The File Explorer is an important function of the Windows 10 operating system. It gives you the flexibility to quickly access, create / rename/ delete folders. While File Explorer is an important part of the Windows 10 operating system, this is not something completely new.
Those who have been using Windows operating system must be knowing Windows Explorer. The Windows Explorer is renamed as File Explorer in Windows 10 with added features.
Jun 14, 2018 If you want to get help about File Explorer on Windows 10 then you can follow these following steps: Open File Explorer on your Windows 10. Then just press F1 Function key to search Get Help with File Explorer in Windows 10. Then you will find everything regarding File Explorer. F1 is the key used to open help page in most of the App and software. 10 Ways to open File Explorer in Windows 10. Press Win + E on your keyboard. Use the File Explorer shortcut on the taskbar. Use Cortana's search. Use the File Explorer shortcut from the WinX menu. Use the File Explorer shortcut from the Start Menu. Run explorer.exe. Create a shortcut and pin it to your desktop.
Contents
- 1 Get Help with File Explorer in Windows 10
- 1.2 Get help with File Explorer in Windows 10
- 1.2.1 How to open file Manager with Keyboard shortcuts:
- 1.2.1.2 Customise Quick Access:
- 1.2.2 How to launch File Explorer without Keyboard Shortcuts
- 1.2.2.1 Get help with File Explorer in Windows 10: Open file explorer without shortcut keys-
- 1.2.1 How to open file Manager with Keyboard shortcuts:
- 1.2 Get help with File Explorer in Windows 10
This post explains how to get help with File Explorer in Windows 10 such as accessing file explorer quickly through a keyboard shortcut or how to add/ remove folders from quick access.
What is File Explorer?
Do you want to access any particular folder from any system drive?, do you want to access the folder where you’ve stored pictures or the documents in your PC?
You need to use File Explorer to perform such tasks.
As I said the File Explorer in Windows 10 is almost same as Windows Explorer in previous versions of Windows OS, hence if you have used Windows operating system before, you wouldn’t feel it difficult to understand File explorer in windows 10 as well.
The function had been in place since the operating system launched at first but has been modified with each new version.
With file explorer, you can quickly access the files and folders that you have recently used. Alternatively, you can create a shortcut to the folder that you use frequently to quick access.
For example to access the file “Website content” I will have to go through the path: This PC > Local Disk (E) > p> TenTaken > Originals > website data> Content each time.
This is a pretty long path and if you want to open any this MS Word file. The File Explorer helps you add folder “content” to Quick access so that you can access the folder very quickly. Isn’t it nice?
Also see: How to get help in windows 10
This article explains various things, so keep reading to get help with File Explorer in Windows 10. By the end of this article, you will have several tips and tricks.
Get help with File Explorer in Windows 10
Here we will be discussing several shortcuts to open File Explorer and other ways of opening File Explorer in Windows 10. File Explorer comes with a new interface which is very easy to understand and access as compared to Windows 8.
Let us go ahead and see how to get help with file explorer in Windows 10.
How to open file Manager with Keyboard shortcuts:
If you are looking to access any folder you must have to open file explorer. There are several ways of doing that.
Open File Explorer in Windows 10 with Keyboard Shortcuts:
If you are looking to open a folder or performing a specific task with respect to any program (Ex MS Word), no method could be as convenient as using the keyboard shortcuts.
With shortcuts, you will have to press just a few keys on your keyboard and you are done.
For example, if you are working on an MS word file, if you know how to copy/ cut paste with a keyboard shortcut, you can perform the task very quickly and conveniently. Just select the text and press shortcut keys.
Same is the case with File Explorer in Windows 10. While the MS Word keyboard shortcuts are very common and people tend to know them, File Explorer keyboard shortcuts aren’t that common.
A very small number of people use shortcuts to open File Explorer, maybe because they don’t know them?
This post can be very helpful for those people.
We have listed the keyboard shortcuts to perform every task in File Explorer in Windows 10. Here we go:
Shortcut Keys | Task |
WIN + E | Open-File Explorer |
CTRL + SHIFT + N | Create a New folder |
CTRL + N | Open the Same folder Multiple times |
CTRL+ Scroll Mouse Wheel up/down (Laptop users- Slide finger on the Mouse Pad) | Zoom in/ Zoom out |
CTRL + E/ CTRL + F | Activate Search |
ALT+ Right arrow key | Go forward in folders (based on history) |
ALT + Left Arrow Key | Go backward in folders (based o history) |
ALT + P | Show or Hide Preview pane |
ALT + SHIFT+ PÂ | Show or Hide folder Details |
CTRL + L | Highlight the Path of the Folder |
CTRL + W | Close the Folder |
Customise Quick Access:
There are certain folders that you need to access frequently. It is annoying to go through the whole path if the folder is located deep in the drive.
To avoid this, we can add this particular folder to Quick access items so that the folder is just one click away. Here is how to do it.
I’ll demonstrate by taking “OnDrive” folder (As in below screenshot)
Also see: How to disable fast user switching in Windows 10
Pin item to Quick access
If you see the “Quickaccess” list below, OneDrive is not there. If you want to add OneDrive to Quickaccess, simply right click on it and choose “Pin to Quick access” Below is the screen taken before pinning OneDrive to Quick access.
UnPin Item from Quick access in Windows 10
To remove the item from Quick access or unpin it, simply right click again on the item and select “Unpin from Quick access” and the item will be removed from Quick access list.
How to launch File Explorer without Keyboard Shortcuts
In our guide how to get help with file explorer in windows 10, we earlier have seen how to launch File Explorer with keyboard shortcuts.
In this section, we will see how to launch it with other methods (without shortcut keys). Here we go:
Get help with File Explorer in Windows 10: Open file explorer without shortcut keys-
There are several ways to launch File Explorer without shortcut keys as well and I’ll discuss each of them.
Moreover, in some cases, if you don’t find file explorer at the locations (Task Bar or Start Menu) I’ve discussed, you can customize to add/remove File explorer to those locations. Let’s go ahead:
Use Cortana Search Box-
- Click on the bottom left corner to activate Cortana Search Box.
- Type “File Explorer” and it will appear in the list.
- Click this Desktop app to launch file explorer in Windows 10.
Launch File Explorer from TaskBar-
This is the quickest method to launch File Explorer in Windows 10 and other versions of the Windows operating system. Click “File Manager” shortcut from Taskbar as below:
Use Power Menu-
- Press Win + X and the power menu will open.
- Look for “File Explorer” from the item.
- Click to launch it.
From Start Menu-
The other alternative to open file manager in Windows 10 is from Start Menu.
- Click Start Menu
- Look for “File Explorer” as below.
- Click to launch it.
If you don’t see File Explorer in TaskBar or Start Menu, do the following:
- Go to Cortana Search box and write “File Explorer“. It will appear.
- Right Click on the app and chose “pin to Start” to add it to Start Menu Or chose “Pin to taskbar” to add it to taskbar for quick launch.
Windows 10 no longer has built-in help for File Explorer, as Windows 7 does. Microsoft makes you search the web for information, so here’s what you need to know about using Windows 10’s file manager.
File Explorer Interface Basics
While it’s been renamed “File Explorer” in Windows 10, this application is basically the same as Windows Explorer on Windows 7. It does have some new features, including a ribbon interface and built-in Microsoft OneDrive for syncing your files to the cloud.
The “Quick Access” area in the sidebar replaces “Favorites” on Windows 10. You can drag and drop folders to the Quick Access area to “pin” them for easy access in the future. Windows 10 will automatically add your recently used folders to this area, too. You can customize Quick Access from the options window. To remove an individual folder from Quick Access, right-click it and select “Unpin From Quick Access.”
The “This PC” section replaces the “My Computer” item on Windows 7. It contains shortcuts to user data folders on your PC as well as other drives, such as USB drives and DVD drives.
How to Use the Ribbon
The ribbon in File Explorer works just like the ribbon in Microsoft Office applications like Word and Excel. There are a few different ways you can use it.
If you want more space in your file browsing windows, you can leave the ribbon collapsed by default. You can still click any of the tabs at the top—like “Home,” “Share,” or “View” to view the commands and click a button. The ribbon will only appear temporarily.
If you’d rather see the ribbon all the time, you can expand it. To do so, either click the arrow near the top right corner of the File Explorer window or press Ctrl+F1.
The Home toolbar offers basic options for working with files, including Copy, Paste, Delete, Rename, New Folder, and Properties.
The Share tab offers options for emailing, zipping, and printing files, as well as burning them to disc and sharing them on the local network.
The View tab contains options for controlling how the files appear in File Explorer and how they’re sorted. You can enable a preview or details pane to see more information about a selected file, choose whether you want large file icons or a dense file list, and sort files by any criteria you like. You can also choose to show or hide file name extensions or hidden files from here. Just click the “Hidden items” checkbox to show or hide hidden files without opening the Folder Options window.
The Manage tab will sometimes appear on the ribbon with contextually appropriate commands. For example, if you select some pictures, you’ll see a “Picture Tools” tab with options for rotating the selecting images and setting them as your desktop background.
How to Pin Frequently Used Commands
The Quick Access Toolbar appears at the top left corner of the File Explorer window, on the title bar. It provides convenient access to commands you frequently use. To add a command to the Quick Access toolbar, right-click it on the ribbon and select “Add to Quick Access Toolbar.”
If you’d like more space for commands, you can right-click anywhere on the ribbon or tab bar above it and select “Show the Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon” to turn it into a more standard toolbar.
How to Change File Explorer’s Settings
To change File Explorer’s settings, click the “View” tab on the ribbon and click the “Options” icon.
This opens the familiar Folder Options dialog that existed on Windows 7, too. It has a few new options—for example, you can control whether File Explorer opens to the Quick Access or This PC views, or whether it automatically shows recently and frequently used folders in the Quick Access view.
Useful Keyboard Shortcuts
File Explorer is packed with useful keyboard shortcuts to help you accomplish tasks faster. Here’s a quick list of some:
- Windows+E – Open a File Explorer window. This works anywhere in Windows 10.
- Ctrl+N – Open a new File Explorer window. This only works in File Explorer itself.
- Ctrl+W – Close the current File Explorer window.
- Ctrl+Mousewheel Up or Down – Change the size of files and folder icons (zoom in or out.)
- Ctrl+Shift+N – Create a new folder
- Backspace or Alt+Left arrow – View the previous folder (go back.)
- Alt+Right arrow – View the next folder (go forward.)
- Alt+Up arrow – View the folder the current folder is in.
- Ctrl+F, Ctrl+E, or F3 – Focus the Search box so you can quickly start typing a search.
- Ctrl+L, Alt+D, or F4 – Focus the address (location) bar so you can quickly start typing a folder address.
- F11 – Maximize the File Explorer window. Press F11 again to shrink the window. This works in web browsers, too.
You can find a complete list of Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts on Microsoft’s website.
How to Use OneDrive
OneDrive is built into File Explorer on Windows 10. It synchronizes files online using the Microsoft account you sign into Windows 10 with. It works similarly to Dropbox, Google Drive, and Apple’s iCloud Drive.
To get started, click the “OneDrive” option in File Explorer’s sidebar. You’ll be prompted to sign into OneDrive, if necessary. If you aren’t, you can just place files in OneDrive. They’ll be uploaded to Microsoft’s servers. You can access them in the OneDrive folder on other PCs you sign into the same Microsoft account with, via OneDrive apps on your phone, and on the OneDrive website.
The “Status” field in the OneDrive window shows you the status of each file. A blue cloud icon indicates the file is stored on OneDrive online but will automatically be downloaded when you open it. A green checkmark indicates the file is stored both on OneDrive and on your current PC.
You can control OneDrive’s settings from the OneDrive notification area (system tray) icon. Click the cloud-shaped OneDrive icon in the notification area at the bottom right corner of your screen—if you don’t see it, you probably need to click the little up arrow to the left of the icons to find it. Click “More” and click “Settings” to find OneDrive’s various settings, where you can control which folders are synchronized, how much of your upload and download bandwidth OneDrive uses, and other settings.
OneDrive can automatically “protect” files in important folders like your Desktop, Pictures, and Documents by syncing them. To set this up, click the “Auto Save” tab in OneDrive’s settings and click the “Update Folders” button under Protect Your Important Folders.
If you don’t like seeing OneDrive, you can disable it and remove the icon from File Explorer.
How to Access Network Drives
Folders, printers, and media servers shared on the local network appear in the “Network” view. You may have to scroll down to the bottom of File Explorer’s sidebar to locate and click it.
Windows 10 no longer includes the HomeGroup feature, so you can’t use that to share files and folders between your computers easily. You can either use OneDrive or use the old-fashioned file and folder sharing network options.
If you need to map a network drive for easy availability, you can do that from the This PC view. First, click “This PC” in the sidebar. The “Computer” tab will appear on the ribbon. Click it and select “Map Network Drive” and use the instructions your IT department provides for connecting.
The mapped drive will appear under Network Locations in the This PC view.
How to Back Up and Restore Your Files
Windows 10 contains File History, a file backup and restore tool. It’s not just for making and restoring huge backups—File History can automatically back up different versions of your files, and you can use File Explorer to restore those previous versions easily. First, you have to set up File History from Settings > Update & Security > Backup. Enable “Automatically back up my files.”
After you’ve set it up, you can select a file or folder, click “Home” on the ribbon, and click the “History” button to view and restore older versions of that file or folder.
Windows 10’s File Explorer is packed with other useful features, too. You can tag any file, use a dark theme, or re-enable the “libraries” feature. Microsoft is working a tabbed interface for File Explorer, but you can get File Explorer tabs today.
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