SUMMARY:
Since numerous Windows 10 users are searching for “How to Get Help with File Explorer in Windows 10” we’ve written this comprehensive guide so that users can make the best use of the built-in File Manager app. In this article, we’ll be covering:
- How to open & access Windows 10 File Explorer?
- Basics of Windows 10 File Explorer Interface
- Parts of File Explorer in Windows 10
- Most popular File Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
- How to enable Quick Access to the main screen?
- How to pin the frequently used commands to Quick Access?
- How to fix File Explorer not responding issue on Windows 10?
File Explorer is a crucial application and component of Windows 10 OS. It helps users to navigate, browse, view and access all the Windows drives, files, and folders every day. Besides, accessing your data, File Explorer provides plenty of functionalities to help you manage the information stored in different locations. If you are wondering how you can open and access Windows File Explorer, keep reading this post.
How To Open & Access Windows 10 File Explorer?
There are several ways to launch File Explorer on Windows 10. Listed are some of the most common ways:
Method 1 – Using Keyboard Shortcut
Simply press the keyboard shortcut keys – WIN + E to launch File Explorer on your system.
Method 2 – From The Desktop
On your desktop, simply locate the ‘This PC’ icon and double-click on the same to access File Explorer. Alternatively, you can right-click on the ‘This PC’ icon and choose the Open option.
Method 3 – With Start Menu
This is probably the most used method to access File Explorer. All you need to do is, right-click on the Start Menu, located at the bottom left corner of the screen. A list of options will be displayed to you, find and click File Explorer from the menu.
Method 4 – Take Help of Windows Search
This is another convenient way to open and access Windows File Explorer. Go to the Search bar and type File Explorer. Click on the very first relevant result that appears on the screen.
Must Read: 9 Best Windows File Explorer Tips and Tricks To Make It More Useful
Basics of Windows 10 File Explorer Interface
Now that you can access File Explorer on Windows 10, it’s time to check out what all File Explorer has to offer.
Parts of File Explorer in Windows
In today’s guide of ‘Get help with File Explorer in Windows 10’, let’s take a look at the top features that are popular among users.
Home Tab: Located on the top-left side of the File Explorer. The Home tab makes most of the operations easier like copying a file, pasting new folders, deleting it, renaming, viewing folder properties, and so on.
View Tab: This helps users to preview the images and documents by hitting the Preview pane. You can also alter the way to see file previews; from small icons to large ones.
Share Tab: As the name entails, the Share tab lets users share multiple files and folders in a couple of clicks. You can change the files/folders into ZIP format using the Share tab.
Ribbon: It’s one of the Menu items that can be seen by navigating to the top of File Explorer and clicking on the down-pointing arrow to expand the ribbon. This feature enables users to perform layout, formatting, and sharing tasks.
Quick Access: It’s great functionality, you can get help with File Explorer in Windows 10. Using it, you can instantly access any files or folders with a single click. It helps users to check the frequently visited files and folders in no time.
Most popular File Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
To get help with File Explorer in Windows, you need to know all the useful keyboard shortcuts that will help you accomplish all the tasks quickly and effectively.
| Keyboard Shortcuts | Actions It Performs: |
|---|---|
| CTRL + SHIFT + N | Create a new Folder |
| CTRL + SHIFT + E | Shows all folders above the selected one |
| CTRL + D | Move file/folder to Recycle Bin |
| CTRL + E | Navigate to the File Explorer search bar |
| CTRL + N | Open the new File Explorer window |
| CTRL + W | Close the current File Explorer window |
| ALT + D | Navigate to the Address Bar |
| ALT + Right Arrow | Go forward One folder in history |
| ALT + Left Arrow | Go back One folder in history |
| ALT + Enter | Shows all the Properties of a selected file/folder |
| F11 | Maximize the File Explorer window |
Want to learn more keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7? Click Here To Learn!
How to enable Quick Access to the main screen?
Tired of switching to This PC every time you wish to access File Explorer? Well, consider enabling Quick Access functionality for a better experience.
STEP 1 – Launch File Explorer on your Windows system and go to the File tab, located at the top-left corner of the screen. Choose the Change folder and search options from the drop-down menu that appears on the screen.
STEP 2 – From the next pop-up screen that appears, go to the Open File Explorer section and click on the down arrow. From there, you can either select Quick Access OR This PC. Choose any of the options according to your convenience.
Hit the OK button, followed by Apply to implement the new changes.
Must-Read: Can Windows 10 Explorer Help Find and Remove Duplicate Files
How to pin the frequently used commands to Quick Access?
Our guide to “Get help with File Explorer in Windows 10’ will be incomplete without learning the method to pin commonly used commands to Quick Access. This further helps to conveniently access the files/folders, you need to use frequently. To pin a folder to the Quick Access Toolbar, all you need to do is:
STEP 1 – Right-click on the target file/folder.
STEP 2 – As the context menu appears, find and select the option Pin to Quick Access.
To undo the process, you just need to right-click on the desired file/folder and choose the option – Unpin from Quick Access from the context menu.
How to fix File Explorer not responding issue on Windows 10?
In case you are struggling with File Explorer not working on Windows 10 issues, then simply follow our detailed guide “Get Help with File Explorer in Windows 10” to get effective fixes.
Workaround 1 – Update Your OS
This is probably one of the most suitable fixes to resolve the Windows File Explorer Not Responding issue in 2023:
STEP 1 – Navigate to the Start Menu and launch Settings. From Settings, you need to find and select the Update & Security module.
STEP 2 – On the Update & Security page, go to the Windows Update option from the left-side panel and click on the Check for Updates option on the right-side window. You can refer to the screenshot provided below to get a clearer idea.
This way you will be able to see if your system has the latest version to install or not. If available, follow the on-screen instructions to update your Windows.
Workaround 2 – Take Help of Command Prompt
To avoid unwanted File Explorer crashes, execute the following command lines:
STEP 1 – Press the shortcut keys – WIN + X. This would launch the Power user menu, from where you can choose the Command Prompt (Admin) option.
STEP 2 – On the CMD window, simply type netsh and hit the Enter button. Once it is executed properly, you need to type winstock reset and click on the Enter button again.
Now you just need to restart your computer and see if this resolves the annoying File Explorer not responding error on Windows 10.
Workaround 3 – Consider Extending The C Drive
In case your system drive is running out of storage space, you may encounter the File Explorer not Responding issue. That’s why it is highly recommended to extend the partition so that you can effortlessly resolve the issues with File Explorer and also improve the performance of your PC.
For this purpose, we recommend using MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Edition. It is one of the most popular partition management software and is equipped with a plethora of tools to resize partition, extend it, check file system, convert MBR to GPT, NTFS to FAT, migrate OS to SSD/HD, and more. Since we want to extend the C Drive to resolve the “File Explorer not working” issue, here’s what you need to do:
STEP 1 – Since we want to extend the C Drive, first we need to create MiniTool Bootable Media. This would help to boot the computer first and then extend C Drive finally in boot mode.
STEP 2 – Now run the MiniTool Partition Wizard and select the partition which you want to extend. Choose Extend Partition from the left panel.
STEP 3 – At this step, you need to open the drop-down list – the ‘Take Free Space from’ section. This would help you to allocate the space to the desired partition. You can use the slider to manage the partition size. Hit the OK button!
Just click on the Apply button on the next screen to implement the new changes. You have successfully extended C Drive. Hopefully, you will not encounter the ‘File Explorer not responding’ issue anymore. If you are still struggling with the problem, you can follow our complete guide to find potential fixes!
Frequently Asked Questions: Get Help With File Explorer In Windows 10 (2023)
Q1. How do I fix File Explorer problems in Windows 10?
Here’s a list of fixes you can implement to fix the Windows 10 File Explorer issues:
- Run netsh and winsock reset command line.
- Update your OS with the new update.
- Restart File Explorer with Command Prompt
- Clear History and Create a Shortcut for File Explorer
Q2. How do I make file explorer better in Windows 10?
Here’s a list of tricks you can try to make the most out of the Windows 10 File Explorer:
- Consider customizing the Quick Access View
- Show or Hide File Extensions according to your convenience
- Share Files With Specific Apps
- Send Files to Your OneDrive Online Storage
Q3. How do I fix Windows Explorer that won’t open or start problems?
You can implement the following workarounds to fix Windows Explorer won’t open or start problems:
- Restart File Explorer.
- Run System File Checker Utility
- Change Display Settings
- Extend System Partition
- Create a New User Account
- Update Windows to the Latest Version
Q4. What happened to File Explorer in Windows 10?
Similar to other finer things in life, File Explorer has gotten better with age. You can use plenty of keyboard shortcuts as well to ease the overall operations with File Explorer.
So, that was all for today! Hope you found our today’s guide on ‘How To Get Help With File Explorer in Windows 10’ interesting. If you have any suggestions or feedback, do share them with us in the comments section below!