Windows 10 has a status column in Explorer. Use built-in troubleshooting tools

Explorer is a program that is a file manager and an environment for providing the user with access to the file system of his computer. It is responsible for displaying Windows environment windows and context menus. In Windows operating systems released after 1995, a window interface appears, which greatly simplifies user interaction with the computer’s file system. Over the course of its more than 20-year development, the conductor has acquired new capabilities and functions, which were hardly noticeable from version to version. But the release of Windows 10 changed everything. Its shell for providing access to the file system has grown into a full-fledged, however, one-panel file manager with many functions and, accordingly, parameters. Many of them can be changed by the user in the Windows 10 Explorer window itself, but the developers hid some options from the eyes of curious users. They can be configured only by editing the corresponding registry keys manually or using special applications - tweakers.

Today we’ll look at how to configure the conductor in the “top ten” using both methods.

Using the capabilities of the “tens”

Unlike even Windows 7, the 10th edition of the OS has a lot of new features that you need to consider and learn how to configure in order to use them.

• “Quick access panel” - in the left frame of the explorer there is a menu where system libraries and user-added directories are pinned for quickly moving to them or performing any manipulations with them (inserting files).

By dragging the icon of any directory, you can pin it in Explorer.

• Ribbon.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Explorer is the ribbon copied from Office, which replaces the toolbar. Its useful feature is the ability to add almost any command to the ribbon, as in Office 2013. This is done using the context menu of the selected command.

• Element checkboxes.

When working with files and directories, especially when copying them, for example, while putting things in order on a hard drive, operating systems released before Windows 10 lacked the function of placing checkboxes or ticks next to the icons of file system elements. It appeared in the “top ten”, and to activate this feature you need to check this very box next to the “Element flags” option.

Setting the type of visualization and the type of sorting/grouping of Explorer icons and many other options are no different from similar functions in Windows 7, so you shouldn’t dwell on them. It is much more interesting to delve into the jungle of the system database - the registry - and see what other settings the Windows 10 developers allow experienced users to change using third-party tools or directly changing their values ​​through the registry editor.

Third party apps

Windows 10 Manager allows you to configure a considerable number of Explorer settings that cannot be changed using the OS itself (except for editing registry keys). This is done in the “Settings” tab.

system configuration

By clicking on the button called “System Settings”, we will see the presence of a pair of tabs called “Explorer”.

There are a lot of parameters here that can be changed by selecting available drop-down menu items or by checking or removing checkboxes. Among them:

• disabling the navigation bar or its individual elements;
• deactivating the sorting by number and auto-sorting options;
• turning off thumbnails or framing thumbnails;
• tape behavior;
• options for displaying disk names;
• editing or disabling the context menu.

The context menu manager gives the Windows 10 user the ability to extensively customize the context menu of any type of electronic document: deleting, editing and changing items, including executing a sequence of system commands, running them as an administrator, replacing icons.

Win+X menu editor

The menu, named after the key combination that calls it, provides instant access to any command added to it.

But the trouble is that it cannot be edited using standard tools. To configure it, you can use the menu editor offered by the Windows 10 Manager application.

Icons

Icons are also elements of Explorer and the “tens” tools do not allow you to change most of them. “Visual customization” provides the ability to replace any icon with your own or one selected from those present in the system.

As you can see, developers of third-party applications provide a much wider range of options for configuring almost any Explorer settings than Dozens developers.

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Most personal computer users have more than once discovered problems with Explorer in Windows 10. Sometimes it freezes, does not respond to operations performed, and sometimes does not open at all. Even after major operating system updates, the error with Explorer remains.

Fixing the problem

In order to find out why Windows Explorer freezes in Windows 10 and how to fix this error, you need to follow the steps below.

Reinstalling updates

1. Open System Settings and look for the tab "Updates and Security".




2. Go to Windows Update, check for important updates, and install them.




3. There are cases when it is worth trying to remove the old update, then replace it with a new one. This is done like this: in the Update Center, go to "View update history" and remove installed updates.







Through the command interpreter

When you can’t start Explorer, you can do this using the Run line:




Use built-in troubleshooting tools

If Explorer is slow in Windows 10, you need to undergo a system scan to identify any extraneous problems or failures. We carry out this step using the command line in administrator mode, entering the following characters one by one:

• sfc/scannow
• dism/online/cleanup-image/scanhealth
• dism/online/cleanup-image/restorehealth

Now be sure to restart the computer.

Viruses

Sometimes the operation of the explorer can be affected not only by system errors, but also by virus software. Therefore, it is necessary to check your system using popular antivirus software.

Restoring Explorer functionality through the Windows event log

Third party software

In some cases, Explorer may fail on Windows 10 due to errors in the registry. They are fixed by the CCleaner program, which scans the system and removes damaged elements.

There is also one utility that not many people know about - Malwarebytes. It will quickly and efficiently scan thousands of files on your computer. There are times when popular antiviruses cannot cope with the problem, but this program can. It has a free version, which makes it as accessible as possible. Perhaps this application will solve the error with Explorer. To do this, you need to download and install it, and then start scanning automatically.

Conclusion

There are many ways to solve the problem with the conductor freezing, but it is not a fact that all of them are effective. This article described only the best options for troubleshooting this problem. Complete all the above operations and your explorer will work again.

Windows 10 Explorer has arrived Quick Access Toolbar. Here at the top you can attach your favorite folders for quick access in one click. Recently used folders are listed below.

To pin a folder to the Quick Access Toolbar, simply drag it to the area Frequently used folders.

To pin the current folder, click the button Pin to Quick Access Toolbar on the tab home on the tape.

3. Change the opening of files and folders in Explorer.

In Windows 10 Explorer, the Quick Access Toolbar immediately opens. Windows users may prefer to have the folder open This computer(previously known as My computer), which includes six standard data folders, as well as any local drives and removable media.

Do you want this? No problem. On the ribbon, open the tab View, select Options> Folders settings, choose one of two options.

4. Use the advanced Send menu.

You can right-click on a file or folder (or multiple items) and through the menu Send do some interesting things: move or copy to a folder Documentation, create a compressed file (.zip), or send as an email attachment. But the choice is not particularly encouraging.

Menu Send It turns out much more interesting if you hold down the Shift key and then right-click on the desired file/folder. The menu is simply filled with interesting things. Here, see for yourself.

5. Setting up the Send menu.

Regarding the menu Send, then you can do add and remove options in the default menu menu (ie in the short one).

To get to the desired folder, open the window Execute(Windows key + R), type shell:sendto, and then press Enter.

The first thing to do is remove the shortcut Fax Recipient. Then you can add shortcuts to your favorite folders (local and network). You can also add shortcuts to programs. For example, adding a shortcut to Notepad or another will allow you to edit any file much faster. You can also add your favorite image editor for photos.

6. Customize the quick access toolbar.

If you went straight from Windows 7 to Windows 10, perhaps the most unusual thing about Explorer may be the presence of a ribbon similar to the one found in Microsoft.

Its companion - the quick access panel - is equally worthy of attention. It appears in the title bar, above the feed. Customize your toolbar with the commands you use most often, and you can get away with using the Ribbon entirely for many tasks.

Some obvious customization options are available in the menu that appears when you click on the arrow to the right of the toolbar. Less obvious and much more useful is the ability to add any command to any tab on the ribbon. Simply right-click on the command you want and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

Many advanced Windows users don't know that you can right-click on an entire group of commands and add the group as a menu to the Quick Access Toolbar. Right-click on the group name and add it to your Quick Access Toolbar.

7. Advanced Search Wizard.

See the search box in the upper right corner of the Explorer window? Enter a word or two in the search field and you can find any file in the current folder containing the search terms either in the file name or within the file.

But there is an extended search syntax, complete with logical operators, parameters and operators. For example, datemodified: An operator that accepts actual dates but also understands relative dates like today, this week, last week, this month, last month.

For example, if you want to see all the Excel spreadsheets you've worked with this month, enter this in the search box:

Type: document date modified: this month.

The search syntax assumes that you want to find files that match both criteria.

8. Pin saved searches to the Start menu.

What if you would like to save your search results and open files you worked on last week or even earlier just by clicking on a shortcut? This can be done, and the search results will always be relative to the current date.

Enter date modified: (this week OR last week) in the search field. Don't forget to include parentheses and use logical OR.

Once you start the search, Conductor switches the ribbon to a tab Search, where you can click Save search terms and give these parameters a name. The search will be saved in a folder Search. Right-click your saved search and pin it to the Start menu.Right-click m

9. Use filters to find files faster.

Typing into the search field is one way to narrow your search for the file you need. Filters are an even easier way to find what you need.

Start with the folder or library you want to find, and then use the button in the lower right corner of the File Explorer window that organizes your files into a table. You will now find a small arrow on the right next to each table column heading. Click on it to see a list of filters for the data in that column.

For example, using a calendar makes searching much easier. Click on the month title to view the current month and year. By holding Ctrl, you can select multiple periods to view.

10. Group of files.

Everyone knows how to sort files: you click on a column header to sort by that value, and then click again to change the sort order.

But you can also group files by date, size, or type, making it much easier to see similar files or a set of files in a search result. This is where the command comes in handy Group on the ribbon tab View.

Each group gets its own header in File Explorer. Right-click on the title, a menu for working with the group will be available.

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Good afternoon, dear readers and guests of the blog, today we continue our study of the components of the Windows operating system, last time I told you about the “Windows Control Panel”, the next component is in turn, the history of which goes back far into history and today we will talk about “Windows 10 Explorer” or as it is also known as the explorer.exe process, we will look at questions about its launch, restart, modification and much more, I’m sure you will like it, especially for those who are just starting to understand the new OS.

What is Windows Explorer

If we turn to history and remember the definition, it turns out that " Windows Explorer" is an application (small program) necessary so that the user, using a graphical interface (GUI), can access and use files in the Windows operating system. As I wrote above, it is also called explorer, this is how it appears in the processes of the system. When it comes to manipulating files, everyone immediately remembers the “My Computer” snap-in or, as he already calls it in the top ten, “This Computer”

How to open File Explorer in Windows 10

In order to open explorer.exe (This PC), you can do this in four ways:

• The easiest method is to launch it through the attached folder icon.

• We launch Explorer through the search, to do this, click the magnifying glass icon located to the right of the “Start” button and in the form that opens, enter the first letters.

• You can press the Win+E hotkey combination and the usual Explorer window will open (Quick Access)

• A very quick option is the WinX menu; you can find it by right-clicking on the “Start” button and selecting the desired item from the context menu.

• Through the Start menu. In which you need to find the item "Utilities - Windows"

• You can open explorer.exe via the command line and powershell. Open the desired shell and enter there:

explorer.exe and press Enter

We have figured out everything in terms of launching and opening and we can move on and analyze the points of solving various problems that are possible during the operation of the system.

How to restart windows explorer

There are situations when you need to restart the explorer.exe process, for a number of reasons, the most common is the integration of a new program into it, or the desktop may freeze and the system needs to restart the process, in any case, you should be able to do this and I will teach you.

The fastest and most correct method is through the task manager. Right-click on the task area and select “Task Manager” from the context menu

We look for the “Explorer” process, select it and in the lower right corner there is a “Restart” button, it will do everything as it should.

If you just need to return Explorer to Windows 10 because it did not restart during the glitch, then you can also do the task through the “Task Manager”, this is discussed below.

In Windows 7 we used this method. Open the "Start" button and hold down the Ctrl + Shift keys on the keyboard, then right-click on any free space in the "Start" menu, as a result you will see an additional menu in which there will be an item "Exit Explorer", it will close the explorer process. exe. In Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, this number will not work in the Start menu; there is a slightly different click area.

In Eight or Windows 10, you can find the “Exit Explorer” item in the taskbar area, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and right-click in an empty space, you will see a menu with the treasured item.

But don’t rush to rejoice, this item does not just restart Windows Explorer, but completely exits it. The risk is that the "Start" button disappears from your screen.

As I wrote above, you will not have a "Start" button.

You can get out of this situation in this way: you need to press CTRL+ALT+Delete and in the window that opens, select “Task Manager”

In the "File" menu, select "Create task" and in the window that opens, write explorer.exe and press Enter, this will return the desktop to normal.

Now if your Windows 10 Explorer slows down or disappears, you know what to do.

Explorer options in Windows 10

I also want to show you a few useful settings and functions that you might like. The first thing I want to draw your attention to is the "Send" item in the context menu of any file or folder.

• As an example, I took a regular file and decided to see what items were available in it when I tried to send it.

Now let's do the same. but before that, hold down the Shift key and you will be surprised at how many points you now have.

• How to make sure that when you call Explorer, “This PC” opens instead of “Quick Access Toolbar”. To do this, open any folder, select the “View” tab and “Options”

In the "Browse for folders" section, select "This computer"

• Recovering open folders after turning off the computer. There are situations when you have many folders open, the day is coming to an end and you need to turn off the computer, and tomorrow when you turn it on you need to manually open everything. Windows 10 will help you automate this and open all folders in the form in which they were. This can also be done through the “Options” item. On the "View" tab, find the option "Restore previous folder windows at logon"

There is no doubt that of all the Windows 10 tools, File Explorer (formerly known as Windows Explorer) is the most used. And yet, many who consider themselves Windows experts are only superficially familiar with this incredibly rich built-in application.
The basic principles of file organization are simple:

• Combine files in several easy-to-access locations.
• For a more efficient search, use keywords and descriptive words in file names.
• Use powerful search tools in File Explorer.
• Have backup copies of your files.

Understanding how best to use File Explorer requires some knowledge of how Windows itself organizes files. Some of these subtleties are incredibly obvious, others are so hidden that even an experienced hand can miss them.

The file explorer, by default, has its own button on the taskbar. If you prefer to use a keyboard, use an easy-to-remember keyboard shortcut, logo Windows + E.

With a few tweaks, you can personalize the file explorer's layout to suit your style.

The ribbon located at the top of the file explorer resembles its counterpart in Microsoft Office, but has one key difference - it is not customizable. The only thing you can do is double-click on any of the tab titles to hide its contents. With feed content hidden, headers resemble an old-fashioned menu bar, but there's more room for a content area.

The navigation panel on the left is assembled into nodes that expand and collapse on demand. If you prefer the older style of a tree view with a single hierarchy, select This PC, then on the View tab, go to the Navigation Pane, then select Show All Folders.

With the "Show all folders" option, the navigation bar looks like the image below. (Note that a shortcut menu is shown here to make the listing more compact.)

After selecting the "Show all folders" option, only two anchor points will be displayed in the navigation bar: Quick Access and Desktop.

An optional element, hidden by default, an area that appears to the right of the content area. Depending on the option you select on the View tab, in the Panel group, a preview of the current element or details about it will be displayed. The image below shows the preview area for a high-resolution photo saved in JPEG format. Windows 10 has filters for previewing most photo formats, Office documents, PDF files, and other common document formats.

The following image shows the part panel for one file.

If the detail panel is selected, you can edit metadata for the current file. Save and Cancel buttons appear at the bottom of the panel.

Changing Quick View

Sometimes you want to see a list listing detailed information about a file, and sometimes you want to see thumbnails of all the files in a folder. No problem, in any file explorer window, using the small buttons in its lower right corner, you can switch between detail view mode and thumbnail view. Detail view is especially useful if you want to filter the contents of a folder.

As mentioned earlier, you can't customize the Ribbon, but you can position the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) however you want. By default, QAT appears in the title bar, above the feed. If you want to move it lower, click the down arrow to the right of it and then the "Show Below Ribbon" button. QAT in this new position is a modified option, so you can always move it back above the tape.

The same menu contains a short list of the most frequently used commands, which can always be added to quick access. To add commands that are available on the ribbon, but not in this menu, right-click on the desired command and select “Add to Quick Access Toolbar” in the context menu that appears.

And further, one of the little-known secrets of setting up QAT. You can add groups of commands to the Quick Access Toolbar. For example, go to the “View” tab, at the bottom of the “Panels” group, right-click on the desired shortcut and select “Add to Quick Access Toolbar”. Now, when you click on this shortcut in QAT, you will be able to select the preview area or the details panel.

Organize files using the Quick Access option

The shortcut option always appears at the top of the navigation bar. Its only task is to provide you with quick access to frequently used files and folders. Having secured the location of the items you need, you can customize it.

The quick access option is one of the most important additions to the file explorer. As mentioned earlier, organizing files located in different places is one of the first steps towards overall organization. Once you have identified these locations, attach shortcuts to them in the quick access point and easily open what you need.

In order to pin the desired drive, folder, library or section to the quick access list, right-click on it and select “Pin for quick access” in the context menu. To remove an unnecessary item, right-click on it in the quick access list and select “Remove from quick access”.

Recently opened folders appear at the bottom of the Quick Access list. If the Quick Access heading is selected, the pinned and recent folders for that group will appear at the top of the content pane, with recently opened files underneath them.

You can view this list of recent files (and even pin a shortcut to your Quick Access Toolbar) by going to %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent. You can get to this location even faster by opening the Run field and entering shell:recent. You can find some additional shortcut settings in the Folder Options dialog box. Where, at the very top, you can specify whether you want new Explorer windows to open as a quick access or as standard as “This PC”.

If you need to, uncheck one or both options in the Privacy section at the bottom of the folder options window, which will prevent recently opened files and folders from appearing in quick access. Click the Clean button to clean out the Recent folder and remove all shortcuts (except those you've attached).

Using Libraries and Known Folders

The longer you use your computer, the better you understand the hierarchy of folders, which begin with drives and letters.

But, if you are ready to give up old habits, you can significantly increase your productivity using the Windows 10 file explorer. The secret is to master the so-called famous folders of your profile - user documents, downloads, music, pictures, videos, and so on. And most importantly, learn to use libraries, which are a very effective way to collect files from several folders located in different places into virtual folders in which it is easy to search and filter information.

In a clean installation of Windows 10, the archives are hidden. If you don't see the "libraries" link in the navigation bar, go to the "View" menu and check the "Show libraries" option. By default, the library mainly displays duplicate documents, music, photos and videos from the user's profile. If you don't plan to customize these libraries or create your own, you can keep them hidden. But there are many advantages to using libraries.

Adding folders to the library

To view and manage folders in an existing library, to make the Manage tab visible (under the Library Tools heading), first click on it, then select Manage Library. The image below shows the results for the Documents library with files taken from four folders - the default Documents folder in the user's profile, two separate OneDrive synced folders, and a shared folder called the company name located on a network file server.

The document library expansion option in the navigation bar shows a separate entry for each folder contained in the library. To view individual folders you can use these links. More importantly, all folders in the library are automatically indexed, meaning you can search and filter content from multiple sources as if they were in the same folder. Additionally, all files in the library are supported by the File History feature.

To add a folder to an existing library, first click on the Manage Library button, then the Add button, and then navigate to the folder you want to include in the library. An easier way is to right-click on the desired folder and select “Include in Library” from the context menu. This option shows a list of existing libraries.

Right-click on the folder and use the context menu to add it to an existing library, or to create a new library, use the “Create New Library” option at the bottom of the menu.

The attentive reader will undoubtedly notice that the list of libraries available in the context menu contains two of them that are not on the navigation panel. The Photos app, for its own use, creates camera and photo libraries, something that other apps can do as well.

To create your own library, use the “Create a new library” option at the bottom of this menu. Or, alternatively, click the library title in the navigation bar, then right-click in the content pane and select New, then select the library. Once you open a new library, click "Include in Folder" and add the directory you want, to add multiple folders, select the manage library option.

Moving data folders to another location

You can move known user profile folders - documents, downloads, music, pictures, and so on - to another location. This is especially useful if you are using a desktop PC with two physical drives. For example, as a system drive - a small, fast solid-state drive (SSD), and a regular hard drive with a larger capacity for data files. The effect of moving is most noticeable if your collection of digital music or photos is too large to fit comfortably on the system drive where it usually resides. The process is very simple. Open your user profile (the easiest way is to enter %UserProfile in the address bar), right-click on the folder you want to move, and in the context menu, select the “Location” tab. Next, a dialog box will open.

Here you can enter the path to the moving folder or click the “Move” button and point to the location you need (with the ability to create a new folder). To change the location, click Apply or OK. When you do this, you will see a dialog box as shown here:

Answer - Yes, if you do not want the folder (and its contents) to be saved to your user profile. Repeat this process for any other roaming folders in your profile. By the way, it is quite normal to mix and match locations for these famous folders. In fact, this tweak is also convenient because you can easily see the current location for all folders.

• In the file explorer address bar, type %UserProfile%, open your user profile, then press Enter.
• Switch to detail view if necessary.
• Right-click on the header of any column, then select “Next” at the bottom of the context menu that appears. The Part Selection dialog box will open:

• Select the folder path from the list and click OK.

The contents of the File Explorer window should now look like the following image. Here, you will immediately see that the download folders and pictures have been transferred.

By adding folder paths to the list displayed in the detail view, you will immediately see where each of the user profile folders is located.