Windows Explorer or File Explorer allows you to browse files and folders stored on a Windows-based computer. Therefore, you must use Windows Explorer or File Explorer to open the computer folder. You can also use Windows Search to search for specific files or the Command Prompt if you prefer to use the command line.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Opening File Explorer
Step 1. Click the Start button
It's in the lower-left side of the screen and looks like the Windows logo.
Step 2. Click the Computer icon or File Explorer icon
If you're using Windows 10, the File Explorer icon is shaped like a folder and can be found on the left side of the Start menu or on the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3. Click the This PC option which is on the left side of the File Explorer window (for Window 10)
This will display the hard disk (hard disk), USB flash disk (USB drive), DVD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM drive), and other devices (devices) connected to the computer.
Step 4. Find the hard disk
The primary hard disk of your computer will be displayed in the " Hard disk drives " or " Devices and drives " section. The hard disk partition that contains the Windows operating system files will display the Windows logo in front of its icon. Usually the Windows operating system is installed on the "C:" hard disk partition.
Step 5. Find your hard disk and other devices
If your computer is connected to another hard drive, it will also appear in the " Hard Disk Drives " or " Devices and drives " section. If a USB flash drive or other device is connected to your computer, you can find it under " Devices with Removable Storage " or " Devices and drives ".
You can also open other options hidden in the " Computer " or " This PC " section by clicking the arrow button to the left of that section. After that, the hard drive and other devices attached to the computer will appear on the left side of the window
Step 6. Open your user folder
Your user folder will appear at the top of the window in Windows 10 and Windows 8. It contains the Documents, Pictures, Downloads, and more folders.
Almost all the files and folders that you use every day can be found in your user folder
Method 2 of 4: Browse Folders
Step 1. Double-click the hard disk partition or folder to open it
You can see the entire contents of the folder in the File Explorer window.
Step 2. Click the Back and Forward arrow buttons at the top of the File Explorer window
The " Back " arrow keys (arrow facing backwards) will take you back to the folder you previously opened, while the " Forward " arrow keys (arrow facing forward) will open the next folder that was opened.
Step 3. Click the Up arrow button (arrow facing up) to change the folder level (for Windows 10)
You'll find this button next to the Back and Forward arrow keys. Clicking this button will open a folder that is above the folder you are currently opening. For example, if you are currently opening the "C:\Program Files\Adobe" folder, clicking the Up arrow button will open the "C:\Program Files" folder.
Step 4. Click the address field to see the location of the folder you are currently opening
If you want to know the specific location for the currently open folder, click an empty area in the address bar. After that, the specific location of the folder will be highlighted and you can copy the location.
Step 5. Right-click the folder to see more options
When right-clicking a folder, a drop-down menu will appear on the screen. This menu contains many different options and installing a program may add new options.
- Select the "Open in a new window" option to open your selected folder in a separate window. This can help you move files and folders quickly.
- Select the "Pin to taskbar" option to pin frequently used folders on the Windows taskbar so you can open them easily and quickly.
Step 6. Show hidden files
If you want to see hidden files, you have to unhide them first. Follow these steps to view the file:
- For Windows 10 and Windows 8 - Click the View tab while opening any folder. After that, check the box "Hidden items".
- For Windows 7 - Click the Organize button and select the option "Folder and search options." After that, click the "View" tab in the window that appears on the screen and enable the "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" option.
Method 3 of 4: Finding Files
Step 1. Click the Start button
You can search for files on the Start menu.
Step 2. Type in the file name or folder name you want to search for
You can also type a file extension to look for files in that extension's format, such as the "docx" extension for Microsoft Word documents.
Step 3. Click the search result to open it
If you're looking for a file, clicking on the file that appears in the search results will open it in the default program you used to open the file. If you're searching for a folder, clicking on the folder that appears in the search results will open it in a new File Explorer window. If you are looking for a program, clicking on the program that appears in the search results will run it.
Step 4. Click a search result category to display all search results belonging to that category
For example, if Windows displays a large number of files containing the search keyword, clicking the Documents category will display all the search results in the form of documents.
Step 5. Right-click the search result and select the Open file location option
This will open the folder containing the file in a new window.
Method 4 of 4: Using Command Prompt
Step 1. Click the Start button
Step 2. Type cmd and press Enter key
This will open the Command Prompt.
Step 3. Find out which folders are opened by default by Command Prompt
When running Command Prompt, your User folder or user folder will be opened by default.
Step 4. Type dir /p and press Enter
This will display the contents of the currently opened folder. The Command Prompt screen will stop scrolling down when the entire screen is filled with information about the contents of the folder. You can press any key to continue browsing.
- The flag indicates the folder stored in the directory you are currently opening in the Command Prompt.
- The file size will be displayed in "bytes" (bytes) and next to the file name.
Step 5. Type cd
. and press Enter key.
This will open a folder that is above the directory you are currently opening.
Step 6. Type cd folder name to open the folder stored in the directory
For example, if you are opening the Users folder, you can type cd documents and press Enter to open the Documents folder.
Step 7. Type in cd path to open a specific folder location
For example, to open the Microsoft Office 15 folder that is stored in the Program Files folder, you would type cd C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15.
Step 8. Type in the file name and press Enter key to open it
This will open the file in the default program. To open a file, you must type in its full name as well as the file extension.
