How to Improve Windows Explorer Using Folder Options

Windows 7 introduces a brand new Windows Explorer which is superior in many ways to its predecessors. Browsing and working with your files and folders has never been easier and more pleasant in the Windows world. Even so, there is always room for improvement by tweaking the configuration of the Folder Options menu. In this article I will show you where to find Folder Options and which are the key configuration options which can improve your experience with Windows Explorer.

Where To Find The Folder Options Menu

Finding the Folder Options menu can be done in several ways. One of them is to open the Control Panel and go to Appearance and Personalization -> Folder Options.

Another way is to open Windows Explorer and go to Organize -> Folder and search options.

A third alternative would be to search for 'folder options' in the Start Menu search box and click on the appropriate search result. Once launched, the Folder Options window looks like in the screenshot below. If you are familiar with previous versions of Windows, you will notice the Folder Options window has changed and now it offers a different set of options and tabs.

In the next chapter we will go through each one of the tabs and highlight important configuration items which can improve the way you work with Windows Explorer.

Windows Explorer Customization Tips

The General tab has a very limited set of configuration options. You can set Windows Explorer to open each folder in the same window or in a different one or you can change the way you open items (via a single-click or a double-click). The most interesting option is the last one, regarding the navigation pane. If you check the two check-boxes highlighted below, Windows Explorer will show all folders when you open it and will automatically expand to current folder. This can be very useful to some users as it helps them navigate faster through their folders.

The View tab has lots of configuration options about the way files and folders are shown in Windows Explorer. Some of the most important options are the following:

• Always show icons, never thumbnails - this option can be useful when you are working with a large number of files and folders and your computer is rather slow when loading all their thumbnails. By checking this option, Windows Explorer shows only icons and stops loading thumbnails, which leads to speed improvements when browsing through your files and folders.
• Hide empty drives in the Computer folder - when this option is checked, if you insert an USB memory stick or any other drive which is empty, it will not be shown in your Computer folder. This can sometimes lead to confusion if your drive was installed and detected properly. Unchecking this option is highly recommended.
• Hide extensions for known file types - unchecking this option allows you to see file name extensions as parts of file names. This is a good way to ensure that files are not viruses or other malicious software disguised as normal files such as documents or pictures. There are many viruses which apparently have a safe file extension. They are named something like filename.doc.exe. If this option is checked, you will only see filename.doc and you might believe it is a safe file to open. Unchecking this option is highly recommended.



• Use check boxes to select items - by checking this option, when you place your mouse on the top of a file or folder, you will see a small check box. This can be useful for easier selection of several items at once. It is the equivalent of holding down the CTRL key while clicking on multiple items to select them.
• When typing into list view - here you have two options, depending on the behavior you want. By default, when you type a letter, Windows Explorer will select the first file or folder which has a name starting with that letter. When found, the item will be automatically selected. If you want to change this behavior and you want to automatically search in the upper-right search box, select the first option which says 'Automatically type into the Search Box'.

The Search tab has configuration options about the way you can search for files or folders in Windows Explorer. The default configuration works very well. However, if you are not satisfied you can experiment with the available options and see if they improve your experience.

Conclusion

The tips shared here managed to improve my own experience with Windows Explorer and now I enjoy it even more. Actually, it is the first time I don't feel the need to use Total Commander, one of the best file managers you could find. If you have other good tips & tricks to share, don't hesitate to leave us a comment.

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Explaining the Windows Explorer Views
Transform Windows Explorer with Filtering Options
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Take Ownership and Change Permissions of Files and Folders