Microsoft Rolls Out 'Preview Anyway' Button for Windows 11 File Explorer

Microsoft is adding a 'Preview anyway' button to Windows 11's File Explorer, allowing users to bypass security warnings for files downloaded from the internet. The feature was first referenced in April 2026 for Insider builds 26100.8313 and 26200.8313. The change comes after Microsoft disabled the preview pane by default for files carrying the Mark of the Web starting with Windows security updates released on October 14, 2025.

The Mark of the Web is a tag applied to files that arrive through web browsers, email attachments, cloud storage, or other locations classified as internet sources. This was done after identifying a security flaw connected to NTLM, the authentication protocol used by Windows to verify user identity on a network. The update 'mitigates a vulnerability where NTLM hash leakage might occur' when previewing files with HTML tags that reference external paths.

The new button will allow users to view the contents of flagged files in the preview pane with one click, instead of opening the file's Properties menu or running a PowerShell script. The feature is expected to be rolled out to a wider group of Windows 11 users within the coming weeks, but Microsoft has not published an exact release date or required version.