Microsoft recently tested a new "Run" (Win+R) window in Windows 11. It is built using WinUI 3 and adds modern design elements such as Fluent Design and rounded corners. However, it will not replace the existing classic "Run" dialog box, but will be used as an option for users to switch. In other words, the old version of "Run" that users are familiar with will still remain, and the new version is more like a modern variant that exists in parallel and is expected to add additional features in the future.
The new "run" is currently available in preview versions of Windows Server and will be available to general consumer versions later. Unlike Windows search, "Run" positioning is to directly execute commands or open programs, such as cmd, regedit, services.msc, etc., so changes in the interface and interaction will focus more on visual and professional functions rather than providing comprehensive search. The existing "Run" dialog box still uses the classic Win32 control from the 1990s, and it does not even support dark mode. It looks incompatible with the modern style of other interfaces in Windows 11. This transformation is regarded as one of Microsoft's remedial UI unification actions.
From the perspective of implementation, this WinUI 3 version "run" is not a direct "reskin" on the original dialog box, but exists as a separate new implementation and is enabled through the advanced option switch in the system settings. If users want to try it out, they need to go to "Settings" → "System" → "Advanced Settings" to turn on the relevant switches themselves. The new interface is turned off by default, reflecting Microsoft's concern that some users may be disgusted with the UI changes. The report quoted internal understanding as saying that the reason why Microsoft classified this revision into "advanced settings" is probably because its subsequent goal is to enhance developer-related capabilities rather than simply beautify the interface, such as better handling of command calls in development or operation and maintenance scenarios. However, there are currently no signs of deep integration like Copilot.
“Advanced Settings” in Windows 11 itself is positioned as an area for professional users and developers, which already includes entrances to advanced functions such as virtual workspaces, Windows Sandbox, File Explorer’s GitHub integration, and the taskbar’s “End Task” button. Microsoft rarely puts pure UI upgrades under this "advanced" switch, so the industry speculates that the new "run" may carry more capabilities related to deep system operations in the future, rather than just replacing traditional windows with rounded corners and translucent Fluent Design. This is also seen as an attempt by Microsoft on the "optional modernization" route: it not only provides an upgrade path for users who pursue a unified vision and new features, but also does not create hard change pressure for users who rely on the old interface.
Windows 11 has been slow to modernize its interface, and there are still old dialog boxes in the system that date back to the Windows 3.1 era, which was released as early as 1992 as a 16-bit operating system. In order to ensure long-term compatibility with old software, Windows can still run applications written for Windows 98. On the one hand, this "backward compatibility to the end" strategy demonstrates the diversity and resilience of the platform, but on the other hand, users frequently encounter UIs with inconsistent styles and elements that "travel through the era" in daily use. Windows 11 has successively updated core interfaces such as the task manager and right-click menu in recent years. However, traditional dialog boxes such as "Run" have not been focused on before. Now they have finally begun to do so, which is regarded as a prelude to a larger UI organization plan.
It is worth noting that Microsoft has no intention of abandoning traditional users who prefer older versions of "Run". Subsequent updates to Windows 11 also include a change that adds a dark theme to the classic "Run" dialog box, providing a color scheme that is more in line with the overall look and feel of the modern system while retaining the original layout and behavioral logic. Under the parallel architecture of the old and new "runs", users can either enable the new WinUI 3 version window, or continue to use the traditional version that they have been accustomed to for a long time, with almost unchanged functions and behaviors but supporting dark mode, thus achieving a compromise between consistency and compatibility.