Microsoft is Testing a New AI Feature for File Explorer on Windows 11 — Here's How to Enable It

Microsoft continues to update File Explorer and Windows 11 context menus with a slew of features that have been controversial in terms of practicality. After releasing the "Ask Copilot" button, the company is now adding a new feature called "AI Actions" in build 26120.4151 (KB5058486) released on May 19. The utility gives users quick access to AI-powered features like background removal, blurring, Visual Search, object removal, and more. Users simply right-click on a file and select "AI Actions" from the menu.

Here is the menu interface after the update with the new "AI Actions":

The feature is currently rolling out gradually to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels. Because of the slow rollout, not everyone with the latest build will be able to try it without having to mess with the OS. However, enabling it is generally quite easy:

1. Make sure you're using the latest Windows 11 Dev or Beta build.
2. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unzip the files into a convenient and easy to find folder.
3. Launch Command Prompt as Administrator and navigate to the folder containing the ViveTool files using the CD command. For example, if you placed ViveTool in C:Vive, type CD C:Vive.
4. Type vivetool /enable /id:54792954,55345819,48433719 and press Enter.
5. Restart your computer.

In its current form, AI Actions are only available for images (JPG, JPEG, and PNG). Future updates will add support for Microsoft 365 files, allowing you to summarize documents, create FAQs, and more. Note that AI Actions does not require a Copilot+ PC and is available on all Windows 11 systems.

Other updates to Windows 11 in the latest previews include a new Advanced page in the Settings app, reworked Windows Widgets, improved power saver, the ability to compress images before sharing, and more.

Kareem Winters

Update 26 May 2025