The Ultimate Guide To File Explorer On Windows 11

File Explorer is one of the most crucial tools in Windows 11, as it lets you browse and manage files stored on your computer. This is how most people open files, and you can rename them, move them around, and much more, so it’s very important to be familiar with it if you have a Windows PC

Most people probably know the basics of using File Explorer, but what if you haven’t used File Explorer before? This guide will show you everything you need to know to get to grips with it, from the most basic functionality to more advanced settings even more frequent users may not know.

How to open File Explorer

You can open File Explorer on Windows 11 in a few ways:

Option 1: Click the File Explorer icon on the taskbar

Option 2: Press Windows + E on your keyboard

Option 3: Open the Start menu and search for File Explorer

Option 4: Press Windows + R to launch the Run window and then enter explorer

Option 5: Right-click the Start button and select File Explorer

The File Explorer interface

When you first open File Explorer, there are a few main UI elements you’ll want to take note of. Let’s take a look at the main File Explorer window.

There are a few primary elements you’ll want to get familiar with here:

1. Tab bar: You’ll see the titles of your open tabs and you can switch between them here (only available in Windows 11 version 22H2 or newer).

2. Navigation buttons: Includes back, forward, up, and refresh buttons.

3. Address bar: Shows the current path in the main view and lets you navigate the folder structure.

4. Search bar: Lets you search for items in the current view (including sub-folders).

5. Ribbon: The ribbon contains file management tools like copy, cut, delete, and rename, as well as filtering and sorting options for your current view. Options shown in the ribbon depending.

6. Navigation pane: Shows the folder structure of your PC and highlights the current folder in the main view.

7. Main view: Shows you the files and folders in the path you’re currently in. You can double-click a file or folder to open it.

How to copy files in File Explorer

1. Navigate to the folder or file you want to copy.

2. Right-click the file or folder and choose Copy from the context menu.

Alternatively, click the file once and then press Ctrl + C to copy it, or click Copy in the ribbon.

3. Navigate to the folder where you want to copy the file.

4. Right-click an empty area of the main view and choose Paste.

You can also press Ctrl + V to paste a file, or click Paste in the ribbon.

How to move files in File Explorer

1. Navigate to the folder or file you want to move.

2. Right-click the file or folder and choose Cut from the context menu.

Alternatively, click the file once and then press Ctrl + X to cut it, or click Cut in the ribbon.

3. Navigate to the folder where you want to move the file.

4. Right-click an empty area of the main view and choose Paste. You can also press Ctrl + V to paste a file, or click Paste in the ribbon.

If you have multiple windows or tabs open, you can also click and drag a file from one location to another to move them.

How to delete files in File Explorer

1. Navigate to the file you want to delete

2. Right-click the file and click Delete.

You can also click the file and click Delete in the ribbon, or press the Delete key on your keyboard.

How to use tabs in File Explorer

Using tabs in File Explorer works similarly to how most modern web browsers work. Here’s how it works:

Open a new tab

Option 1: Click the + (plus) button in the tab bar.

Option 2: Press Ctrl + T on your keyboard.

Open a folder in a new tab

Option 1: Right-click a folder in the main view or navigation pane and click Open in new tab

Option 2: With a desktop mouse, click the scroll wheel (middle-click) a folder to open it in a new tab.

Close a tab

Option 1: Click the small X button next to the tab title (not to be confused with the large X in the top right corner of the window).

Option 2: Press Ctrl + W on your keyboard to close your active tab.

Option 3: With a desktop mouse, click the scroll wheel (middle-click) an open tab to close it.

Re-order tabs

Option 1: To move tabs on the tab bar, click and drag them to the position you want them in.

Option 2: To move tabs to a separate window, click and drag the tab outside the File Explorer window, then release it.

Move files between tabs

1. Click and hold the file or folder you want to move.

2. Drag it over the tab you want to move it to and hold it until the main view switches to that tab.

3. Drag the file to the main view.

How to view file extensions in File Explorer

File Explorer hides extensions for known file formats by default. If you’d like to see them, use these steps:

1. Click the View option in the ribbon

2. Hover over Show and then choose File name extensions.

Certain files can be hidden from view in File Explorer. To see them, do this:

1. Click the View option in the ribbon.

2. Hover over Show and then choose Hidden items.

How to customize the Home page in File Explorer

The Home page in File Explorer shows the files and folders that are most relevant to you across three sections: Quick Access, Favorites, and Recent:

Pin or unpin folders from Quick access

Quick access contains your pinned folders as well as frequently visited folders. A few folders are pinned by default, like Pictures, Videos, and Downloads. To unpin a folder you don’t want to see here:

1. Right-click the folder you want to unpin.

2. Click Unpin from Quick access.

On the other hand, to pin new folders to Quick access, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the folder you want to add to Quick access.

2. Right-click the folder and choose Pin to Quick access.

Hide frequent folders from Quick access

To hide frequently visited folders from the Quick access section, do this:

1. Click the ellipsis icon in the ribbon and choose Options.

2. Uncheck the box labeled Show frequently used folders.

3. Click OK.

This way, you’ll only see pinned folders.

Add files to Favorites

Similarly to pinned folders, you can add individual files to your favorites to have them appear on the Home page.

1. Navigate to the file you want to add to your favorites.

2. Right-click it and choose Add to Favorites.

3. You’ll now see it under the Favorites section of the Home page.

4. To remove a favorite file, right-click it and choose Remove from Favorites.

Hide recent files

Finally, the Recent section shows files you’ve recently opened. If you don’t want this section to appear, follow these steps:

1. Click the ellipsis icon in the ribbon and choose Options.

2. Uncheck the box labeled Show recently used files.

3. Click OK.

Hide online files

The Recent section can also show documents you have stored in OneDrive. If you only want to see local files:

1. Click the ellipsis icon in the ribb on and choose Options.

2. Uncheck the box labeled Show files from Office.com.

3. Click OK.

If you don’t like the new context menu in Windows 11’s File Explorer:

1. Right-click any folder or file you want to act on.

2. Click Show more options.

Alternatively, you can hold Shift on your keyboard and right-click with the mouse to see the classic context menu right away.

How to open File Explorer to a different folder

By default, File Explorer opens to the Home page, containing your pinned files and folders, as well as recent files and folders you visit frequently. However, you can change it to open the This PC page or your OneDrive storage. Here’s how:

1. Click the ellipsis icon in the ribbon, then choose Options.

2. Expand the dropdown list next to Open File Explorer to.

3. Select your preferred default launch location.

How to use search in File Explorer

Sometimes, you don’t remember the exact location of a file, and you might need to search for it. To do it, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the folder where you want to search.

2. Click the search bar in the top right.

3. Enter the search terms you want to find.

4. Results are shown in the main view.

Refine your search

If just searching for a file name isn’t working for you, you can apply additional filters to your search.

1. Click Search options in the ribbon.

2. You can choose to search only in the current folder or all subfolders.

3. Date modified lets you choose when the file was last modified, Kind lets you specify the kind of file (such as a document or video), and Size lets you choose a size range for the file you want to find.

4. Options like System files, Zipped (compressed) foldersand File contents specify if these kinds of files should be searched.

5. You can use Change indexed locations to improve the performance of search in certain folders, but this shouldn’t be necessary.

How to use OneDrive in File Explorer

In Windows 11 and 10, OneDrive is integrated into File Explorer. You can see your OneDrive storage in the navigation pane with the title [Name] – Personal (for personal accounts). If you click it, you can browse your OneDrive files as if they were on your PC.

File availability

OneDrive files may be stored in the cloud only, or they can be available offline. You can see the availability of files by looking at the icon next to the file name.

1. A cloud icon indicates that the file is only available online.

2. A white circle with a green checkmark indicates that a file or folder is available offline.

3. A green circle with a white checkmark indicates that a file or folder is always available offline, meaning it won’t be automatically deleted to free up space when Storage Sense runs.

4. A pair of arrows forming a circle indicates that a file is stored offline and being synced to OneDrive.

5. Online files currently being downloaded will show a download progress bar.

Keep files offline and free up space

By default, your OneDrive files are kept online only, but they’ll be downloaded when you first open them and kept offline. However, you can also manually download files to keep offline for later. To do this:

1. Right-click the file or folder you want to make available offline.

2. Click Always keep on this device.

Likewise, if you want to free up space on your PC by removing local versions of your OneDrive files, you can follow these steps:

1. Right-click the file or folder that’s currently available offline.

2. Click Free up space.

The file will be deleted from your PC, but not OneDrive. Keep in mind that if you delete a file using the normal method, it will be deleted from your PC and from OneDrive.

How to see your OneDrive storage and back up your files

While browsing your OneDrive files, you can see your available cloud storage by clicking the OneDrive icon in the address bar.

If you’re browsing certain local folders on your PC, you may see a Start backup button in the address bar instead. This lets you back up common folders from your PC to OneDrive. Here’s how:

1. Click Start backup in the address bar.

2. Choose the folders you want to back up to OneDrive.

3. Click Start backup.

The folders you selected will be automatically synced to OneDrive.

How to access network drives in File Explorer

If you have network-connected drives at home and are at work, you can add them to your PC. We have a full guide on how to set up a network drive, but here are the basics:

1. Choose Network from the navigation pane to see devices on your network.

2. Choose the device you want to explore in the top section.

3. Enter the login credentials (if necessary).

4. Browse the files as normal.

How to map a network drive

You can also map a network folder as a drive on your PC so it’s more readily accessible. To do this:

1. Navigate to This PC from the navigation pane.

2. Click the ellipsis icon and choose Map a network drive.

3. Enter the address of the folder you want to map, or click Browse to find it on your network.

4. You can check the Reconnect at sign-in box so the folder is always available.

5. If needed, check the box that says Connect using different credentials.

6. Click Finish.

How to show more folders in the navigation pane

Some folders, like the Recycle Bin or the Control Panel, can be found through File Explorer, but are hidden by default. You can make them visible with these steps:

1. Click the ellipsis icon in the ribbon and choose Options.

2. Switch to the View tab.

3. Scroll down and select Show all folders.

You’ll now see your Recycle Bin, Control Panel, libraries, and more directly in the navigation pane.

How to customize the folder view in File Explorer

There are many things you can do to change the look of File Explorer to work better for your needs.

Change the view layout

To change the way files and folders are displayed in the main view, follow these steps:

1. Click the View button in the ribbon.

2. Choose from one of the following options:

• Extra large icons: Displays items in a grid with very big icons.
• Large icons: Displays items in a grid with big icons.
• Medium icons: Displays items in a grid with medium-sized icons.
• Small icons: Displays items in a grid with small icons.
• List: Displays items in a list, mostly showing file names. This view has a two-column layout.
• Details: Displays items in a list including information like size, file format, and more.
• Tiles: Shows items as tiles containing an icon, file name, and information such as size and file format.
• Contents: Shows items as a list, but items are larger and show information in a cleaner format.

How to enable the Preview or Details pane

File Explorer in Windows 11 has a new Details pane that shows you information about any file or folder you select. You can toggle it by clicking the Details button on the top-right corner in the ribbon.

If you want to use the old-school Preview pane instead, then you can easily switch:

1. Click the View button in the ribbon.

2. Choose Preview pane.

The Preview pane will automatically appear, and you can toggle it the same way you would the Details pane.

Optimize folders for specific content

Typically, Windows will optimize the layout of specific folders to display the kind of items it expects to be inside. If you don’t like it, though, you can optimize the layout for different kinds of files:

1. Navigate to the folder you want to customize.

2. Click the ellipsis button in the ribbon and choose Properties.

3. Switch to the Customize tab.

4. Under Optimize this folder forclick the dropdown menu and choose your preferred option.

5. You can check the Apply this template to all subfolders box if you want all folders inside the current one to be optimized the same way.

6. Click OK.

Change folder icons

You can also change the icon for a folder if you want it to have a clear theme or be easier to identify at a glance. To do this:

1. Navigate to the folder you want to customize.

2. Click the ellipsis button and choose Properties.

3. Switch to the Customize tab.

4. Click Change icon.

5. Choose any of the available options or browse for a custom file if you have one (it needs to be in the .ico format).

6. Click OK.

Disable file thumbnails

For certain views, File Explorer can show a preview of files and folders so you can identify their contents a bit better. If you want to use generic icons, you can disable previews, though.

1. Click the ellipsis icon in the ribbon.

2. Choose Options.

3. Switch to the View tab.

4. Check the box that says Always show icons, never thumbnails.

5. Clear the box labeled Display file icon on thumbnails.

6. Click OK.

Your files and folders will now be simple icons rather than previewing their content.

How to reset File Explorer settings to default

If you’ve made changes to your File Explorer settings and you want to revert them, you can reset your settings to their default state.

Reset general settings

To reset the general settings for File Explorer:

1. Click the ellipsis button in the ribbon.

2. Choose Options.

3. Click Restore Defaults at the bottom of the window.

4. Click OK.

Reset folder view settings

To reset the settings for your folder view in File Explorer:

1. Click the ellipsis button in the ribbon

2. Choose Options.

3. Switch to View tab.

4. Click Reset Folders under Folder views.

5. Click OK to confirm.

6. Click Restore Defaults at the bottom of the window.

7. Click OK.

There’s a lot to File Explorer

With all of this knowledge in hand, you’re now ready to make the most out of your time with File Explorer on the latest version of Windows 11. Whether you have a high-end laptop or a more affordable PC, these tips are bound to be useful. If you’re still running an older version of Windows, many of these instructions still apply, but they’ll look different.