You may use it every day on your PC, but you probably haven’t fully mastered all the secrets of Windows File Explorer yet. However, Microsoft’s operating system file manager hides many secrets which, when known and perfectly mastered, can save you precious time. The real nerve center of your computer, File Explorer has also recently welcomed a feature that has been requested for many years, but that users were desperate to obtain: tabbed browsing.
If this new navigation mode somehow revolutionizes the use of this essential utility, Microsoft still has many other projects for it. Indeed, at the latest news, the Redmond firm would be working on a major overhaul of File Explorer. Before it is finalized and deployed on a large scale on all computers, it will probably have to wait several more months. In the meantime, we have selected ten tips for you that we hope will help you better use Windows File Explorer.
1. Open Explorer with a shortcut
You are certainly one of the users who open Windows File Explorer by clicking on the pinned icon in the taskbar. Without your hands leaving your keyboard to grab the mouse or search for your trackpaddirectly use the keyboard shortcut Windows + E.
Generally well known to seasoned users, it will allow you to open a new File Explorer window in a fraction of a second.
2. Set it to open on This PC
By default, Windows File Explorer opens to the page Welcome which brings together theQuick access to your pinned directories, as well as your favorites. However, you can configure it to open directly on What a PC rather than on the home page.
To do this, click on the button three little dots in the File Explorer toolbar and enter the Options.
In the window of Folder options that opens, click on the drop-down menu Open File Explorer in and change Home to What a PC.
3. Use tabs
To avoid multiplying the number of File Explorer windows when you have to juggle documents stored in several directories, you can navigate by opening new tabs. Opening a new tab can be done in several ways: either by clicking on the “+” at the top of the window, or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + T. In the same way, you can close your tabs using the shortcut Ctrl + W.
You can also choose to directly open a directory or storage medium in a new tab by right-clicking on it, then choosingOpen in a new tab.
4. Show a preview pane
You may not know it, but File Explorer has a preview pane for your files. To activate it, click on the button To display in the toolbar, hover over the View submenu and select Preview Pane.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Alt + P.
5. Activate the selection boxes
On Windows, to select multiple files in File Explorer, just hold down the key Ctrl then click on each of the elements to add to the selection. However, if you are not experienced in this manipulation, it can be quite chaotic. File Explorer, however, has a checkbox system, disabled by default, which allows you to select several items much more easily.
To activate it, click on the menu To display in the toolbar, then in the View submenuselect the option Item checkboxes.
You will only have to hover over a file to see the checkbox on which you just have to click to add an element to your selection.
6. Add the trash
By default, File Explorer does not provide access to the Recycle Bin where all the items you have deleted are located. To access it, you have little choice but to go to the desktop of your PC. However, it is perfectly possible to integrate the recycle bin with File Explorer. To do this, make a right click in an empty area of the left columnthen choose toShow all folders.
The Basket (as well as the Control Panel) will now be accessible directly in the left column of File Explorer.
7. Pin your important directories to Quick Access
There are probably important directories on your PC that you would like to be able to access quickly. Why not add them to the Quick Access available on the File Explorer Home page? To do this, right-click on the folder of your choice, and choosePin to Quick Access.
When you open File Explorer on the page Welcomeyour most important directories will now be accessible directly in theQuick access.
8. Show your file extensions
Windows does not natively indicate file extensions in File Explorer, which can quickly cause problems, especially in the case of images. To display them, click on the button To displaythen in the View submenuchoose File name extensions.
You will finally be able to tell the difference between your images in JPEG and PNG format.
9. Rename your files in batch
Looking for a quick way to simultaneously rename multiple files stored in a directory? Select each item to rename (or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + A if you want to select everything), do a right click on the first fileand choose to Rename. Enter the name you wish to give and validate by pressing the key Entrée of the keyboard.
Windows File Explorer has automatically renamed all your files by adding a number suffix to them.
10. View detailed file information
You can quickly display detailed information about your files directly in the File Explorer to know, for example, their size, their dimension, or their creation date. To quickly view this information, select an item in File Explorer and use the keyboard shortcut May + Alt + P.
All your file details will automatically be displayed in a pane on the right side of the window, instead of the preview pane (if you have enabled it). Use that same hotkey again to make it disappear.