1 Navigation pane From the Navigation pane, you can view your computer’s file and folder structure and access files and folders.
In the Navigation pane is the Quick access area; from the Quick access area, you can quickly and easily navigate to folders you use regularly. To add (“pin”) a folder to the Quick access area, right-click on the folder name and then select Pin to Quick access from the drop-down menu.
2 Forward and Back buttons Enables you to go to folders you’ve already opened. If you go to a different folder, you can choose the Back button to return to the last folder you accessed. 3 Ribbon Enables you to perform layout, formatting, and sharing tasks, as well as how File Explorer displays your files and folders.
Tasks available to you might differ depending on what folder you select (e.g., Documents vs Pictures).
To display the Ribbon, click on one of the menu items at the top of File Explorer, or click on the Expand the Ribbon button (down-pointing arrow) located at the top right-hand side of File Explorer.
4 Address bar Enables you to go to a different folder in the same Explorer window. (For more information, see Navigating the Address Bar.) 5 Column headings Titles of each of the columns displayed in the file and folder list. You can choose which columns you want to display by adding a column heading or removing a column heading, as well as changing the order in which those columns are displayed. Click on a column heading to sort your files and folders by that column (e.g., date modified). 6 Search box Allows you to search for subfolders, documents, images, programs, Web pages, and bookmarks in the current folder. 7 File and folder listing Shows you the files and folders in the current folder (the folder you selected in the Navigation pane). 8 Preview/Details pane Enables you to quickly preview an item, such as a photo, without having to open that item. To open the Preview pane (it isn’t open by default), click on the View menu at the top of File Explorer, then click on the Preview pane button located at the left-hand side of the Ribbon in the Navigation pane area. 9 Status bar Displays information about a selected folder and its contents, such as the total number of items in the folder, the number of items selected and total file size. Contains buttons that enable you to quickly switch between thumbnail and detail views for the items displayed in the current folder.
Opening File Explorer
To open File Explorer, click on the File Explorer icon located in the taskbar.
Alternatively, you can open File Explorer by clicking on the Start button and then clicking on File Explorer.
Displaying Subfolders
If you’ve used previous versions of Windows, you know that a folder name would have a plus sign next to it if that folder contains documents or subfolders.
With Windows 10, if a folder contains subfolders, that folder name will instead have a small right-pointing triangle next to it.
- No triangle next to a folder name ( ) means the folder has no subfolders.
- Right-pointing triangle next to a folder name ( ) means that the folder has subfolders.
- Down-pointing triangle next to a folder name ( ) means that subfolders are currently displayed for that folder.
To view a folder’s subfolders, click on the right-pointing triangle next to the folder. The right-pointing triangle will turn into a down-pointing triangle, and the subfolders will be displayed, as shown below.
To hide a folder’s subfolders, click on the down-pointing triangle of that folder so that the subfolders will no longer be displayed. (For more information, see Displaying Subfolders.)
Accessing Your Files and Folders
There are number of ways you can naviagate to your files and folders in File Explorer:
- Using the Address bar (located at the top of File Explorer). The Address bar shows the full path of your current location.
- Forward and Backward buttons
- From the Folders pane
- Using the Search function (searches file names and file and folder contents in the current folder to find items containing your search term)
Using the Address Bar
The Address bar, which is located at the top of File Explorer as shown below, displays the path of the currently selected folder.
File Explorer drop-down menus are available for each subfolder in the Address bar. So you can easily go backward or forward in the folder path by clicking on the right-pointing arrow next to a folder and selecting a subfolder from the drop-down menu.
Viewing Folders at the Same Level as Your Current Folder
To view the folders at the same level as the current folder, click on the right-pointing arrow to the left of that folder listing in the Address bar. (The screen example below shows that clicking on the arrow next to Documents displays all the folders at the same level as My Stuff.)
Note: The current folder (in this example, the My Stuff folder) is shown in boldface type.
Viewing Previously Visited Folders in the Address Bar
To view folders you’ve been to previously, you can do any of the following:
Click on the Forward or Back buttons. (These buttons work just like the Forward and Back buttons on a Web browser.)
Click on a folder name in the Address bar.
Viewing the Contents of a Folder in the Address Bar
Click on the right-pointing arrow next to the folder whose subfolders you want to view. The arrow changes to a downward-pointing arrow, and a drop-down list of the subfolders will be displayed.
Changing How Your Files and Folders are Displayed
You can change how your folder and file icons look, as well as display different information about them. Note: Changes you make will apply to the contents of the current folder only.
- Navigate to the folder whose display you want to change.
- Click on the View tab to display the Ribbon. In View, you’ll see the following available display options:
(Note: If some of your files or folders are hidden when the Ribbon is displayed, you can pin the Ribbon to File Explorer (keep it displayed, or expanded, in File Explorer even if you’re doing another task) by clicking on the up-pointing arrow on the top right-hand side of your File Explorer window; once you pin the Ribbon, you’ll be able to see those previously hiddent files or folders.)
- Move your mouse over each option to see a quick preview of that option in the area where your files and folders are displayed. To choose an option, just click on it. The following table lists and briefly describes each display option. (Note: To show more information about files and folders from display views that show little or no information (e.g., Large icons), you can open the Details Pane by clicking on the View menu, and then clicking on Details Pane. Click on an item to view the details of that item in the Details Pane.)
