Microsoft’s latest push to make Windows 11 more “agentic” has put the File Explorer squarely at the center of the OS’s AI strategy: right‑click menus will no longer be simple launch points, but gateways that let AI services — including third‑party agents — act on files without you opening the backing app. The announcement surfaced new partner scenarios that claim you’ll be able to create websites and edit videos from the File Explorer’s context menu, using third‑party agent integrations, but several of the vendor‑specific claims remain unverified; the underlying platform changes (Model Context Protocol, agent accounts, and agent workspaces) are real and reshape how Windows exposes and governs agentic AI.
For the past year Microsoft has steadily moved AI from isolated apps into the operating system itself. File Explorer — where most users interact with files — is a logical next surface for “micro‑workflows”: quick, contextual actions that reduce app switching and let users get small jobs done faster. Early Insider previews introduced an “AI actions” submenu on right‑click for images (.jpg/.png) with options such as Bing Visual Search, Blur Background, Erase Objects, and Remove Background, and Microsoft signaled plans to extend the pattern to documents (summarize / create FAQ) for Microsoft 365 files. Independent reporting and Insider notes confirm these additions and the larger design goal: make AI actionable where files live.
Behind the scenes, Microsoft is enabling third‑party agents and apps to integrate with Windows through a standardized protocol and a controlled runtime. That plumbing is foundational because it lets external agents find and use files, call app functions, and perform multi‑step tasks while the OS mediates permissions and visibility. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) — an industry standard adopted by major players and integrated into Microsoft’s tooling — is central to that plumbing. Microsoft has exposed MCP in Copilot Studio and the Windows AI stack, enabling agents to advertise tools and access contextual resources in a disciplined way.
That said, a confirmed Filmora integration announcement from either Microsoft or Wondershare was not found in major product release documentation at the time of reporting. If Wondershare does enable an Explorer shortcut it will most likely be implemented through the MCP or Windows agent APIs and appear as a Shell extension or registered AI action. Until one or both vendors confirm, treat the Filmora claim as plausible but pending verification.
At the same time, vendor‑named integrations reported in the wild (Manus, Filmora) should be treated with caution until Microsoft and those vendors release joint, official documentation. Security, auditability, and clear admin controls will determine whether agentic File Explorer actions become a productivity boon or a new enterprise headache. Organizations should pilot carefully, insist on traceability for agent actions, and validate data locality for compliance‑sensitive workflows before broadly enabling these features.
Windows’ File Explorer is no longer just a file manager: it’s becoming a dispatch surface for AI. The next few months will tell whether that dispatch is a neat productivity shortcut or the start of a new class of managed, auditable agentic tools on the desktop.
Source: Windows Latest Microsoft confirms Windows 11's File Explorer is getting third-party AI features
Background / Overview
For the past year Microsoft has steadily moved AI from isolated apps into the operating system itself. File Explorer — where most users interact with files — is a logical next surface for “micro‑workflows”: quick, contextual actions that reduce app switching and let users get small jobs done faster. Early Insider previews introduced an “AI actions” submenu on right‑click for images (.jpg/.png) with options such as Bing Visual Search, Blur Background, Erase Objects, and Remove Background, and Microsoft signaled plans to extend the pattern to documents (summarize / create FAQ) for Microsoft 365 files. Independent reporting and Insider notes confirm these additions and the larger design goal: make AI actionable where files live. Behind the scenes, Microsoft is enabling third‑party agents and apps to integrate with Windows through a standardized protocol and a controlled runtime. That plumbing is foundational because it lets external agents find and use files, call app functions, and perform multi‑step tasks while the OS mediates permissions and visibility. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) — an industry standard adopted by major players and integrated into Microsoft’s tooling — is central to that plumbing. Microsoft has exposed MCP in Copilot Studio and the Windows AI stack, enabling agents to advertise tools and access contextual resources in a disciplined way.
What Microsoft actually confirmed (and what remains a claim)
Confirmed platform changes
- AI actions in File Explorer: a context menu entry that surfaces one‑click, file‑aware AI workflows (visual search, quick image edits, and, for Microsoft 365 customers with Copilot, document summarization). These actions are implemented as orchestration hooks that delegate work to Photos, Paint, Bing, or Copilot depending on the action.
- Agent runtime controls: Microsoft is previewing agent accounts, agent workspaces, and scoped authorizations to isolate agent activity and limit access to known user folders until you authorize more. The OS will run agents in a separately permissioned context so their actions are visible, interruptible, and auditable.
- MCP support and Windows AI Foundry: Microsoft has integrated MCP support into its Copilot tooling and Windows AI infrastructure, enabling third‑party agents to expose tools and resources for safe, standardized access.
Vendor integrations reported but not uniformly verified
- Manus AI agent “Create website with Manus”: several pieces circulating in the wild describe a right‑click “create website with Manus” action that would let Manus fetch files locally and autonomously assemble a site. Manus itself is a real autonomous agent product launched earlier in 2025 and widely discussed; however, authoritative confirmation that Microsoft ships a built‑in Manus agent in File Explorer is not yet public from Microsoft or Manus. Treat the specific Manus‑in‑Explorer integration as claimed but unverified.
- Filmora “Edit with Filmora” right‑click: WindowsLatest and other community accounts have reported Filmora appearing as an edit shortcut from Explorer. Filmora (Wondershare) is a popular AI‑assisted video editor, and the scenario fits the new MCP‑driven model, but a direct, official announcement from Wondershare or Microsoft documenting an Explorer Filmora shortcut was not found in Microsoft’s release notes or other major outlets at the time of reporting. Treat this as plausible but requiring vendor confirmation.
The plumbing that makes this possible: MCP, agent accounts, and agent workspaces
Model Context Protocol — the “USB‑C of AI apps”
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard designed to let AI hosts (agents) discover and call tools, and fetch contextual resources (files, APIs) securely and consistently. It defines a JSON‑RPC‑style contract for tool invocation and resource descriptors so agents can orchestrate multi‑tool workflows without bespoke integrations for every service. Microsoft has integrated MCP into Copilot Studio and the broader Windows AI stack, allowing agents to list available tools, request resources, and stream results back to the host. This standardization is precisely what enables third‑party vendor apps to appear as first‑class partners inside OS surfaces like File Explorer.Agent accounts and agent workspaces
To reduce risk, Microsoft plans to provision agents into separate standard Windows accounts with limited privileges. Agents operate in a contained agent workspace — effectively a private desktop that the agent uses to run and show what it is doing. This lets agents perform UI automation and file operations while keeping their activity separated from the user’s primary session; the user can observe and intervene. Microsoft’s preview notes emphasize explicit authorization, ACL enforcement, and the ability to pause or stop agents mid‑task. Those controls are essential because once an agent can chain actions across apps, the potential impact of a mistaken step or a malicious prompt increases dramatically.Manus: why the claim matters — and why to be cautious
What Manus is
Manus (stylized as an autonomous agent product) launched in March 2025 and quickly drew attention for its autonomous, multi‑step workflow capabilities: planning, data collection, web automation, document assembly, and even website creation in demo scenarios. Coverage from multiple outlets highlighted Manus’s ability to decompose complex tasks and execute them with minimal human supervision. Independent tests praised the potential while warning about hallucinations and reliability limits.Why a Manus integration in File Explorer would be powerful
If Manus — or any comparable general agent — can be invoked directly from File Explorer and given permission to access files, the agent could:- Harvest local images, documents, and metadata automatically;
- Assemble a website, report, or multimedia deliverable without manual uploads; and
- Execute multi‑step edits and publishing tasks end‑to‑end.
Why the Manus claim needs verification
Manus is real as a product, but there is a difference between the agent existing and Microsoft officially shipping it as a built‑in File Explorer integration. At the time of writing there was no Microsoft press release or official Windows release note listing Manus as a shipped partner; most published confirmations around File Explorer’s new AI actions describe first‑party integrations (Photos, Paint, Bing) and Copilot summaries, not a named Manus integration. Until Microsoft or Manus publish joint documentation, the specific Manus‑in‑Explorer scenario should be treated as unverified and evaluated with skepticism — especially given the security and governance stakes involved.Filmora and creative workflows: the practical angle
Wondershare’s Filmora is a mainstream consumer and prosumer video editor with growing AI features (auto‑scene detection, AI trims, auto‑caption). The idea of a File Explorer shortcut that launches Filmora with selected clips preloaded is straightforward and consistent with the new MCP‑style integration model: Explorer would hand off selected files to Filmora via an agent handshake, Filmora would apply automated edits, and return results — all while keeping the file selection local and the user in context. This mirrors past experiences: Microsoft Photos previously offered quick auto‑edit video creation from selected images and clips inside the Photos app, and Clipchamp has been Microsoft’s in‑house editor for broader tasks.That said, a confirmed Filmora integration announcement from either Microsoft or Wondershare was not found in major product release documentation at the time of reporting. If Wondershare does enable an Explorer shortcut it will most likely be implemented through the MCP or Windows agent APIs and appear as a Shell extension or registered AI action. Until one or both vendors confirm, treat the Filmora claim as plausible but pending verification.
Security, privacy, and governance — the real challenge
Cross‑prompt injection, data exfiltration, and chained tools
Agentic AI raises new threat vectors. A malicious file could contain specially crafted prompts or embedded content designed to change an agent’s behavior (cross‑prompt injection), or a permissive chain of tools could allow exfiltration of sensitive files. Security researchers have already highlighted risks in MCP deployments: poorly scoped tool permissions, lookalike tools, and prompt‑injection scenarios can lead to data leaks or unintended actions. Microsoft is explicitly aware of these risks and is building multiple mitigations: scoped agent accounts, known‑folders limits for agents in preview, explicit OAuth connectors for cloud services, and per‑app generative AI visibility controls. Those mitigations are a good start, but enterprises should not assume a default configuration fully prevents every attack vector.Local vs cloud execution: privacy implications
Not all AI actions are equal. Some quick edits (Photos/ Paint tasks) may run locally, especially on Copilot+ hardware with NPUs; other flows (Bing Visual Search or Copilot summarization of large documents) will invoke cloud services. Microsoft’s rollout uses hardware and licensing gates that influence locality: Copilot+ PCs with NPUs can do more on‑device inference, while other devices will fall back to cloud processing. That hybrid model improves performance and flexibility, but it also complicates privacy assurances: organizations must validate whether given actions keep data local or send it to external services and plan accordingly.Operational controls enterprises will need
Enterprises should insist on:- Audit logs and traceability for agent actions;
- Intune/Group Policy hooks to disable or limit AI Actions and agent accounts where required;
- Explicit consent workflows and pre‑approved MCP servers; and
- Test plans that replicate expected data residency and compliance constraints.
Licensing, availability, and cost questions
- Availability: Microsoft is staging the rollout across channels (Canary / Dev / Beta / Stable) and gating features by device, region, and licensing. Some AI actions are available broadly; others — particularly document summarization via Copilot — require a Microsoft 365 + Copilot entitlement. The new agent runtime features are arriving in preview and will be opt‑in.
- Copilot+ PCs and NPUs: On‑device model inference and instant, private responses are prioritized for so‑called Copilot+ devices with NPUs; these devices offer local SLMs and faster offline behaviors. Hardware limitations will mean an uneven experience across the installed base.
- Third‑party agents: Whether vendor shortcuts (Manus, Filmora, Click to Do scheduling shortcuts, etc.) cost money depends on the vendor’s business model. Explorer shortcuts that merely launch a local client or hand off files are likely to be free; cloud‑assisted agent workflows that use third‑party compute or premium features may carry separate charges. Microsoft’s OS update does not automatically make third‑party features free — each vendor will set their own pricing and entitlements.
Practical guidance — what Windows users and admins should do now
- For everyday users
- Try the new AI actions on a non‑critical device first and review the tool’s local vs cloud indicator before running sensitive files.
- Use the Settings → Privacy → Text & image generation surface to see which apps used generative models recently.
- For power users and creators
- Keep familiar editors (Photos, Clipchamp, Filmora) installed and compare generated edits with full‑editor workflows; use Explorer AI actions for quick triage, not final production, until you validate quality.
- Back up original files before letting an agent make bulk changes.
- For IT and security teams
- Pilot on representative hardware (including Copilot+ PCs if on‑device inference is a requirement).
- Validate data residency: confirm which actions send data to cloud services and route those workflows through approved MCP servers only.
- Use Intune/Group Policy to manage agent account provisioning and agent permissions; require audit logging for agent activity.
Critical analysis — strengths and risks
Strengths
- Productivity gains: Surface‑level AI actions reduce friction for tiny, common tasks — blurring a background or summarizing a Word file without opening it can save minutes that add up.
- Ecosystem openness: MCP makes it easier for third parties to integrate with Windows in a standardized way; that can accelerate innovation and bring specialized tools into core OS surfaces.
- Visible controls: Microsoft’s agent account model and the generative AI privacy surface show that the company is thinking about governance early. Those UX elements are vital for broader adoption.
Risks and open questions
- Vendor claims vs shipped reality: Reports of specific partner integrations (Manus, Filmora) are compelling but not all vendor claims are fully verified. Enterprises must not assume named third‑party agents are available or sanctioned until vendors and Microsoft publish joint documentation.
- Security surface expansion: Agentic workflows chain tools and permissions in new ways; mistakes or malicious files can have outsized impact without robust controls. MCP itself has known potential attack vectors (prompt injection, rogue tool replacement) that deserve careful defense.
- Fragmentation and user confusion: Hardware gating, regional restrictions, and licensing checks mean identical Windows builds can show different behaviors — confusing both end users and help desks. Clear documentation and admin tooling will be essential.
Final verdict
The addition of AI actions and an agent runtime to Windows 11’s File Explorer is a meaningful evolution: it moves AI from a separate app into the OS’s most frequented surface, enabling fast, contextual micro‑workflows and opening the door to third‑party agent experiences. The underlying platform work — Model Context Protocol support, agent accounts, and agent workspaces — is real and significant, and it creates a safe‑space for more powerful agentic scenarios once governance is mature.At the same time, vendor‑named integrations reported in the wild (Manus, Filmora) should be treated with caution until Microsoft and those vendors release joint, official documentation. Security, auditability, and clear admin controls will determine whether agentic File Explorer actions become a productivity boon or a new enterprise headache. Organizations should pilot carefully, insist on traceability for agent actions, and validate data locality for compliance‑sensitive workflows before broadly enabling these features.
Windows’ File Explorer is no longer just a file manager: it’s becoming a dispatch surface for AI. The next few months will tell whether that dispatch is a neat productivity shortcut or the start of a new class of managed, auditable agentic tools on the desktop.
Source: Windows Latest Microsoft confirms Windows 11's File Explorer is getting third-party AI features
