Windows 10’s latest preview converts File Explorer fully to the dark side

Windows 10 Dark Theme

Its focus may be shifting to the next big update for Windows 10 due in 2019, but Microsoft is still continuing work on the build due to land later this year, and has just unleashed the latest Redstone 5 preview, declaring that it has finished implementing the dark theme for File Explorer.

The dark theme was first introduced to Windows 10 back in May with build 17666, and now with the latest build 17733, Microsoft has announced that work is finally finished on the mode, and it’s now a complete experience. In other words, what testers are playing with is what the final dark theme will look like when the big update is released later this year.

Dark theme (or mode) in File Explorer simply means that the windows with which you browse folders and files with on your desktop can be given a dark (near-black) background rather than white – ideal for when you’re working in darker conditions like dimly lit rooms, so the bright white backgrounds don’t start to strain your eyes.

There aren't a huge number of other major changes happening in this new preview build, which isn’t surprising considering we're quickly closing in on the release date, and at this point Microsoft is honing things rather than making introductions.

Ramping up Narrator

There are, however, a clutch of minor fixes for Narrator, Windows 10’s screen reader, including fixing up copy and paste functionality, and making sure Narrator doesn’t leave the Edge browser window in Scan mode, which was happening on some web pages (and a load of other fixes besides).

There's also a bug fix for the touch keyboard, which in some cases was disappearing from the screen, as well as a raft of other tweaks (and known issues), which Microsoft details in its blog post on the release of the build.

Other recent Windows 10 news includes the revelation that Microsoft is working on a way to tie the desktop OS and your Android phone closer together, allowing you to, for example, easily access the photos on your handset from the desktop.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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