How-To

Windows 10 Tip: Manage Files and Folders with File Explorer

A critical part of managing files and folders in Windows is by using a File System. Here’s a look at managing your data with File Explorer in Windows 10.

When using your Windows 10 system to create information, we accumulate many files that store on our hard disk over time. A critical part of how Windows 10 (and Windows in general) organizes this is using a File System that manages how files are stored and accessed on your computer. When we interact with the records that we create on our computers, such as documents, audio files, pictures, and videos, the part you and I see is the File Manager.

Formerly File Manager

In the case of Windows, it’s File Explorer. Over the years, this essential part of the Windows experience has evolved from its roots as File Manager in early releases, then Windows Explorer, and now called File Explorer, first introduced in Windows 8.

Since many of you are coming from Windows 7 and skipped Windows 8.x altogether, we thought you’d like to take a look at using File Explorer in Windows 10.

Using File Explorer in Windows 10

To see into your computer’s storage vault, click the File Explorer icon located on your Taskbar or click Start > File Explorer.

Launch File Explorer

When you launch File Explorer in Windows 10, you get the Quick access window. Formally called Favorites in previous versions of Windows, here you will see your most frequently accessed folders and files you created.

Quick Access View

You can use File Explorer for a variety of tasks. In addition to the management and organization of files and folders, it’s also used to view and manage the resources of your computer, such as internal storage, attached storage, and optical drives.

What Everything Means on File Explorer

Quick Access ToolbarHere you can pin your most frequently accessed commands. Quick Access also automatically pins your most frequently accessed folders.
Ribbon ToolbarIf you are familiar with Microsoft Office or apps such as Paint and WordPad, the Ribbon toolbar command is used to manage your files and often reveals hidden commands quickly. When you select a file or folder, this will display a contextual tab with additional options. You can copy, move, delete, rename, and do a host of other tasks using the Ribbon.
Navigation and Address BarYou can use these to navigate smoothly through a folder’s hierarchy or back and forward between folders. The Address bar also has a breadcrumb menu that makes it easy to navigate to a different folder path.
Quick AccessHere you can find your most frequently accessed folders, and the ones you have pinned show up here, which is a new feature in Windows 10.
OneDrive synced foldersIf you have a Microsoft Account setup with your Windows 10 PC, you can have your files stored in the online storage service and have them synced to your computer.
This PCIn previous versions of Windows, this was called Computer Explorer. Here you can view and manage your internal storage and attached storage devices, including optical media.
SearchUse the search command to find files stored in the current folder.
Status barDisplays information about the contents stored in the window, such as the number of files, size, file selection, and quick access to folder layout.

Explorer Documents Description

This PC

If you would rather see your computer environment now called This PC, click it in the left pane, or you can change it to the default from the Folder Options dialogue. To do so, select the View tab on the Ribbon and click Options under Show/Hide group.

Folder Option 1

Click in the Open File Explorer to list box, choose This PC, and then click Apply and OK.

If you don’t like to see your most frequently accessed folders and recently accessed files, you can adjust those settings from the same dialog. Under Privacy, uncheck the following:

  • Show recently used files in Quick access
  • Show frequently used folders in Quick access

Or you can choose to erase all traces by clicking the Clear button.

Folder Options

User Folder

In Windows 7 and earlier versions, you had a User folder directory used to store and organize your files in folders by content, such as Documents, Audio Files, Pictures, Videos, and other types of data. Some of these folders will still be available from This PC. Other folders that might be part of your User Folder created by third-party applications are accessible from within your user directory from the Bread Crumb menu.

To do that, click the arrow on the address bar (see below) and click your user folder represented by your account name. Or, press Windows key + R, then type: %userprofile% and hit Enter.

User folder

Change how Files Display in Windows 10 File Explorer

You can change how your files look by using the View tab. When you activate this tab, you will see various groups for changing the window’s layout, files, current view, or hide certain things you see onscreen. Within the Layout group, click one of the available options to change how your files display onscreen. You can also preview the layout before confirming by hovering over one of the available options.

File Layout

File Explorer provides different ways to view your files

Go Back to a Previous Folder

If you would like to navigate to a previous folder, you can do this a couple of ways efficiently using either the Recent Locations button or the Bread Crumb menu. When you click the Recent Locations menu, you can go back to a previously working directory quickly without going through multiple directories along the way.

The Bread Crumb menu introduced in Windows Vista provides similar capabilities; for instance, you can easily navigate to a folder with a folder path. So, if there are subfolders within a folder, you can quickly jump to any folder within that path.

Tip: You can also use the Backspace key to go back one step too.

Back and Bread Crumb

Organizing Files and Folders

If you have many files on your Windows 10 system computer, you’ll want to organize them. So if you need to see recent files created or older files, or you need to archive certain files elsewhere, you can easily do so. The View tab provides options for sorting how files are displayed. Here, I have chosen to sort my files by type. When I select this view, I can see all my Microsoft Word documents and Excel workbooks.

Updated File Sort type

Copy, Pasting a File or Folder

One of the most common operations for users is copying, which creates a replica of an original file. To copy a file, select the file you want to copy and click Copy under the Home tab.

You can just as easily copy or move a file without leaving your current location. Under the Home tab within the Organize group, click the ‘Copy to’ or ‘Move to’ button, choose the location if it’s listed, or click the Choose Location button and select the location.

Copy and Move Files

Customizing Windows 10 File Explorer

If there are folders you commonly access, you can have them pinned to the Quick Access pane. Right-click the folder you want to be pinned and select Pin to Quick Access or select the folder and then Pin to Quick access under the Home tab.

Quick Access Windows 10

If you don’t always want to see the Ribbon in Windows 10, you can minimize it by clicking the Minimize button or press Ctrl + F1 on your keyboard.

minimize ribbon

As you now know, File Explorer in Windows 10 contains a wealth of tools you can use to manage your files! The ribbon, which will be new to many, offers numerous organizational tools that are quickly accessible. All of this makes it easier to discover and find your information.

50 Comments

50 Comments

  1. Rodger Warren

    September 12, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    Hi Andre
    Since updating to Windows 10 I find that when I have two versions of File Explorer open and want to have them side by side the Taskbar option “Show Windows Side by Side” does not work correctly.
    The two versions become Stacked not Side by side.
    Eg.
    Press Win Key+E twice (to open two versions of File Explorer)
    Right Click in the Task Bar and select Show Windows Side by Side.

    This is an annoying bug and Microsoft should be notified by it but How do you notify them?

    • Michael

      November 27, 2016 at 3:06 pm

      I think your problem is that you’re opening two SESSIONS of File Explorer when what you want is two WINDOWS.

      Instead of clicking Windows E a second time…just type CTRL N (new window) once your first window is open.

      THEN you can use the old side-by-each command.
      (The way you’ve BEEN doing it, each “session” only HAS one window open…..so when you say “Show windows side by side”…….it thinks you’re on drugs! :-)

  2. Bob Matthews

    September 15, 2015 at 7:45 am

    How can I duplicate the folder structure [only partial in most cases, e.g. the structure for the lowest level or two on part of a drive] in Windows 10 while not copying all the files over? Thanks.

  3. MSFT Guru

    November 29, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    Bob Matthews…

    Open a command prompt and use the xcopy command with the /T & /E switches. Type “xcopy /?” for a list of switches and the help file.

    /T Creates directory structure, but does not copy files. Does not
    include empty directories or subdirectories. /T /E includes
    empty directories and subdirectories.

  4. Mick

    December 2, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    How do I increase the font size in File Explorer? Or how do I zoom in so that I can read the screen?

    • Michael

      November 27, 2016 at 3:30 pm

      Not sure about the font-size method……but Windows Key/+= key will magnify up to 800% (Go back down to 100 using Win/- keys.(of course!)

  5. Roger

    December 19, 2015 at 2:16 pm

    How can one add a back arrow button to where the pin to quick access button is located now? I really miss the old layout, and the small arrows that has replaced it just isn’t the same, at all..

    • not sayin my name =-=

      March 12, 2019 at 12:01 pm

      in the search bar do you have a star next the your profile?

  6. Cheryl Earle

    January 29, 2016 at 11:34 am

    I’m trying to burn word documents to a CD. I have file folders with sub folders under each folder. These are recipes that I have organized into different categories, like chicken, pork, etc. When I burn them to a CD they appear in alphabetical order, but not in their sub folder categories. How do I burn the CD keeping the categories separate? Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

  7. kristin

    February 23, 2016 at 6:43 am

    I can’t even get two copies of file explorer open. I don’t know how to organize my files and folders without doing this. I need to see what I am doing, my short term memory is apparently not long enough to retain what I am dragging and where I want to drag it to to, and then to make it worse scrolling and dragging can make it all squirrel out.

    • Claudio Paroli

      August 29, 2016 at 10:40 pm

      Kristin I suppose by now you’ve worked it out. If not, here’s my way…

      I have File Explorer on the taskbar (Start>File Explorer – right mouse click – Add to Taskbar).

      I click to open it and then, if I want another copy, I click again on the File Explorer icon on the taskbar BUT WHILE HOLDING SHIFT – a separate FE windows open, and you can drag one hard against the side of your monitor using your left mouse button on the title bar. When you then let go of the mouse button – making sure you see a half screen outline on your monitor – the first FE window will snap to fill half screen size. Then you can click on the other FE window to make it snap to the other half of the screen.

      Then you can drag files between different folders in your computer or between different computers on your network.

      Hope it helps! :)

      • Jerry

        December 27, 2016 at 1:52 pm

        Ok here is my delima when pulling files over to move them. I highlite the file and pull them over to the same window left hand column, and before i can let go of them, it has squirly opened up the subdirectories or moved on me, so they go into the wrong directory. Very very frustrating. Isn’t there a button or check mark where i can make it NOT EXPAND the directories. If not, why now ;)? Thank you for answering that.

        Oh one more delima with windows 10. I can’t even see a button or place where it says PRINT in my Notepad Next application. What do i have to do to get it to appear? There is a print button on all the other applications.

        • Frank N. Stein

          November 10, 2019 at 8:27 pm

          Jerry, did you ever learn how to move something from one file explorer window to the other, without the darn thing suddenly going into the wrong directory? Happens to me a lot, also.

    • Dr. George

      January 15, 2017 at 2:08 am

      You, Kristin, have just made my day !
      To explain, I must detail that I’ve a huge amount of schooling, medical degrees,
      mechanical training, and more. I can tear anything apart, and rebuild it. I’ve also applied for a few patents. (blah, blah, blah)
      HOWEVER, in the last few years of being habitually
      frustrated with computers, I’ve upgraded to (2) twenty four inch monitors.
      This solved a fraction of my struggles, yet all the “tutorials” and “advice” and explanations from “EXPERTS” continually left me with the desire to smash everything and revert to books, pen and paper, etc.
      “Not” having the ability to “SEE WHAT WE’RE DOING” seems to be a “very common” roadblock in the world of computers.
      It could also be in “your” situation, as is mine, that certain individuals are more “kinesthetic” and “visual” than others, in terms of “how they retain information”.
      Having grown up with 3 DIMENSIONAL, auditory, and visual learning, it took me a long
      time to realize that “IT’S NOT ME”.
      The world of learning computers, let alone programs, files, folders, and the myriad of differing combinations is VERY UNNATURAL to my own personal way of learning.
      Having learned this, I’ve solved my anger/frustration with computers and built myself
      a 6-monitor system, allowing me to have a “huge” desktop where I CAN SEE EVERYTHING and the “inter-relationships”……AS I AM TRYING TO REMEMBER, RETAIN, and Learn !

  8. Claudio Paroli

    February 26, 2016 at 3:49 pm

    Great post Andre, thanks
    Is there a way to customise File Manager so that I don’t see all stuff I don’t need in the Navigation Pane – such as Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos?
    Thanks

  9. MM

    February 29, 2016 at 5:04 am

    i accidentally clicked something that i didn’t read while i was deleting an app. (i think it was “do this to others”).. now, i could copy, move or delete any file, apps and all while i have it open.. how do i undo this? how do i return it to its default setting?

  10. Renz

    March 4, 2016 at 2:52 pm

    Hi somehow windows 10 file explorer has taken my music album folders and made individual folders for each artist. So now i have many more folders to look through for my music and some folders only have 1 somg in them… i have tried changing the view but i cannot get them to merge back into album folders. Is there a way to do this?

  11. Kermit

    March 13, 2016 at 7:13 pm

    on 8, I could like all the favorites and quickly look at them by xing out at the top. Now I have to click each one in the folder to look at. This takes way too much time. How do I get them all to open in a favorites forlder like 8. I hope this isn’t the new way, so aggrevating. Thanks

  12. Jerry

    May 23, 2016 at 1:49 pm

    I was trying to save a file to local drive C: but it wont allow me to. How to save a file in desired directory?

  13. Riona

    June 22, 2016 at 8:30 am

    You can try Long Path Tool, it helped me a lot.

  14. David

    August 20, 2016 at 11:24 am

    Is there anything about how to keep Microsoft from duplicating your files? When Windows 7 came out-was extremely confusing because on one hand you have similar names-like photos for instance-you will find a few different locations for “Photos” but are not the same location. Supposedly, these are all the same files arranged in a different order-there is only one file or on the picture and it all goes back to the one copy of that file.

    With Windows 10 in file explorer-next thing I know is my folders start multiplying without me making it happen. If I want to clean and organize-it is giving me multiple copies of the same file. So instead of having one file accessed from multiple locations-this becomes not one file but multiple copies of the same files you know must manage. Instead of having one file you have five or six files you have to consolidate and eventually deletes-you are not working with one file access from multiple locations but five different files found in five different locations.

    Is there a way to manage files and folders that does not make multiple copies of the same file(so you are only managing one file but not five different files) How can I manage my files and folders so I can keep them in one place, location with out seeing the same files copied and growing into a huge list of files you have to manage? In other words, having a clean and concise work area that bis easy to manage? How do I stop Microsoft from making copies of my files putting them all over the place in my file/folder manager?

  15. Ronald

    August 22, 2016 at 5:51 am

    Some online software’s are great in case of long path errors like Long Path Tool, all problems solution in one go.

  16. David

    August 29, 2016 at 7:12 pm

    How do you prevent files and folders from being deleted? Been noticing from time to time that a folder I could access is no longer there. I go to the Recycle Bin and thankfully-find it and restore it. How can I stop this action from happening?

    I am the only one using my laptop so the reality-it should be myself determining what gets deleted and what does not.

    Is there some kind of registry, journal entries, or whatever I need to look at to pinpoint when this happens and who caused it(whatever feature on my computer.)

    In a similar action, when working with a lot of files-pictures-when moving them from place to place(like cut and paste), I keep seeing these photos and files being duplicated in file management. I suspect when this happens, the cause being cut and pasted files-that it leaves a copy you did not intend to leave at the current address. For whatever reason-when Windows 7 came out-had a long time to wrap my head around the ideal that there is one file but can be accessed from multiple locations-one file though. I somewhat suspect there has been a change up by Microsoft which would be very disingenuous if that is what is happening.

    • Jerry

      December 27, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      Yes maybe MS can use another check box if we want to be reminded of a deletion or not be reminded. I”m used to the fact that you can hit the delete button, and it’s done, no asking if you’re sure. But you can also accidentally hit that button and lost files. Maybe make that optional to each individual person.

    • Michael Scott

      January 3, 2017 at 8:17 am

      Hey, David,
      Maybe the clue is in your phrase “Cut and paste”. Perhaps you are “Copy and pasting”, not cutting?

      Also, if you ever move files by “dragging and dropping” you must be sure to hold down the shift key while doing this; otherwise, you are “dragging and COPYING”, i.e. making another copy of the file in the new location. BUT, the old one ALSO stays where it was, so you now have TWO copies.

      Try it on a test file.

      Good luck!

  17. David

    September 1, 2016 at 11:52 am

    Everything you need to manage files and folders except for the files and folders themselves. I want to get rid of excess and copied files. Apparently when you try to open another copy of a folder already opened so you can compare-apparently you can only open one version of a folder. When you try to open a second copy-it takes you right to the first copy you have opened already. The more I get into Windows 10, the more I begin to realise Microsoft is not about making basic features Windows miight have had in the past are not a part of the new and improved edition of Windows. As Microsoft adds innovative features-you do it at the price of losing basic functionality you always had available to you-you have to reinmvent the wheel because Microsoft decided you do not need that wheel

    • Barry Hay

      September 12, 2016 at 12:48 pm

      David did you get any help with your two inquires here?
      I have these same problems and my Photo folders and files are beyond management.
      I really need help with these problems too.

    • Jerry

      December 27, 2016 at 2:06 pm

      Also in talking about files and losing or gaining files. Why after you drag files to the same drive, do they still appear to be in the directory you pulled them from? Then you click on them and explorer says they are not there. Why don’t they just delete the listing like they used to in Vista. I always have to leave that directory and then come back to it for it to show the correct listing.

  18. laura dawdy

    October 8, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    I really like the system

  19. David Emme

    October 16, 2016 at 6:41 pm

    Not really but the last few days I figured out why I began seeing more and more files and folders multiplied. The reason is if you select a number of files to move or delete. Not sure if this matters but I do use the little box to show if selected or not.

    When I select some files or folders to be deleted-notice they do not all delete or they all do not cut so am aware of it and now look to see if files or folders were cut or deleted because you cannot trust Windows 10 to delete or cut files and folders.

    What I am doing now is trying to organize file explorer. I get these folders and files and there is a bit of clutter. Try to consolidate. Problem is when I select something here, three other locations pop up with all its folders and this is where confusion comes in. I made a folder named, “Iraq” for pictures of the Iraq war. Put the files in there and have not looked at it fora week or two. I go in to the explorer and could not find it. So I decide to do a search and here comes this folder entitled I”Iraq” which does not have pictures but PDF Books I have.

    But in everything, I think have a total of five or six little folder icons that are the same-like for instance “pictures ” is found this way in files Explorer. I get really confused on how they decided to make things because with these various repeats of files and opening one folder that will open another five which when done-maybe one of those five will prompt you and go open different folders until I get one big convoluted mess. I do not even know why they make files explorer to be in this one pane of in formation that pops up-I honestly thought I should be able to open my files or folders in multiple places on my computer and also decided to put them together in one application-files explorer.

    It all gets very frustrating. It took some time to get here so I apologize in not responding-am sure nI have something in my email but have been ignoring it the last few weeks.

  20. James Jeddiboy

    November 25, 2016 at 3:51 pm

    I need this one I like it

  21. Lucy

    December 13, 2016 at 7:09 am

    Hi, I wanted to search for a file in a folder and organised by date. We then reset settings to get the folders back to the way they were previously and its now organised under ‘a long time ago’ yesterday’ etc…

    I cant work out how to change it back?? I cant find anything. Can you help?

  22. SRC

    December 21, 2016 at 7:26 am

    The new file explorer is a nightmare. I tried adding a folder to my desktop for quick access and for some idiotic reason it later changed the name of my folder for documents. Plus it seems to show the file architecture duplicated one above the other. How do I eliminate this “double vision” they’ve created? How do I delete the “documents” folder permanently so it will leave my created folders alone and not keep wanting to merge crap. Or, can I just uninstall file explorer all together and use a better standalone file manager that actually works? Mac and Linux are looking better all the time.

    • Rich

      January 2, 2017 at 7:06 pm

      SRC: I am having the same frustration. All my documents are buried in an obscure location under One Drive. I never wanted them placed there. The directory structure of Windows 10 is very confusing.

  23. john

    January 15, 2017 at 8:54 am

    I buy quite a not of technology. I find mc much more intuitive then file explorer. I recommend mc as a replacement. Don’t bother with junk.

  24. HJC

    February 16, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    I’m having problems when searching when I can’t remember where I stored a file(s) it appears to only search down current folder and next one down, maybe I’ll have to look for a replacement too.

    • Michael Scott

      April 3, 2017 at 5:47 am

      If you want a more “broad-based” search…click on “This PC” in the left column……then type the name you’re looking for in the top-right box that appears “Search This PC”.

      Your problem is probably that you are searching in “Quick Access”.

  25. adegbola isaac

    March 12, 2017 at 8:09 pm

    Not a bad idea anyway, just keep exploring.

  26. Wayne

    April 1, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    It seems that Win10 is designed for the millions that ‘just want it to work’.
    I (recently migrating from XP) want an OS that allows me more discretion on how it handles my data.

  27. Michael Scott

    April 3, 2017 at 5:43 am

    BTW, Andre, when you say in one of your early paragraphs, “When you launch File Explorer in Windows 10, you get the Quick access window. Formally called Favorites in previous versions of Windows; “……..what you meant to say is FORMERLY called Favorites! :-)

  28. John

    May 10, 2017 at 6:16 am

    I used to be able to print multiple photos on one sheet by selecting from page layout how many photos to a page, in windows 10 file explorer. For some reason now I only have one option which is full page. Don’t know where all the other options have gone. Any ideas?

  29. David Tanner

    September 3, 2017 at 12:18 am

    I’m trying to copy old email files from a Windows Vista laptop to my new laptop with Windows 10. I am struggling to work out where to put the files.

    I have made my way to Users/David/AppData/Local/Comms/Unistore/Data and am confronted by 16 folders with the letters A to P.

    Am I in the right place???

    Cheers, David

    • Michael Scott

      September 5, 2017 at 9:34 am

      First:

      1. What program are you using for email? Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo?

      2.Why did you “make your way” to “Users/David……” etc?

    • Michael Scott

      September 5, 2017 at 9:39 am

      We won’t know if you’re “in the right place” until we know what email you use.

      If you’re a GMAIL user, your emails aren’t stored on your computer at all! They’re at Google……in some server farm……probably in the desert in Arizona. :-)

      What you need to do is Google the question: “How do I transfer my old email messages in XYZ (mail program) to my new computer.”

      Once you do that……if you don’t understand the answers you get…..get back to us and we’ll try to decipher it for you.

  30. David Tanner

    September 7, 2017 at 3:31 pm

    I was using Microsoft Oulook in Vista and now I have Windows Mail in Windows 10.

    I went to that folder because another website said that was where to put them.

    • Michael Scott

      September 8, 2017 at 5:37 am

      If you Google-search the following phrase “how to transfer email messages from outlook on one computer to windows mail on another” you’ll find tons of results.

      One of them will describe EXACTLY your scenario.

      If you read and play with two or three of them, I guarantee you’ll be successful. (Pick one that looks like it was created/posted by somebody who knows what they’re doing! :-)

      Good luck!

  31. Jessica Castaneda

    October 6, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    okay, i never work with windows i usely use my phone. i just learn that i can do ahole lot windows 10 and it still have some of its old feaaters for a more simple look i will love working on widows 10 and creating files and shareing them to others.

  32. Sepgorut

    December 22, 2018 at 5:02 am

    In my downloads folder:
    I have reduced my sort criteria to just date modified and name but the date order isn’t correct. It’s frustrating! The files are clustered into ‘Today’ ‘Earlier this Week’ etc and files I downloaded today appear as Earlier this Year. I changed the sort criteria to Date Created, same result. I’ve tried all the date options now and none of them are showing as date downloaded. The column of dates simply isn’t in date order! The date for files I downloaded today show today’s date but are clustered in Earlier this year.
    Can I reolve this?
    Can I remove this annoying clustering of files?

    I never had this problem with windows explorer in Win7!

  33. Simon Woodward

    October 1, 2019 at 10:52 pm

    If I had two separate folders, inside which were a series of heirachal folders, is there some way in which I can cascade the contents to expose each folders heirachal-tree in order to compare the structure of each root folder?’

    TIA

  34. Assaf

    December 22, 2019 at 3:40 pm

    Hi
    I have a question please.
    Can File Explorer be made to search ‘via/within’ a shortcut? ie like we have Search in all Sub-folders, do we have Search in all Shortcuts?

    Eg:
    – I have a folder called Folder_A which contains only one thing; a shortcut to a different folder called Folder_B. In Folder_B there exists a file called test.txt.
    – I open Folder_A and search for test.txt. Result: No files found.

    My question: Is there some setting or option to cause the search to find the file by continuing the search ‘via’ the shortcut to Folder_B?

    Thanks a lot in advance
    Assaf
    Windows 10, 64 bit.

    (I tried searching online for the answer but was swamped by pages suggesting useful File Explorer Shortcuts.)

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