File Explorer is an essential file management application. Whether your mouse is broken or you just prefer using Command Prompt, there are many ways you can open File Explorer in Windows 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Click the Taskbar Icon<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Windows PCs come with certain apps preloaded on the taskbar, including File Explorer; just click the File Explorer icon in the taskbar to open it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve removed the File Explorer icon from the taskbar, you can use one of the other methods below to launch it, and then re-pin it to the taskbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do this, launch File Explorer, right-click its icon on the taskbar, and then select \u201cPin to Taskbar\u201d to keep it there permanently. You can then drag and drop it wherever you want it on the taskbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use the Keyboard Shortcut<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost every keyboard on a Windows PC has a Windows key (it\u2019s the one with the Windows icon). You can open File Explorer by pressing Windows+E.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Via Windows Search<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can search for any application on your PC in Windows Search. In the Search box to the left of the Taskbar, just type \u201cFile Explorer,\u201d and then click (or use the arrow keys to select) \u201cFile Explorer\u201d in the search results to launch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the Start Menu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are three ways you can open File Explorer from the Start menu. The first is to click the Start button, and then scroll down the list of apps and click \u201cWindows System.\u201d In the submenu, click \u201cFile Explorer\u201d to open it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also pin File Explorer to the sidebar above the Start button. To do so, click Settings > Personalization > Start, and then click \u201cChoose which folders appear on Start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the next screen, toggle-On the \u201cFile Explorer\u201d option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
File Explorer will now appear in the sidebar of the Start menu; click it to launch File Explorer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also add a shortcut to the pinned tile section to the right of the Start menu. To do so, open the Start menu, type \u201cFile Explorer\u201d in the Search box, and then, in the pane that appears to the right of the search results, click \u201cPin to Start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alternatively, if you pinned File Explorer to the sidebar of the Start menu, you can right-click the File Explorer icon, and then click \u201cPin to Start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
File Explorer will now appear in the pinned tile section of the Start menu; just click it to launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the Power User Menu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also open File Explorer from the Power User Menu. To access it, press Windows+X or right-click the Start button, and then click \u201cFile Explorer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask Cortana<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your PC has a microphone, you can ask Cortana to open File Explorer. To do so, click the Cortana icon (the circle) in the taskbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Click the Microphone icon, and then say, \u201cOpen File Explorer\u201d (what you say will also appear on the screen). Cortana will respond with \u201cI\u2019ll Open File Explorer,\u201d and then do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t have a microphone, you can just type \u201cFile Explorer\u201d in the Cortana search box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use the Run Application<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also launch File Explorer in the Run app. Press Windows+R to open the \u201cRun\u201d window. In the \u201cOpen:\u201d box, type \u201cExplorer,\u201d click \u201cOK,\u201d and File Explorer will open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Run the Source Application<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By default, Windows stores File Explorer\u2019s EXE file in the \u201cWindows\u201d folder on the C: drive. Navigate to the \u201cWindows\u201d folder, find \u201cExplorer.exe\u201d in the long list, and then double-click it to open File Explorer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add a Shortcut to the Desktop<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For quicker access to File Explorer, you can create a desktop shortcut. To do so, click the Start button at the bottom left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the app list, scroll down and click \u201cWindows System.\u201d In the submenu, click and drag \u201cFile Explorer\u201d to the desktop. You can also drag and drop File Explorer from the pinned app tiles on the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, you can just double-click the shortcut on your desktop to open File Explorer anytime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From Task Manager<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Task Manager isn\u2019t just for shutting down apps or monitoring processes and performance\u2014you can also launch apps from it. To launch File Explorer this way, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. Then, click \u201cFile\u201d and select \u201cRun New Task.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cCreate New Task\u201d window will appear. Type \u201cExplorer\u201d in the \u201cOpen:\u201d text box, click \u201cOK,\u201d and File Explorer will open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From Command Prompt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can launch almost any app on your PC, including File Explorer, from the Command Prompt. To do so, type \u201ccmd\u201d in the Windows Search box, and then select \u201cCommand Prompt\u201d from the search results to open it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
explorer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
File Explorer will open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Via PowerShell<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also launch File Explorer from PowerShell. To do so, type \u201cPowerShell\u201d in the Windows Search box, and then select \u201cWindows PowerShell\u201d from the search results to open it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In PowerShell, type the following command, and then press Enter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
explorer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
File Explorer will then open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Windows 10 is packed with different ways to accomplish common tasks, like opening the Command Prompt or locking your PC. Explore all the options to find those that work best for you and your workflow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
File Explorer is an essential file management application. Whether your mouse is broken or you just prefer using Command Prompt, there are many ways you can open File Explorer in Windows 10. Click the Taskbar Icon Windows PCs come with certain apps preloaded on the taskbar, including File Explorer; just click the File Explorer icon in the taskbar to … Continue reading “12 Ways to Open File Explorer in Windows 10”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[93],"class_list":["post-2792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-systems-and-procedures","tag-windows-10"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2793,"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2792\/revisions\/2793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tech-battery.com\/batteriesblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}