How To Explore the Biggest Windows 11 24H2 May Update with New File Explorer and Start Menu (KB5058499)

The Windows 11 24H2 update, labeled as Build 26100.4202 (KB5058499), is packed with a bunch of new features and tweaks that are supposed to make life a bit easier, or at least more interesting. Some of the stuff’s pretty useful, but honestly, some of it can be kinda hit or miss, especially depending on your hardware and setup.

New AI Features for Enhanced Productivity

One of the big selling points of this update is the push towards AI-powered tools, especially around Windows Recall. But, here’s the catch — these features are only available if you’ve got a Copilot Plus PC. So, if you’re just the regular Joe, you won’t see much of it.

That said, the AI bits give you:

• More filtering choices for task management (if you’re into that sort of thing)
• Smoother, smarter text actions that cut down your steps
• Better search features which kinda just work more naturally
• And Narrator now gives AI-driven image descriptions, great for visually impaired users.

Why it matters? Well, these help streamline some workflows, especially if you use AI regularly. When exactly? Mostly when you’re managing tasks or using Narrator. What to expect? Well, better, smarter AI interactions, but don’t expect everything to be perfect or up and running on older hardware.

On some setups, the AI features can be flaky at first. Like, you turn it on and nothing happens, then reboot or wait a bit, and suddenly it works. Windows has to make it harder than it should sometimes, am I right?

Enhancements to the Settings App

The Settings app like got a little facelift, making some routines easier. For instance, if you’re juggling multiple devices, now you can pick up exactly where you left off on OneDrive files, across all your devices. Handy if you switch between laptops or desktops a lot.

This is helped by a new section you can find under System > Storage > OneDrive sync where you can toggle what gets synced and resumed.

This makes picking up work smoother but don’t expect everything to be perfect—sometimes these syncs still glitch or are delayed, especially if your internet is spotty.

Revamped Start Menu Functionalities

One of the small but surprisingly impactful improvements — you can now create folders directly in the Start Menu. Just right-click on an app (you know, the usual context menu), and you’ll see an option to Create Folder. It’s meant to help organize your apps better without messing around with drag-and-drop on the desktop or in the taskbar.

It’s kind of weird that this wasn’t an option before, but hey, better late than never. Use it when you have a cluttered Start and want to tidy things up quickly.

File Explorer Updates

The new ‘Ask Copilot’ feature is pretty interesting—it lets you right-click on a picture and ask questions about it. Like, “What’s in this photo?” or “Find similar images.” It actually tries to give answers or pulls info from the web. If your system supports it, you might see an option like Ask Copilot in the context menu.

Not sure why it works, but on some machines, it still feels a bit buggy or slow to load. Also, if your system isn’t up-to-date or you don’t have the right hardware, it might just appear as a grayed-out option or not at all.

New HDR Features for Enhanced Visual Experience

HDR support got some polish, especially if you’ve got a suitable monitor. You can toggle HDR streaming or calibration settings through Display > Advanced Display Settings. If you’re into gaming or media bingeing, it’s supposed to make colors pop more and improve contrast.

In practice, this only works well if your hardware supports it, and sometimes Windows can be weird about applying these settings automatically. Expect a bit of fussing around in display settings to get it just right.

Accessibility Improvements

This update put some thought into accessibility. The categories are now more clearly defined, and the descriptions of features are more detailed, which helps users find tools faster. Not a huge change, but if you rely on accessibility options, it’s a little more navigable.

Taskbar and File Sharing Improvements

The taskbar now highlights apps that need your attention with red notifications, which is good if you’re tired of missing important alerts. Also, the image sharing options have been expanded — before sharing images, you can now do quick edits right there, without risking affecting the original file.

This is nice, especially if you share a lot of images and hate jumping between apps.

Updates to Core Applications

Notepad, Paint, and other core apps got some love—you can now log in with your work or school accounts, making collaboration easier. The Snipping Tool now includes a text extractor, so you can copy text from a screenshot without extra hassle.

And, finally, the Microsoft Store seems a bit more stable now—less crashes, more reliable installs and updates.

Potential Drawbacks

Of course, not everyone’s hardware supports all these new features. That HDR support or AI stuff? Yeah, if your GPU or CPU isn’t recent, some features might just not show up. Also, the rollout’s a bit uneven—some people get everything first, others wait a while.

Conclusion

All in all, this update tries to push forward, especially with AI integration and better multi-device workflows. The improvements to Settings, Start, and apps feel like a step in the right direction, but don’t expect everything to be perfect or work seamlessly right away. Hardware limitations and bugs can still throw a wrench in the gears.