Questions tagged [windows-explorer]

Windows Explorer (renamed to File Explorer in Windows 8) is the file manager that comes with Windows and is not to be confused with Internet Explorer which is Windows' default Web browser.

Windows Explorer is the file manager that comes with Windows and is not to be confused with Internet Explorer, which is Windows' default Web browser.

It is also responsible for much of the default Windows shell, including the taskbar, the desktop icons, and the Start menu/screen.

It was introduced as the default shell in Windows 95, though the old shell, Program Manager, remained as an option until Windows XP Service Pack 2, when it was stubbed out. It was completely removed in Windows Vista.

While it is not essential to the operation of Windows (one can run applications using the "New Task..." button in the Task Manager), it does make using and managing a Windows-based PC much easier.

In Windows 8, Windows Explorer was renamed to File Explorer, though its purpose remained the same. (The tag will be remapped to this tag.)

Windows Explorer on Wikipedia

4351 questions
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How to get SVG thumbnails in Windows Explorer?

I can open them in browser just OK, but how can I have thumbnails in the Windows Explorer? Edit: I installed Renesis Player as suggested by this answer , but it does not work for me, probably because I have 64-bit system.
zbstof
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How do I make Windows 10's File Explorer open "This PC" by default?

I know how to do that on Windows Vista+Windows 7 and Windows 8+Windows 8.1, but neither of the ways work with Windows 10; it always defaults into the "Home" view. (basically reposting this question for Windows 10.)
kaboom1
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Refresh Icon Cache Without Rebooting

Normally, to refresh the icon cache in Windows, we have to reboot. Is there a way to refresh the icon cache in Windows 7/8 without rebooting ?
Elmo
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Disable "These files might be harmful to your computer" warning?

I keep getting this irritating warning when copying files over the network: These files might be harmful to your computer Your internet security settings suggest that one or more files may be harmful. Do you want to use it anyway? I am copying a…
Jeff Atwood
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Two blue arrows at top right of icons

On some icons I am seeing a two blue arrows at the top the right pointing towards each other. I first noticed it on the icons on folders which I archived which happened randomly. I archived the folder and the text went blue as expected, then when I…
Dominic JL
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What do green folders mean in Windows 7 Explorer?

I downloaded a ZIP file and dragged the files out of the ZIP into a directory. The subdirectories I copied displayed in Windows Explorer in green instead of the default black. What does the green folder text mean? (In case you're wondering, the…
y0mbo
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10 answers

How do you remove a default program association for file types in Windows 7?

I somehow have set the default file type association for a file type in Windows 7. It doesn't appear to be possible to delete it from the "Change the file type associated with a file extension" options screen. Is it possible to remove it?
Christothes
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Copy UNC network path (not drive letter) for paths on mapped drives from Windows Explorer

I frequently want to share Windows network paths to files with other folks on my team via email or chat. We have a lot of mapped drives here, both ones we set up ourselves and ones set up by our IT overlords. What I'd like to be able to do is to…
Ernest Mueller
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8 answers

Irritating auto-changing column types in Windows Explorer in case of audio/video files

I have an empty folder with regular details view. File name, file size, file type columns are shown and I am happy. Then I put some MP3 or WAV files in. Windows Explorer "kindly" changes the column types. It will show Genre, media length, Album and…
user1706184
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Windows 10: Rename pinned items in Windows Explorer's Quick Access

I just got done upgrading Windows 8 to Windows 10 and I've found that the 'Favorites' panel in Windows Explorer got replaced with a 'Quick Access' panel and I can't seem to find a way to rename the pinned items in Quick Access like I could for…
Loman
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Turn off change file extension warning in Windows 7

Is there a way to turn off the file extension rename dialog in Windows 7? The one that prompts you Rename: If you change a filename extension, the file might become unusable. Are you sure you want to change it?
Simon
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6 answers

Keyboard shortcut for the Windows Explorer address bar

Is there a keyboard shortcut in Windows Explorer (Windows 7), to put the cursor into the address bar (where the current path is shown)?
M4N
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91
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5 answers

Windows Unable to Delete ._. File

I currently have a file on the root of my external hard drive simply named ._. , which I am guessing was added to my hard drive after using it on my MacBook a while ago. I'm trying to delete this file on my Windows 10 machine; however Windows keeps…
MrMike
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83
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8 answers

Windows 7, file properties, date modified, how do you show seconds?

Anyone know a way to immediately show the seconds of a file's date modified property in the GUI? So if you create a file, any file in any directory, right-click and choose Properties, the date modified (if it's recent) will say something like "…
Jordan W.
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Sort files by date modified, but folders always before files in Windows Explorer?

I can sort files and directories in Windows Explorer by date modified . I always let recent files display first. But when I sort by date modified, directories are always displayed after the files. Is it possible to sort files by date modified, but…
user45326
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