Microsoft has rebuilt the Win+R Run dialog for Windows 11, and it’s now rolling out as an opt-in feature on the Windows Insider Experimental Channel.
The new dialog is written in C#/WinUI 3 and compiled with .NET AOT. It supports dark mode and Fluent Design, and it loads faster than the old one — 94ms median time-to-show versus 103ms for the legacy dialog. Not a dramatic difference, but measurably quicker.
The more interesting technical detail is where the code came from. The new Run dialog is built on the same CmdPal codebase that powers PowerToys’ Command Palette. The run command provider in CmdPal is now identical to the new Run dialog code, which means every PowerToys contributor to that project is now, technically, a Windows contributor.
Microsoft also added a small quality-of-life feature: typing <code>~</code> navigates directly to your home directory, which is handy if you use Run to open file paths.
The redesign was informed by telemetry from 35 million usage samples. One decision that came out of that data: removing the Browse button. Fewer than 0.0038% of users ever clicked it, so it’s gone.
The new dialog is opt-in for now — you can enable it under Settings &gt; Advanced Settings. Microsoft says it plans to add more features based on feedback before any broader rollout.

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Microsoft has rebuilt the Windows 11 Run dialog (Win+R) using C#/WinUI 3 and .NET AOT compilation. The new dialog loads in 94ms median versus 103ms for the legacy version. It's built on the same CmdPal codebase as PowerToys' Command Palette, meaning PowerToys contributors are now technically Windows contributors. New features include `~` shortcut for home directory navigation. The Browse button was removed after telemetry from 35 million usage samples showed fewer than 0.0038% of users ever clicked it. The feature is currently opt-in on the Windows Insider Experimental Channel.

Microsoft's redesigned Windows 11 Run dialog is faster and supports dark mode

Dark mode! That’s what I needed when I type Win+R!
Let’s hope they did not do it to pop-up ten times slower…

Seeing microslop speeding a dialog for 9ms looks so funny

Not sure it’s the exciting announcement that they think it is!