Microsoft just flipped the switch on a long-awaited File Explorer upgrade, embedding AI-driven “actions” directly into the right-click menu. Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta channels can now right-click any supported image file and instantly blur backgrounds, erase objects, remove subjects, or launch a Bing Visual Search—without opening a separate app. Document summarization and FAQ generation are next, turning File Explorer into a one-stop command center for AI-assisted tasks.

The move arrives via Windows 11 Build 26200.5603 (Dev) and Build 26120.4151 (Beta), part of a broader push Microsoft calls “a new generation of Windows experiences.” Alongside the AI actions, the builds introduce a redesigned Advanced settings page, a text extractor shortcut for Snipping Tool, and a revamped widgets board powered by Copilot.

AI Actions Land in the Context Menu

The star of the update is undeniable. Right-click any .jpg, .jpeg, or .png file in File Explorer, and a new “AI actions” submenu appears. It currently serves up four image-centric shortcuts:

  • Bing Visual Search – Identify landmarks, plants, products, or find similar images across the web.
  • Blur Background – Opens the Photos app, automatically detects the subject, and blurs everything else. Sliders let you fine-tune intensity or paint over areas manually.
  • Erase Objects – Taps into Photos’ Generative Erase feature to remove unwanted elements with a brush stroke.
  • Remove Background – Hands the file off to Paint, which instantly cuts out the subject and delivers a clean cutout.

These aren’t just quick fixes. They eliminate the repetitive “open app, find menu, apply effect, save” dance that bogs down daily workflows. A product marketer can now clean up a screenshot for a presentation directly from File Explorer. A social media manager can remove a messy background from a product shot in seconds, never leaving the file grid.

Document Actions: Summarize and FAQ Generation Next

Image editing is just the opening act. Microsoft says document-level AI actions will roll out “over the course of the coming weeks” to Insiders who meet specific licensing requirements. The initial batch includes:

  • Summarize – Generate a Copilot-powered summary of a document without opening Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or a PDF reader. Supported file types span .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, and even .loop files. This requires a Microsoft 365 subscription with a Copilot add-on.
  • Create an FAQ – Copilot turns a file into a formatted Q&A list, ideal for building knowledge bases, meeting prep, or quick-start guides. Initially, this works only for commercial Microsoft 365 tenants with Copilot (Microsoft Entra ID accounts). Consumer support with a Microsoft account is promised “later.”

Both document actions demand enrollment in the Microsoft 365 Insider Program and that the PC be on the Beta Channel for Windows updates. That multi-layered gating may frustrate home users, but it reflects the tight coupling between Copilot’s cloud processing and enterprise compliance requirements.

Ask Copilot: Query Files Without Opening Them

A companion addition—visible in the same context menu—is “Ask Copilot.” Selecting it uploads the file to the Copilot app, where you can ask questions in natural language. In testing, it works on images, PDFs, Office documents, and slides. You can pull key points from a lengthy report, summarize a contract, or ask for instructions hidden in a screenshot. For users who dislike the extra context menu entry, a Registry tweak can hide it.

Beyond AI: Advanced Settings, Widgets, and More

The same Insider builds pack several other noteworthy changes:

Advanced Settings replaces the old For Developers page (Settings > System > Advanced). It surfaces options that used to require registry hacks or group policies:
- Enable long paths – Remove the 260-character MAX_PATH limit on file names.
- Virtual workspaces – Toggle Hyper‑V, Windows Sandbox, and other virtualization features on or off.
- File Explorer + version control – When you navigate to a Git repository, File Explorer now shows branch name, diff count, and last commit message in columns. Microsoft demoed this on X (formerly Twitter).

Widgets board gets a complete visual overhaul with Copilot‑curated stories. The feed now groups summaries, videos, and images from MSN publishers on a single topic. Early feedback suggests it’s more organized, but some features like pinning and hiding are still under development.

Taskbar and search improvements include text labels for accessibility flyouts (Narrator, Voice access) and a notice when search results are incomplete due to ongoing indexing. A new file status indicator tells you at a glance whether a file is cloud‑only or locally available.

Power management introduces User Interaction‑Aware CPU Power Management. After a period of inactivity, Windows applies more efficient power policies automatically. The moment you touch the mouse or keyboard, full performance snaps back. This should improve battery life on laptops, though actual savings depend on hardware and power settings.

Snipping Tool gets a keyboard shortcut—Win + Shift + T—to launch the text extractor directly. You’ll need Snipping Tool version 11.2503.29.0 or higher.

Windows Share now lets you pick image compression quality as High, Medium, or Low instead of a numeric slider.

Community Reaction: A Native Automation Layer Long Overdue

On forums and social channels, power users are drawing comparisons to third‑party tools they’ve relied on for years. Windows 11 ships with Power Automate for desktop, which can build complex attended RPA flows. AutoHotkey remains the go‑to for custom hotkey‑driven scripting. PowerToys’ PowerRename and Image Resizer handle batch operations with ease. Dedicated rule‑based organizers like DropIt and File Juggler watch folders and auto‑sort files.

What makes AI actions different is the integration depth. Rather than asking users to find and learn a separate automation sandbox, Microsoft is baking shortcuts into the shell itself. A right‑click is the most familiar gesture in Windows. Placing AI‑powered edits and searches there lowers the barrier dramatically.

“It’s a small UI change with outsized productivity gains because it keeps you inside File Explorer—the nerve center of Windows work,” the community post notes. The sentiment echoes Microsoft’s own description: “AI actions in File Explorer allow you to stay in your flow while leveraging the power of AI … without having to open your file.”

Caveats, Licensing, and Privacy

Not everyone will get these features at once. The rollout is staged, even among Insiders. Some may need to force‑enable them using ViVeTool with the feature IDs 54792954,55345819. Microsoft is A/B testing and tuning the experience, so patience is required. Currently, the preview emphasizes Copilot+ PCs, though ordinary Windows 11 machines can also access the builds.

Privacy is the elephant in the room. Bing Visual Search, Blur Background, Erase Objects, and Ask Copilot all transmit the selected file to Microsoft’s cloud. The same goes for document summarization. For anyone handling sensitive data—medical records, legal documents, proprietary designs—that’s a genuine concern. The community discussion urges users to sanitize files before using cloud‑dependent actions. Microsoft has not yet detailed retention policies or whether images are used for model training.

Licensing requirements add another wrinkle. Document summarization demands both a Microsoft 365 subscription and a paid Copilot add‑on. Create an FAQ further requires a commercial tenant and Entra ID. This means the most powerful AI actions will be enterprise‑first, leaving consumers and small businesses waiting for an unspecified “later” release. For now, the image actions remain the only universally accessible piece, and even those may require an active Microsoft account.

Security researchers have also warned about automation becoming an attack vector. In a recent study, Power Automate flows were abused post‑compromise to exfiltrate data. The same principle applies here: if an attacker gains a foothold, right‑click AI actions could be scripted or triggered maliciously. Microsoft’s own guidance on least‑privilege access and audit trails becomes essential for organizations.

The Larger Automation Picture

AI actions don’t replace existing tools—they complement them. Power Automate for desktop remains the engine for repeatable, multi‑step workflows (moving, renaming, extracting, OCR‑ing files). AutoHotkey keeps its place for granular, user‑written automation. PowerToys fills the gap with batch operations and quick launchers. What Microsoft is building is a layered strategy:

  • Quick, ad‑hoc edits: right‑click AI actions
  • Repeatable flows: Power Automate (desktop or cloud)
  • Batch or rule‑based jobs: PowerToys, DropIt, scripting

The endgame is clear: less time toggling between tools, more time on the task. If you live in File Explorer—and most Windows users do—the smartest file manager soon won’t be a separate app.

How to Test AI Actions Today

  1. Join the Windows Insider Program and enroll your PC in the Dev or Beta channel.
  2. Update to the latest build: 26200.5603 (Dev) or 26120.4151 (Beta).
  3. Right‑click a JPEG or PNG file in File Explorer. If you don’t see “AI actions,” force‑enable them using ViVeTool:
    - Download ViVeTool from GitHub.
    - Open Command Prompt or Terminal as administrator.
    - Run vivetool /enable /id:54792954,55345819 and restart.
  4. For document actions, you must also be a Microsoft 365 Insider with a Copilot license and on the Beta Channel.

Microsoft warns that enabling features manually can introduce instability; proceed with caution on production machines.

What Comes Next

The AI actions we see today are clearly a foundation. Microsoft already ties them conceptually to Click to Do, the screen‑level quick‑actions overlay that debuted with Copilot+ PCs. That alignment hints at a future where you can trigger the same summarization, background removal, or visual search from anywhere—File Explorer, the taskbar, or directly on a screenshot. The gradual addition of document actions, the refinement of the widgets board, and the expanded Advanced settings page all point to a Windows that is becoming more intelligent and adaptive without losing the classic shell paradigm.

For now, the message is plain: if you want a glimpse of Windows file management’s AI‑infused future, the Insider builds are ready. The right‑click you’ve used a thousand times just got a lot smarter.