make Windows 11 faster by excluding processes and functions from explorer.exe

Microsoft is going to eliminate several processes or functions from Windows that are related to File Explorer. Interaction of explorer.exe with other elements of the system, such as the taskbar, negatively impacts performance.

Microsoft is taking steps to separate features like the taskbar, notification center, and others from explorer.exe. The integration between the desktop and explorer.exe is one of the bottlenecks in the operating system. So, a crash in explorer.exe also crashes the desktop and some other features.

Microsoft has begun separating Impressive Shell from File Explorer. The first was added in Windows 8. Impressive Shell is associated with a process called "ShellAppRuntime.exe", which in turn is associated with explorer.exe.

In the latest preview builds, Microsoft is trying to remove the Immersive shell from File Explorer. This was first noticed by the "Start Is All Back" developers, who discovered the corresponding function ImmersiveShellInShellAppRuntime (id: 39319758). It didn't run ShellAppRuntime.exe, but that seems to have been fixed in recent releases. In newer builds, it is possible to run ShellAppRuntime.exe on its own and independent of explorer.exe. In fact, the search UI won't open until ShellAppRuntime is running.

In the near future, Windows 11 features will live in a different software process, making it easier for them to run features without having to rely on File Explorer. It should also reduce crashes and speed up the operating system, as well as greatly speed up and simplify the development process.

Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced a new tabbed interface in File Explorer.