How to Use Libraries for Managing Groups of Files and Folders
Libraries are one of the coolest features introduced by Windows 7. They can help people organize their files and folders very efficiently. By using libraries, you can easily build a system so that you can always find what you want in seconds. Not only that, but you can also sort, tag or edit files and folders with just a few clicks. In this article I will explain what libraries are, show how they work and how to create new ones. Also, I'll show how to add new folders to a library, how to modify its properties and how to delete a library.
What is a Library in Windows 7?
Think of a library as a virtual collection of folders on your system. It is virtual because it doesn't exist as an actual folder. A library is a reference to one or more folders on your computer and the files inside them. For example, you can have documents stored in multiple locations like: your Documents folder, on the Desktop and some other locations. You can have a library called Documents which includes references to all these locations. When you open the library, you will see all these folders and their contents as if they would be sub-folders of the Documents library. This feature helps you organize all your files together in one place regardless of where they are stored and has many benefits in terms of productivity when working with lots of files spread across several locations.
By default, you have the Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos libraries. Three of them can be found, by default, on the upper right side of your Start Menu, as highlighted below. Also, you can create as many as you need.
They can also be accessed from the left side menu of Windows Explorer, as shown below.
When clicking on any of the libraries, Windows Explorer will open all files or folders linked to it.
How to Create a Library
First, open Windows Explorer. Then click on Libraries from the Navigation pane. On the button bar on the top of Windows Explorer, you will see a button entitled 'New Library'. Click on it and then type the name of the newly created library.
Another way is to right click on the empty space in the Libraries window, go to New and then Library.
How to Add Folders to a Library
Now you have a new but empty library. To add folders to it, double click on the library to open it. Then, click on 'Include a folder' and browse your computer for one of the folders you want to include in the library.
After you select the folder, Windows Explorer will scan the contents of that folder and include it in the library. The process can take a while, depending on the number of included files & folders. During this process, you will see a progress bar like the one below. When done, it will disappear and you will see the whole content of the newly created library.
Another way is to right click on the library you want to add folders to and select Properties. Then click on 'Include a folder', browse, select the folder you want to include and click on OK.
Another alternative is to open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder you want to include in your library. Then, click on the Include in Library button, on the top of the Windows Explorer window. From the drop down menu, select the library in which you want to include the selected folder.
How to Sort the Content of a Library
In the Libraries space, every type of file has its own set of personalized characteristics, as follows:
- Documents: Folder, Author, Date modified, Tag, Type, Name;
- Pictures: Folder, Month, Day, Rating, Tag;
- Music: Folder, Album, Artist, Song, Genre, Rating;
- Videos: Folder, Year, Type, Length, Name.
These are the sorting tags that you can use for each category. To use them, go to the library you wish to sort, click on the button that is next to 'Arrange by' and select the criteria of arrangement.
If you don't like a particular rating given or the tag that it holds you can quickly change it. Make sure you have the 'Details pane' enabled (Organize->Layout->Details Pane). Select the file or files and change their properties.
How to Edit the Properties of a Library
To open the properties window, right click on the desired library and select Properties.
The following properties are available for customization:
- The 'Set save location' setting gives you the possibility to select default save location for files and folders. When you add new files or folders to the library, Windows will store them in this location.
- The 'Include a folder' button will let you include a new folder in the library and Remove will remove the selected folder from the library.
- The 'Optimize this library for' drop down menu changes the way you sort through files and folders in that library. From this menu, select the type of content contained in the library. This will make Windows Explorer show relevant tags and sorting fields to the content of the library. Also, it will change the icon of the library to match its contents.
- The 'Shown in navigation pane' attribute allows the library to be shown in the navigation pane on the left side of the Windows Explorer window. When this is disabled, that library is not shown in the navigation pane.
- The Shared attribute tells you if the library is currently shared or not.
If you changed the settings of a library and you want to revert back to its initial settings, click on 'Restore Defaults'.
How Deletion Works
Deleting any content from a library means deleting it from your hard disk. Deleting the library itself deletes the library but not the folders and files contained by it. As mentioned earlier, a library is a virtual collection of files and folders. Deleting it has no effect on its contents.
To delete a library, right click on it and select Delete.
Conclusion
As you can see, libraries are a great feature which can come in handy in many scenarios. They can help you organize your files and folders very easily so that you will find what you need very fast. If you have some cool tips about working with libraries, don't hesitate to leave a comment.
Related articles:
Configure the Windows Explorer Viewing Templates for Libraries
How to Change the Location of Folders Such as Documents or Downloads
How to Manage & Use the Favorites in Windows Explorer
What is the HomeGroup & How it Works
Except where otherwise noted, this site distributed content under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Microsoft, Windows and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft Corporation in no way endorses or is affiliated with our site.
All other products mentioned are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of their respective companies.
This blog is running on the Drupal CMS - the best Content Management Platform.
Comments
The Libraries feature is
The Libraries feature is great, but I would like to be able to add web folder locations to libraries. That would really tie everything together for me and sell me on the Libraries design completely.
This is a great suggestion.
This is a great suggestion. I've just shared this idea with my team-mates. After we finish the articles we have in the pipeline, we will definitely investigate more about this and, hopefully, come back to you with a great article.
Thank You!
It's unfortunate that it
It's unfortunate that it seems to be folder oriented rather than content oriented. For example, I'd want the "pictures" library to contain all of the photos on a machine regardless of the particular folder location.
For that you can use search
For that you can use search folders. Hmm, that's another good idea. We will experiment to see if you can integrate search folders in libraries and then you can have the concept you desire.
Thanks for the comment! :)
Is it possible to get just
Is it possible to get just 'My Documents' (all my documents) to show when I click 'Documents' in the Start Menu? I deleted 'Public Documents' but I still have to make two clicks to get to my documents. Does this make sense?
Hello, I used Windows Enabler
Hello,
I used Windows Enabler (google it) in order to copy my original, ideal profile to the default user profile. As a result, the libraries for a new user profile are pointing to the original profile. I know that when logging in with a new profile, I can right-mouse on each folder and click "restore defaults," but now I really need a registry key that accomplishes the same task. I want it to run in the startup folder, so that upon first logon, the libraries are set to the new user. How do I do this?
"If you changed the settings of a library and you want to revert back to its initial settings, click on 'Restore Defaults'"
Just installed Windows 7
Just installed Windows 7 yesterday and so far, so good. After reading this tutorial and doing some experimentation, it seems that multiple folders cannot be added to the library at the same time. Are there any workarounds for this?
What do you mean they cannot
What do you mean they cannot be added? This tutorial shows you exactly how to do it.
The tutorial is self
The tutorial is self explanatory and easy to follow. What I'm saying is that I can add a single folder to the library at a time but not multiple folders. I have several folders of pictures that I want to add to my library but do not want to have to add each one individually. I attempted to add more than one in a single try and could not....
Your summary statement says
Your summary statement says "libraries are a great feature that can come in handy in many scenarios". Could you give some examples of these scenarios that aren't handled with normal folders?
I don't yet see the value of libraries, given that I will still have to maintain my (real) folder structure. I don't think it would have been included if there weren't good uses, so I'd like some suggestions.
Some of the things i
Some of the things i personally like:
1. Libraries are by default shown in any "Save as" menu. And it makes saving the files i download where i want much easier/faster.
2. Folders that form a library are automatically indexed by Windows. Therefore, they show up in searches without me being required to set them manually to be included in the search index.
3. If you have a small hard disk and you save your documents also on a memory stick, external hard disk or some other location, then they can all be part of the same library, with 1 click i open them all at once. I don't have to remember the exact location of everything.
This might also help: http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Dan/Windows-7-Find-and-Organize-Part-1-Th...
I've tried using the popular
I've tried using the popular script to disable Windows Libraries because I hate them. They create numerous additional steps for locating and saving files, not to mention confusion and unnecessary duplication. When I ran the script, it simplified things greatly, like going back to XP (which worked so well), but a lot of my folders & files disappeared. I had to restore my system to a previous point to locate my files so I'm back struggling with finding the files I download, videos I upload from my camera and wasting a lot of time attempting to rearrange file locations and ignore duplicate file listings. When I create a new folder to sort & work with files, libraries gets me so confused I usually give up. I'm seriously considering a MAC for my next computer because of Windows Libraries.
I have removed Windows 7 and
I have removed Windows 7 and gone back to XP - solely to get rid of the Libraries feature in Exlorer.
In my view, Libraries are an additional complication I can live without.
What used to achieved with a single Click - now takes multiple clicks.
A giant leap backwards for the average user who wants simplicity when trying to access Copy or Move Folders & Files.
Trying to organize my Folders & Files just after I copied them from Backup to Win 7 was a nightmare I can live without.
If I ever go back to Win 7 - my first act will be to try and find a 3rd Party Program to use for file handling.
Anyone know of such a Utility ?
I really don't understand why
I really don't understand why you think Libraries are a complication.
You can just ignore them if you don't like them or, if you take the time to set them up, you will actually do things with less clicks. And I'm speaking here from experience. I literally love libraries in Windows 7 and for me they are a productivity improvement.
Moving back to Windows XP is not a wise choice for a long time now. Windows XP is less secure and has many drawbacks compared to Windows 7. If you want to, let us know what exactly is your problem with Libraries. What exactly you don't like/understand about them?
Regarding 3rd party programs for file handling - try Total Commander. It's an awesome program. You can find it here:
http://www.ghisler.com/
Also, there is a guide on how to disable libraries: http://www.askvg.com/how-to-disable-libraries-feature-in-windows-7/
A library being a collection
A library being a collection of pointers to folders makes me wonder:
(1) can two libraries point to the same folder
(2) in backing up using Windows 7 backup, if I give library containing some particular folder, and also give the folder itself, does backup make two copies of the folder?
(3) If I back up all of my libraries, and there are folders that aren't in any library, I suppose they won't be backed up. If that's true then I would like to back up my individual folders like I've done all along to make sure I get them all, but if I do that and later restore, will I restore the library structure?
(4) If I ignore the library mechanisms in Windows 7, will file-related operations behave just like they did in XP?
Much too complicated and
Much too complicated and confusing. In XP I had one My Docs directory now there are at least three possible locations. I also now have to email everything I want to my other computers as Windows 7 does not recognize XP on my network. I've spent a week trying to follow the instructions to set it up and cannot get it to work. You'd think a Windows OS would work with a Widows OS.
Go to the 'Network and
Go to the 'Network and Internet' section of our site. There you will find lots of articles on network interoperability between operating systems, including Windows XP.
I'm sure those guides will help you.
I am a long-time user of use
I am a long-time user of use much software across the board and have always looked askance at the many attacks against Microsoft Windows and it's other software, typically coming from Mac extremists, of which I was one in the early 80's, until I converted to Windows and the much greater range of software, capability and universal applicability/usage that it provides. Yet I despised the advent of the "My(folders)" structures that Windows brought about and simply bypassed them with my own more efficient hierarchical partitioning and folders structuring, hoping for improvement in future versions. I was hoping for a redesign of that silly system in Windows 7 yet, notwithstanding the many other fine improvements made in Windows 7, the whole system of that silly structuring worsened with libraries, more complexity, and with a denigrated files explorer system compared with XP. I'm so frustrated with Microsoft's continuation of this dumb down effort, cumbersome and silly approach that I really would like to see a flock towards Mac at least until Microsoft gets the point. I though, won't be doing that for reasons of software and marketability, however; it feels good to make the point here. LIBRARIES AND FORCED STRUCTURES OF WINDOWS 7 ARE INSANE !!!
I agree that it's frustrating
I agree that it's frustrating to have everything dictated like that, I have my own system of organization that makes more sense to me for my situation.
Hi, I just got a Windows 7 OS
Hi,
I just got a Windows 7 OS on a new laptop and also have an old Dell with XP. I want to network documents and photos etc. After hours of trial and error i finally see that Homegoup only works on 7. So then I copy all photos in pictures to Public pictures so I can access them that way and lo and behold I see duplicates of all the files in Pictures. OK... I read that this will happen because it wants to show me all the the library locations where the folders are stored and because they have the same name they pair up on the screen. Fine...I then go to finish loading the rest of my folders and 500gb hard drive is full!!!! I don't have more than 200gb of photos so both Pictures and Public pictures must be full sized files. So, it's back to the drawing board again.
I already have my photos distributed amongst hundreds of folders. I'ts a pain and I wish I had windows 7 ten years ago but now I have to integrate this mess and so If I can put all my photos in Public pictures FIRST!!! I assume then all future photo downloads will go there FIRST by default just as all my old downloads went to one place. I also assume because they are Public, I should be able to find these on my networked XP computer. Then I can start to build any virtual libraries THAT DON"T use the full file space from here forward.
In the meantime I'm a little concerned about how to delete the duplicated folders to free up some space. The right-side duplicates show the Public path. Should I just keep these and delete the rest or will something else that is not explained in the help documents happen that I won't like?
My last question is ....where are the paper instruction booklets and why are help menus so incredibly useless most of the time? They should be co-created by people who NEED to use them and formally updated in a web based information gathering system that is not just a hit and miss forum.
Thanks to anyone who can help.
You don't need to duplicate
You don't need to duplicate your Pictures to be able to share with Windows XP computers. You can share things directly from the original location of the Pictures folder and delete the contents of the Public folder.
To learn how to share things, check out this article: http://www.7tutorials.com/sharing-between-windows-xp-and-windows-7-compu...
Plus the whole Network and Internet section: http://www.7tutorials.com/tutorials/network-and-internet
We have plenty of articles on interoperability. Also, we will publish very soon also a book on the topic which covers things in detail.
Thanks, I've read all that a
Thanks, I've read all that a dozen times without satisfactory results. Luckily I have found the new free App. Dropbox, so now I can at least share files from Windows 7 to Windows XP relatively easy. I've given up on the Libraries thing, I just don't like it, can't locate my files half the time and when we change user profiles, most of them aren't there, have to return to share them etc etc etc.
I don't want to have to right click on a file to find out where the file actually is. In Windows XP, I knew I was looking at it. Even when I insert a flash Drive, Windows 7 behaves differently every time, sometimes prompting me to rename or choose a location, sometimes just dumping them into my Videos folder or Pictures folder. Then if I want to insert the same drive into Windows 7 to see the same files, it says it can't read them. Just too many things that make me unhappy about Windows 7. I just can't reinvest all that time I took to master XP. I don't like Windows 7 UI.
so, by accident i deleted my
so, by accident i deleted my pictures library after making a new one i notice at the top it says 'My Pictures C:\Users\Name\
but in my documents it doesn't have that at the top.
Is there anyway to get rid of that?
Or make it so when i hit pictures it automatically goes to my pictures?
Can you share a screenshot to
Can you share a screenshot to understand better what the problem is? I did not understand the problem you are having.
Windows 7 Document library is
Windows 7 Document library is a nightmare. If I arrange my spreadsheets by Folder I can see everything but if I arrange by Name or Date Modified some files don't appear. And I'm referring to files I was working on/saved/closed just before arranging by the latter two views. What's up with this? it's frightening.
Unfortunately it does not
Unfortunately it does not support drag and drop :(
"Make sure you have the
"Make sure you have the 'Details pane' enabled (Organize->Layout->Details Pane). Select the file or files and change their properties."
The 'Details pane' has *nothing* to do with the ability to select files. It's just another name for the status bar at the bottom of the window.
Libraries break the folder
Libraries break the folder metaphor and the semantics of copy/paste and miserably fails to hide it, somewhat...
Consider the scenario:
Have two folders: 'private' and 'public' in a librarie say 'MyLib', default save being in 'private' folder
Then add two files 'private.rtf' and 'public.rtf' respectively in 'private' and public 'folder'.
Display your wonderful MyLib and try this:
Copy/Paste 'public.rtf' -> you get 2 'public.rtf' (!!!)
Copy/Paste the new 'public.rtf' -> You get a 'public - Copy.rtf'
Copy/Paste the old 'public.rtf' -> You are asked if you want to replace the 'public.rtf'
Copy/Paste 'private.rtf' -> You get a 'public - Copy.rtf'
Different results for apparently identical actions...
Then
Close the MyLib Window
Reopen the MyLib Window
Try to delete the new 'public.rtf' -> Actually you cannot because you have no way to tell them apart...
Well done !
It is so confusing, I hardly see the point of having this "great feature".
What I would like to see is
I'd like to create new libraries with the same structure as the default libraries--i.e. "My XXX" and "Public XXX", but there does not seem to be any way currently to do this.
I'm not sure I understand
I'm not sure I understand very well what you want to do. If I got it right, you want to create new libraries? That's easy to do - simply read this tutorial.
Or maybe you want the new libraries to show up in a separate section in Windows Explorer, and be called something else rather than Libraries?
Thank you! Not sure how I
Thank you! Not sure how I did it but had changed the properties from Documents to General and that meant the items in some of the libraries were not in an alphanumeric order. Changed back to Optimize for Documents and it fixed the issue. Only place on the many I looked at that explained this feature!
Add new comment