The File Explorer in Windows is the file management tool used for viewing folders and files. File Explorer in Windows 11 helps you get to the files you need quickly and, in fact, every time you open a folder in Windows, you are seeing the File Explorer. To start using the File Explorer in Windows 11, select it on the taskbar or the Start menu, or press the Windows key + E on your keyboard.
In This Lesson…
- Explore the File Explorer
- Change File Explorer View
- Pinning Folders to Quick Access
- Managing Files in File Explorer
Explore the File Explorer
In Windows 11, the File Explorer application has been updated, and the interface has been simplified. When you open File Explorer, you will see three main sections:
1 – File Explorer Ribbon
The bar at the top of the window is called the ribbon. This contains the tools for the File Explorer, which include Cut, Copy, Paste, Share, Delete and Sort. You will also see a dropdown menu that lets you control the way the files are viewed in the folder. Initially, most of the tools are not selectable, but this is only in the Quick Access section. As soon as you move to a different folder, selecting a file will activate the tools so you can use them.
2 – The Navigation Pane
On the left side is the Navigation pane. This contains links to the main sections of your computer, including the Desktop, Documents and Downloads (within Quick Access section), OneDrive, This PC and more. The Quick Access section at the top of the Navigation pane contains both folders you have pinned there, and folders you have recently used.
3 – Content Pane
The main part of the File Explorer window is the Content pane. When you first open File Explorer, Quick Access will be selected and so the Content pane will show both pinned and recent folders. Below this section, you will see recent files displayed (Word, PDF, MP3, images or other files you have recently opened).
Change File Explorer View
As soon as you navigate away from Quick Access, the Content pane will change to display whatever is inside the folder you navigated to. You can change the way the Content pane displays files by clicking on the View tab in the ribbon and then moving the pointer over the Show section.
Here you can choose to show a Details pane or a Preview pane (or neither). The Details pane shows information about the folder. The Preview pane shows a preview of a file you select in the folder. This could be an image, a text file or another file type. Not all files will show a preview.
Pinning Folders to Quick Access
1 – To pin any folder to Quick Access, right-click on it wherever you see it, and then choose “Pin to Quick Access” from the action menu that opens. Pinned folders are displayed in the section with a small pin icon next to them.
2 – If you want to see only your pinned folders in Quick Access, you can turn off recent files or frequent folders. Click the More tab in the ribbon, and then select Options. In the Privacy section, clear the checkboxes and select Apply.
3 – To remove something pinned in Quick Access, just right-click on it and select “Unpin from Quick Access”.
Managing Files in File Explorer
As mentioned above, every time you open a folder in Windows 11, you are seeing File Explorer. The actions listed below can all be done from ANY folder you open in Windows 11.
Sharing Files
To share a file, select it, then select Share in File Explorer on the ribbon. The Share panel will open, showing you the available sharing methods. These will vary, depending on the apps and software you have installed on your computer.
Moving Files
To move the location of a file or folder, select it and then select Cut in File Explorer ribbon. Navigate to the new folder location, and then select Paste in File Explorer ribbon. You can of course also use the Copy and Paste buttons if you want to copy a file to a new location instead of moving it.
Change File View
To change how items in your File Explorer appear, select View and choose between showing icons, lists, details, and more. To reduce the space between files, select View > Compact view.
Additional Options
As mentioned, the ribbon in the Windows 11 File Explorer has been simplified from the one found in Windows 10. All of the original tools are still available, you just have to click the More button at the right side of the ribbon. Here you will find options to compress files, copy file path, select all (you can also use Ctrl + A), and more.
Show Hidden Files
Not all of the files on your computer will be displayed in File Explorer. The files not shown are usually system files, which can cause problems if edited or deleted. If you need, for some reason, to see these hidden files, you can choose to show them in the File Explorer options > View tab > Show hidden files, folders and drives.