Is the File Picker in Windows Private?

Just to clear things up, there's not much access control through Windows when it comes to applications. They can read files you have access to, so running work programs on your personal laptop is a bit risky. The safest route is to use a separate user account for work, which you've mentioned you've done now. Just try to avoid running them together to keep your work and personal files distinct.

Creating a separate, non-admin user account for work was a smart move! It does help ensure that your personal files aren’t inadvertently shared or accessed while you’re working. So don’t stress too much about the earlier mix-up; just make sure to keep using that separate account!

When you open file explorer in Windows, it's pretty much a separate interface for you to pick files. It doesn't automatically scan everything for the program you're using, so you can feel safer about what you're selecting. However, any application you run can access files you have permissions for, which means it could technically access your private files if you share your account with work apps. It's best to keep personal and work data separate whenever possible.