Looks like the Run dialog box is getting a sleek new look on Windows 11

Maybe I just fit a very particular demographic, but nothing signals Windows 10's true end-of-life (EOL) more than the fact that it looks like Windows 11 will soon ditch the traditional look of the Run dialogue. That little box really typified 'old Windows', to my aged eyes, and nothing says 'new Windows' more than subtle edges and styling.

The presumably upcoming change, discovered by X user phantomofearth, apparently ships in Windows 11 Build 26534 (via Windows Central). I say "presumably upcoming" because, as far as I can tell, Build 26534 is a server build, and the Run dialogue isn't yet active in current Preview builds. Though once it is, to enable the new dialogue, you'll have to go to Settings > System > Advanced and toggle it on.

If you've never used it, the Windows Run dialogue box allows you to quickly launch apps and Windows features, including ones that aren't easily or quickly accessible. I just checked my own rarely used Run dialog and see that I've used a grand total of three commands in there: 'dxdiag', 'msinfo32', and 'msconfig'. It's also useful for quickly launching the registry editor with 'regedit' (be careful with this one).

Initially, it looked to me like we might be missing out on the drop-down menu holding previous commands. Actually, though, it seems we'll get access to previous commands right above the textbox, visible right away and clickable inside a more seamless window design. It also looks rather nice in Dark Mode theme. We will be missing out on the 'Browse' button, though, which lets you navigate your local files to find and run executables.

There's a part of me that finds this sad, as it reminds me that many things about old Windows are now dead. I mean, I'm still reeling from Windows Settings replacing Control panel as the default settings manager.

There's also a worry that it'll be slower to launch than the traditional Run dialogue. And while it might be okay to sacrifice a little snappiness for some windows, power user ones like the Run dialogue probably aren't the ones to make that sacrifice with. Microsoft's recent updates certainly don't fill me with confidence in this regard.

This debate doesn't really matter, though, because you'll be able to switch it off if you don't like it. In fact, if phantomofearth's experience is anything to go by, the new look might even be off by default. And if Microsoft can nail the performance, it does look pretty appealing, and will add an extra peculiarity between the dialogue and the gorgeously old-Windows-style registry editor it launches.