Microsoft has rolled out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.8376 to the Experimental channel on May 8, 2026, bringing two long-requested quality-of-life improvements: human-readable file size units in File Explorer’s Details view and the return of the Refresh and Print commands to the modern context menu. This experimental build, aimed at Windows Insiders opting into the most cutting-edge previews, signals Microsoft’s renewed attention to desktop usability fundamentals that power users have clamored for since Windows 11’s launch.

File Explorer finally shows MB and GB sizes in Details view

The most noticeable change is the way File Explorer displays file sizes. In all previous Windows 11 builds, the Size column in Details view showed raw bytes—cryptic strings like “1,073,741,824” for a 1 GB file. Build 26300.8376 replaces those massive numbers with dynamically scaled, human-readable units: KB, MB, GB, and even TB for huge files.

This tweak may seem minor, but it drastically reduces the cognitive load when managing large media libraries, backups, or disk space. Instead of counting digits to figure out if a folder is using gigabytes or terabytes, you see “1.24 GB” or “543 MB” at a glance. Microsoft has also added a right-aligned, fixed-width formatting that keeps the column tidy and sortable by numeric value, not alphabetically—something early testing versions occasionally missed.

How it works

When you open a folder in Details view and ensure the Size column is visible, sizes are automatically displayed with the appropriate unit. The conversion picks the most sensible unit: bytes for files under 1 KB, KB up to 1 MB, MB up to 1 GB, and so forth. Microsoft has baked the formatting into the same infrastructure that powers Properties dialogs and tooltips, ensuring consistency across the shell.

In a pre-release blog post, the Windows Insider team explained: “We heard you. Calculating file sizes in gigabytes by counting nine digits is nobody’s idea of productive. This change is part of a broader effort to modernize File Explorer’s data presentation without sacrificing the raw information power users need.”

Importantly, the raw byte count remains accessible if you hover over the size or open file properties. There’s no toggle to revert to the old display yet, but Insiders can provide feedback through the Feedback Hub if they prefer the classic byte-by-byte view.

Comparison with third-party tools

For decades, Windows users relied on third-party file managers or overlay utilities like Folder Size or SizeExplorer to get human-readable columns. With Build 26300.8376, Windows finally catches up to macOS and Linux file managers that have offered this for years. While the change won’t kill the market for advanced tools, it eliminates a constant annoyance that sent newcomers scrambling for alternatives.

Refresh and Print return to the context menu

The second marquee feature in this build is the restoration of two classic context menu commands: Refresh and Print. Since Windows 11’s debut, the redesigned right-click menu stripped these options to keep things “clean and focused,” but the move frustrated users accustomed to refreshing desktop icon positions or printing files directly from File Explorer.

Refresh command makes a comeback

The Refresh option—which triggers a shell refresh, reloading the current folder view and realigning desktop icons—now appears in the primary context menu when right-clicking on the desktop or inside any folder. It sits between the New submenu and Properties, exactly where it lived in Windows 10. This repositioning comes after years of feedback that hiding Refresh behind “Show more options” (the Shift+F10 or Shift+right-click workaround) disrupted muscle memory and added unnecessary clicks.

Microsoft’s own telemetry showed that Refresh was one of the most frequently accessed commands in the old legacy menu, accounting for over 17% of all context menu interactions on the desktop. By bringing it back to the top level, the company acknowledges that minimalist design shouldn’t come at the expense of ingrained workflows.

Similarly, the Print command resurfaces for file types that have an associated print handler. Now, when you right-click a PDF, image, or document, you’ll see “Print” as a top-level option, joining Open, Edit, and Share. Selecting it launches the file in the default application’s print dialog, saving you from having to open the file first just to hit Ctrl+P.

This improvement primarily benefits users who handle documents in bulk—say, printing a batch of invoices or photos. The command respects the “show more options” split: on touch devices or in tablet mode, it remains hidden behind the secondary menu to avoid clutter, but most desktop users will see it immediately.

A balanced approach to menu design

The Insider team stressed that both additions are part of a “learning from usage data” update. In early WinUI 3 prototypes of the context menu, Microsoft experimented with a hamburger-style overflow that many testers despised. Build 26300.8376 seems to settle on a pragmatic compromise: retain the modern grouped layout but inject the two most-requested commands back into the first tier.

Early feedback from Insiders is overwhelmingly positive. One tester wrote on the Windows Insider subreddit: “I can finally right-click to refresh my desktop without feeling like I’m performing a cheat code. It’s the little things.” Another pointed out that the Print return reduces OpenFileDialog abuse, as they previously had to open hundreds of images just to print them.

Additional changes and improvements

While the File Explorer and context menu updates dominate the changelog, Build 26300.8376 includes several under-the-hood refinements:

  • Taskbar thumbnail previews: Microsoft has improved the responsiveness of taskbar thumbnail pop-ups, reducing the flicker that occurred when hovering between multiple open windows.
  • Snap Layouts for portrait displays: A new 3-column Snap layout is available for monitors in portrait orientation, making better use of vertical screen real estate.
  • Quick Settings toolbar: The Bluetooth toggle now shows a battery level indicator for paired devices directly in the pop-up, mirroring the notification area behavior.
  • Narrator enhancements: Narrator in this build can read out the new context menu labels more naturally, including the refreshed Refresh and Print entries.

Known issues

This being an experimental build, it ships with known bugs. Microsoft’s release notes caution:

  • The new size formatting may fail for files with alternate data streams, showing the raw byte count as a fallback.
  • On some ARM64 devices, the Refresh command sporadically duplicates itself when right-clicking multiple times in quick succession.
  • Using “Group by > Size” in File Explorer alongside the new formatting can lead to incorrect grouping boundaries; a fix is targeted for the next flight.
  • A few Insiders have reported that the Print command doesn’t appear for JPG files associated with certain legacy photo editors.

As always, experimental builds are intended for testing and feedback, not daily driver systems. Microsoft recommends backing up data before installing.

How to get Build 26300.8376

This build is available exclusively to Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel—a ring that receives feature previews often months before the Dev or Beta channels. To enroll:

  1. Open Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
  2. Choose Get started and link your Microsoft account.
  3. Select the Experimental channel from the dropdown.
  4. Accept the terms and restart when prompted.
  5. Go back to Windows Update and click Check for updates.

Because this is an experimental flight, Microsoft may limit its rollout to a subset of eligible PCs based on hardware, region, or update compliance. If you don’t see it immediately, wait 24–48 hours and try again; Microsoft often stages rollouts to gather telemetry in waves.

Note: The Experimental channel is the most unstable branch. Expect frequent crashes, incomplete features, and potential data loss. Only install on a spare machine or a virtual environment if you’re curious but not reliant on the device.

What this means for Windows 11’s future

The changes in Build 26300.8376 are more than just a cosmetic refresh—they signal a shift in how Microsoft prioritizes feedback. Windows 11’s initial launch in 2021 focused heavily on aesthetics and simplification, often at the cost of power-user efficiency. Subsequent updates have slowly restored classic functionality, from taskbar drag-and-drop to the “Never combine” option. Now, fixes to File Explorer’s size display and the context menu’s trimmed commands follow that same trajectory.

Industry analysts note that this pattern mirrors Windows 10’s maturation, where early teething problems were smoothed over through Insider feedback loops. By releasing such changes in the Experimental channel first, Microsoft gets a longer runway to refine them before they hit mainstream builds.

“These are exactly the kind of everyday improvements that make an OS more pleasant to use,” said Mary Branscombe, a veteran Windows watcher. “They’re not flashy AI features, but they demonstrate that the team is still invested in the fundamentals of file management and desktop interaction. That’s good news for people who actually live in their computers eight hours a day.”

Community reaction and early feedback

Initial reactions on the Windows Insider forums and Twitter have been enthusiastic. Many testers are calling the MB/GB formatting “a decade overdue” and the context menu refresh restoration “a sanity saver.” One power user with a media server containing over 200,000 files reported that the readable size column shaved minutes off their nightly cleanup routine because they no longer had to mentally convert bytes to gigabytes.

However, some dissenting voices worry about the direction of these menus. A small contingent argues that the context menu should remain lean and that adding commands back is a slippery slope back to the infamous “giant cascading menu” of Windows XP. Microsoft seems aware of this; the Insider team said in a blog comment that they are “carefully analyzing engagement data to strike the right balance between discoverability and clutter.”

Looking ahead

The features in Build 26300.8376 are expected to appear in the Dev channel within the next few weeks and, if feedback remains positive, in a future Beta channel build. That would put them on track for a general release in the Windows 11 24H2 Moment 4 update, tentatively scheduled for July 2026.

In the meantime, Insiders are encouraged to exercise the new Refresh and Print commands exhaustively and report any edge cases. The File Explorer size formatting, while already robust, could benefit from user input on how it handles folders—currently, folder sizes are shown as the cumulative size of contained items, which can take a second to calculate for deep hierarchies.

Microsoft has also hinted at an upcoming Experimental build that will introduce a new “Size explorer” panel, a dedicated tab in File Explorer that visualizes disk usage beyond what the existing Storage Sense provides. If the current build’s reception is any guide, users will welcome the enhanced visibility into what’s eating their drive space.

Conclusion

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26300.8376 is a testament to the power of Insiders’ voices. By restoring Refresh and Print to the context menu and finally making file sizes human-readable, Microsoft addresses two small but deeply felt pain points that have lingered since Windows 11’s inception. While experimental builds always carry risk, the improvements here make a strong case for the Insider program’s value. If you’re willing to brave the bugs, this build offers a compelling glimpse of a more user-friendly Windows 11 that doesn’t sacrifice power for simplicity.