Cheats for Windows 10 file explorer and folder options to edit

The function of exploring folders and files is perhaps the main and most important one on Windows, at the base of every work on PC. The folder explorer allows is mainly used to search, access, move and copy files from one folder to another with ease, but it can do much more. Each Windows folder has in fact many hidden options, very useful, which it is good to know to better organize the files, to simplify searches and to be able to work on the PC without wasting time.
In this guide we therefore see the most important tricks to explore File and the folder options of Windows 10 (the guide is made on Windows 10, but many of the tricks are also valid for Windows 7 and 8), also remembering that it is possible to install external programs which integrate into the folder windows and allow you to change every aspect, if you prefer.
READ ALSO: Open folders with tabbed file explorer on Windows

1) View file extensions

The file extensions on the computer are very important to understand what type or format the files are, without needing to open them. They are represented by a three-letter abbreviation positioned in the file name, to the right of the dot. For example, a file with the name pippo.jpg is a jpg file, an image. Windows, by default, hides file extensions because those who do not have enough experience may delete them when renaming a file. If, in fact, the file pippo.jpg was renamed to pippo by deleting the .jpg, this file would be seen in an unknown format, without an icon.
To see the file extensions in the folders, open a folder (press the Windows-E keys together), then go to the View tab at the top and put the cross to the File name extensions option, on the right.
In Windows 7 you can do the same by going to Folder Options and then finding the option on the Display tab.
READ ALSO: How to see the file extensions in the name.

2) Set This PC as the home folder

When you open Windows 10 File Explorer, you will see the Quick Access folder as the folder, which collects recently used folders and files. You can change this setting to open, as the initial folder, that of This PC, which shows the disks, partitions and main folders of Documents, images etc.
To set this PC as the home folder, go to the View menu and press Options . On the first General tab, change the first option Open File Explorer to putting This PC instead of Quick Access .

3) Use the check boxes to select files

If you need to select more than one file or folder in File Explorer, perhaps to move them or make a copy, you can click on those to be selected by holding down the CTRL key, with the risk of making a wrong click and removing the entire selection made. Using, however, the selection boxes, you can calmly select files and folders without risking having to start over because you are wrong with a click. To activate the check boxes in Windows 10, go to the View tab at the top and then activate the Check boxes items option.
In Windows 7, the same thing can be done in Folder Options, from the View tab.
READ ALSO: Ways to move quickly on Windows between files and folders

4) See the full path of a file in the address bar

The address bar in the Windows 10 folders does not show the complete path starting from the disk, but only the names of the real and virtual folders to get there. Virtual folders are groupings that don't really exist, but are used by Windows to facilitate searching and organizing files, such as This PC .
To see the real and complete path on the address bar, just click on it. If you want to see it all the time then you can go to the View tab, then on Options and on the View tab, activate the option " View full path in the title bar ".

5) See all the folders in the side panel

The Windows File Explorer window has a navigation pane on the left side which contains the quick access folders, your favorite folders and then the locations of this PC . Network resources, the Recycle Bin, the Desktop and the Control Panel can also appear here if you make this modification: Right click on an empty space in the side column (to find an empty space press under the last element below) and then select " Show all folders ".

6) Open folders in a separate process

In Windows 10, but especially in previous versions as in Windows 7, File Explorer can go to close with error and all open folders close. If you don't want to risk a system error closing all open folders, you can set up File Explorer so that each folder is opened in a separate process. That way, if one folder crashed or crashed, the others would still work. The option is found by going to the View tab, clicking on Options and then, in the View section, activate " Run window folders in a separate process ".
READ ALSO: Solutions if Windows Explorer has stopped working (explorer.exe)

7) Hide recent activities in Windows File Explorer

For privacy reasons, you may not like the fact that each folder can show recently opened files in Quick Access (also on the left side of each folder). To disable this option, go to the top and press View> Options, then in the General tab, uncheck the two options: " Show recently used folders in Quick Access " and " Show recently used files in Quick Access ". Press OK and you're done.
Also, as File Explorer in Windows 10 keeps a log or history of open files and recent searches, you can press the Clear key below these options to clear the history of File Explorer .
you want to view your browsing history, follow these steps:

8) Use the search bar to the maximum

The search bar in the folders is used very little usually, because it is slow and because it is a little hidden (it is the one located at the top right). From the search bar, you can search for files by creation or modification date, by extension, by file size or by specific words.
If you want to improve this function in an important and decisive way, you can install the Listary program to search for files in folders . Listary does not replace the global search for files in Windows but only the search within a folder, the one that, by default, can be done from the box at the top right. Finding and opening files and folders in directories with many items therefore becomes an instant job.
Another very handy file search program is Tree Size for finding recent and large files, great for finding files that take up the most disk space.

9) Add or remove folders from Quick Access

The Quick Access section, both as initial folder and in the sidebar, shows the most used and preferred folders. You can remove a folder from this list by right clicking on one of these folders and choosing to remove them. To add a Quick Access folder, right-click on the folder to be added and then use the Add Quick Access option.

10) See hidden files and hide folders or files

Hidden files and folders are what Windows believes should not be changed or used, because they contain files that are important for the system to function. Sometimes, though, you need to access some hidden folders, such as the AppData or ProgramData folders. As explained in another article, you can see the hidden Windows folders and files by going to the View menu and activating the Hidden items option.
Still in the View menu, you can press the Hide selected items button (select a folder with the mouse and then press that button), to make them hidden and make them disappear from view when the Hidden items option is deselected.

BONUS

- File Explorer with dark background : In Windows 10 you can have the dark background on all open folders. To do this, open Settings> Personalization> Colors and use and choose the Dark color.
- Discover the new Windows 10 resource explorer
READ ALSO: 10 Programs to Browse Folders in Windows and Move Files