How to Enable Gallery in Windows File Explorer

In this article we will show you how to Enable Gallery in Windows File Explorer. A lot of new features have been added to Windows 11. They are first tried on Insider builds of Windows 11 and then added to other builds. One of these features is tabs in File Explorer, which were first added to Insider builds and then added to normal builds. Now, with Dev Insider build 25272, Microsoft has added the Gallery Quick access area to the File Explorer.

If you are not a Windows Insider but want to use Gallery in File Explorer on Windows 11 right now instead of waiting for it to be added to the regular builds, we have good news. One of the new things that Microsoft is trying on the Canary channel is File Explorer Gallery. If you have a Gallery section, you don’t have to look through different folders to find a picture or see what it looks like. In the next piece, you’ll learn how to turn on this feature on your system. In this help, we’ll show you how to Enable Gallery in Windows File Explorer.

Enabling Gallery in Windows File Explorer

1. To open the Run command box, press Win + R. Type cmd and press the Ctrl, Shift, and Enter keys at the same time to open a new Command Prompt window as an administrator.
2. Now, go to the C drive’s main location. Type the command “cd C:” and hit the “Enter” key.
3. Next, type cd Vivetool to go to the folder on the C drive where Vivetool is located. This is the main reason why we told you to remove Vivetool somewhere easy to find.
4. Type the Vivetool command and press the enter key to see if the tool is available and working. You will see the tool’s version and the settings it can use.
5. Now, type the code below and hit the enter key:
   • vivetool /enable /id:41040327
6. If the program works, you will see a message that says “Successfully set feature configuration(s)”. But don’t close the window for the Command Prompt. Type the following commands one at a time to turn on each Gallery function and run them.
   • vivetool /enable /id:40729001 vivetool /enable /id:40731912 vivetool /enable /id:41969252 vivetool /enable /id:42922424 vivetool /enable /id:42295138
7. After all the tasks have been run without any problems, type “exit” and press “Enter” to close the command prompt window.
8. For the changes made by Vivetool to take action, you need to restart your computer.
9. Press Win+E when your computer starts up to open File Explorer. You’ll see a new choice called “Gallery” in the left pane, just below “Home.”

Download ViVeTool

To turn on these experimental tools on your system, you will also need ViVeTool. You can get ViVetool from GitHub, but make sure you choose the latest version. After putting the tool on the C drive, move on to the next part.

Update to the Appropriate Windows Insider Build

After Insider build 25300, the Gallery area is hidden. If you are a member of the Windows Insider program, open your machine and look for the most recent Insider builds. Make sure you are in the Dev or Canary channel because this experimental tool is only available in these channels. Or, you can use UUP Dump to grab Windows Insider builds without joining Microsoft’s Insider program. If you want to know more information about this Visit Official Microsoft Support site.

How to Add or Remove Locations From Gallery in Windows File Explorer

By default, the Gallery option shows all the pictures in the Pictures folder and OneDrive. But you can also add or take away an area from the Gallery.

1. To add a folder to the Gallery, click the Locations option on the menu bar. In a new window that pops up, you can see a list of all the folders from which the Gallery section pulls pictures. Press the “Add” button.
2. Now click the Include Folder button and choose a folder or subfolder with pictures.
3. The folder you chose will show up in the list of folders. Click the button that says OK.
4. File Explorer’s gallery will now also show pictures from the folder that was just added.

Repeat the steps below to get rid of a folder from Gallery:

1. Click the Locations option in the menu bar when you’re in the Gallery area.
2. You will see a list of all the groups in the Gallery right now.
3. Select the folder you want to get rid of by clicking on it. Then click the button that says “Remove.”
4. The last step is to click the OK button to finish making changes. From now on, the Gallery won’t show any pictures from the blocked folder.

What is the Gallery feature in Windows File Explorer?

The Gallery tool of File Explorer does exactly what its name says. It clearly lists all the images on your system in a different section, so you can find and look at all the images in one tab. This new feature is available in Windows Insider versions 25300 and later. But when Microsoft added the Canary channel to the Insider program, it made a big change. So this experimental function will be added to any new Canary build.

Microsoft adds a new File Explorer that is built on the Windows App SDK. You can tell this by hovering over the “pizza” icon in the File Explorer address bar. The Gallery area shows pictures from the Pictures and OneDrive folders and sorts them by the date they were uploaded. Each picture in the Gallery has nice, rounded sides that make it look like it fits in with the rest of Windows 11. It shows up in the left pane just below the Home choice.