Windows 11 has got a new app picker, here is how to enable it

Windows 11 build 22563 includes a hidden feature that Microsoft didn't mention in the change log. It is a redesigned App picker dialog that looks modern thanks to the Fluent Design style. Obviously it supports the dark theme.

The "app picker" is the dialog that lists all the apps registered for a specific file type. The user can use it to invoke an alternative software rather than default one. For example, if you have multiple image viewers installed, you can open a photo in one of them instead of opening it in the default Photos app. Here is how that dialog looks in the stable version of Windows 11.

In fact, the new app picker doesn't offer anything drastically new. There is still the list of apps, a section to show the currently associated app (if any), and a few options to browse for apps. See the following screenshot.

However, the buttons now remind of what we see on Android. One of the buttons titled "Always", makes the app selection permanent. Another button is "Just once", that launches the selected app just one time for the file.

This re-arranged buttons doesn't actually change the way the dialog works, but they now look modern and more clear. Earlier, you had to tick the checkbox to change the app association.

As the new dialog is a work-in-progress, it is currently hidden in build 22563. So you need to enable it manually.

Enable New App Picker in Windows 11

1. Go to this page on GitHub and download ViveTool.
2. Extract the downloaded files wherever convenient.
3. Open Windows Terminal as Administrator in the ViveTool folder.
4. Run the following command: vivetool.exe addconfig 36302090 2. Use the command prompt profile in Windows Terminal (Ctrl + Shift + 2).
5. Right-click any file and select Open with > Choose the app.

Now you should see the new app picker dialog.

To undo the change and return to the classic app picker of Windows 11, issue the opposite command: vivetool delconfig 36302090 2. You must run it as Administrator.

Again, keep in mind that the new dialog is still under development. At a glance, it doesn't work reliable and sometimes crashes. Also, Microsoft may radically change its appearance towards to the release version of Windows 11 (22H2, etc), or exclude it from the OS.