- Windows 11 Run box apparently updating
- New look message found hidden in a trial version of Windows 11
- In addition to a visual change, there’s a new feature that lists recent commands so you can quickly access them again.
A part of the Windows 11 interface that has been essentially the same for three decades looks like it will finally get a makeover to align it with the rest of the desktop’s contemporary look.
This is the ‘Run’ dialog box, which arrived in Windows 95. Admittedly, it’s not something everyone uses very often (or maybe ever), but still, if you invoke this panel, it’s somewhat surprising how dated it looks compared to the overall ‘Fluid’ layout of Windows 11.
Now, according to research of a pre-release version of Windows 11 (build 26534) by well-known leaker PhantomOfEarth on X (as Windows Central detected), the Run box is being updated to Microsoft’s Fluent layout. This gives it a neater, more modern look and as you can see in the post below, it’s larger too.
Windows 11 is getting a modern Run dialog! Build 26534 ships with parts for it, here’s a first look: pic.twitter.com/K0kWO8ltSeDecember 4, 2025
Please note that this change is not yet in testing, but is still in the background and was discovered playing with a Windows setup utility.
It’s not just about the visual polish; Run is also getting some additional features, now displaying recently used commands above the command line (so you can quickly run those previous instructions again with a single click).
As Windows Central points out, this new Run box also displays icons for the apps you want to launch, a nice added touch.
Analysis: Run slower? I hope not…
Overall, this seems to be a welcome improvement to the Run box, and it’s been a long time coming in my opinion.
Of course, we’re not sure if this will be introduced, as it’s not officially in testing yet, but I would be very surprised if Microsoft abandoned this idea. In fact, it looks like it’s almost ready and there are screenshots on X of the new incarnation of Run in. dark mode (this dialog was just added for coverage in that mode).
Interestingly, the new Run box is just an option in Windows 11, rather than a complete change. It’s not enabled by default and the old Run dialog remains, but you’ll be able to enable the updated version in Settings (under advanced features, along with the option to have End Task as a right-click option in the taskbar).
It seems strange that it doesn’t automatically mix with Windows 11, perhaps, until you consider that not everyone is happy with this change, even in the first comments that were passed on.
There’s some teasing like ‘oh no, the Run box will take five seconds to open now’ and I understand the paranoia – will a combination of visual polish, command history feature and icon rendering slow things down? Well, hopefully not in any significant way, and the leaker certainly doesn’t comment at all on this new version being slow.
On top of those concerns, there’s also what’s perhaps inevitable now: a tease that Copilot integration is surely coming. Yes, AI is becoming everywhere in Windows 11 these days, but it won’t appear in the Run prompt. Still. (No, I can’t help it either.)
If you are new to the wonderful world of Run, you can open the box by pressing the button Windows key + R together. You can then type various commands, such as checking your Windows version (winner), system information (msinfo32), or by opening the classic Control Panel (control) or Registry Editor (regedit). However, if you need to get into the latter for some reason, be very careful about what you’re doing (I wouldn’t recommend tech newbies to be in the Registry at all, as it’s quite easy to break things in a nasty way with the slightest typo).
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