12 Keyboard Shortcuts For Windows File Explorer You Didn't Know You Needed

Summary

In this informative video, John shares 12 essential keyboard shortcuts for Windows File Explorer, applicable to both Windows 10 and 11. He demonstrates how to open File Explorer, navigate quickly with Shift+Tab, create and rename folders using Ctrl+Shift+N and F2, and switch between views with Ctrl+Shift combinations. Additional tips include using the address bar with Ctrl+L or Alt+D, searching with Ctrl+F, and accessing the right-click menu with the Menu key or Shift+F10. The video encourages viewers to share their favorite shortcuts and provides a free Excel Pro Tips eBook for further learning.

Takeaways

• 💡 The video introduces 12 favorite keyboard shortcuts for Windows File Explorer that work in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• 🔑 The first shortcut is to open File Explorer using the 'Windows key + E'.
• 🗺 To focus on the navigation pane and Quick Access, use 'Shift + Tab'.
• 📁 To open a new window with the same folder, use 'Control + N'.
• ❌ To close a File Explorer window, use 'Control + W' or 'Alt + F4'.
• 📁 Creating a new folder can be done with 'Ctrl + Shift + N'.
• 🔄 To navigate back to the previous folder, use the 'Backspace' key.
• 🔄 'Alt + Left Arrow' and 'Alt + Right Arrow' are shortcuts for navigating back and forward.
• 🔄 'Alt + Up Arrow' is used to navigate up to the parent folder.
• 📝 Renaming files and folders can be done using 'F2', and for multiple files, 'F2' followed by 'Tab'.
• 🔍 Selecting the address bar in File Explorer is done with 'Ctrl + L' or 'Alt + D'.
• 🔎 The search feature in File Explorer is activated with 'Ctrl + F'.
• 🖼️ Changing the view in File Explorer can be done using 'Ctrl + Shift + [number]' with different numbers for different views.
• 📋 The right-click menu can be opened with the 'Menu key' or 'Shift + F10'.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video?

The purpose of the video is to share 12 favorite keyboard shortcuts for Windows File Explorer that work in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

What is the keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer?

The keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer is by holding down the Windows key and pressing the letter 'E'.

How can you quickly navigate to the Quick Access section in File Explorer after it's opened?

You can quickly navigate to the Quick Access section by holding Shift and pressing Tab.

What is the keyboard shortcut to open a new window with the same folder in File Explorer?

The keyboard shortcut to open a new window with the same folder is Control + N.

How can you close a File Explorer window using a keyboard shortcut?

You can close a File Explorer window using the keyboard shortcuts Control + W or Alt + F4.

What is the keyboard shortcut to create a new folder in File Explorer?

The keyboard shortcut to create a new folder is Ctrl + Shift + N.

How can you go back to the previous folder in File Explorer using a keyboard shortcut?

You can go back to the previous folder by pressing the Backspace key on the keyboard.

What keyboard shortcuts can be used to navigate forward and backward in File Explorer?

Alt + Left Arrow can be used to go back, and Alt + Right Arrow can be used to go forward in File Explorer.

How do you rename a file or folder using keyboard shortcuts in File Explorer?

You can rename a file or folder by selecting it and pressing F2 to enter edit mode, then typing the new name and pressing Enter to confirm.

What is the keyboard shortcut to select the address bar in File Explorer?

The keyboard shortcut to select the address bar is Ctrl + L or Alt + D.

How can you search for a file or folder in File Explorer using a keyboard shortcut?

You can search for a file or folder by pressing Ctrl + F to set focus to the search bar.

What keyboard shortcuts are available to change the view in File Explorer?

Keyboard shortcuts to change the view in File Explorer include Ctrl + Shift + 1 for extra large icons, Ctrl + Shift + 2 for large icons, and Ctrl + Shift + 6 for details view.

How can you open the right-click context menu in File Explorer using a keyboard shortcut?

You can open the right-click context menu by pressing the Menu key or Shift + F10.

What additional tip is provided for using keyboard shortcuts in a web browser?

The additional tip is that the shortcuts Ctrl + L or Alt + D to select the address bar and Ctrl + F for search also work in a web browser.

What is the website mentioned in the video for further resources?

The website mentioned in the video for further resources is excelcampus.com.

How can viewers get a free Excel Pro Tips ebook?

Viewers can get a free Excel Pro Tips ebook by visiting excelcampus.com.

Outlines

00:00

🖥️ Windows File Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

In this segment, John introduces a series of keyboard shortcuts for Windows File Explorer that are compatible with both Windows 10 and Windows 11. He begins by teaching the shortcut to open File Explorer using the Windows key plus 'E'. John then explains how to navigate using the Shift + Tab combination to focus on the navigation pane and Quick Access, and how to select and open pinned items with arrow keys. He also covers the shortcuts for opening a new window with the same folder (Ctrl + N), closing a window (Ctrl + W or Alt + F4), and creating a new folder (Ctrl + Shift + N). Additionally, he invites viewers to share their favorite shortcuts and encourages interaction in the comments section.

05:02

🔄 Navigating and Manipulating Files in File Explorer

This paragraph delves into navigation and file manipulation shortcuts within File Explorer. John demonstrates how to use the Backspace key to go back to the previous folder, and how Alt + Left Arrow and Alt + Right Arrow can be used as alternatives for forward and backward navigation. He also explains the shortcut for accessing the parent folder (Alt + Up Arrow) and moves on to renaming files and folders, highlighting the use of F2 for single file renaming and a combination of F2, Tab, and Enter for batch renaming. The paragraph concludes with a look at selecting the address bar using Ctrl + L or Alt + D, and a bonus tip that these shortcuts work in web browsers as well. John also introduces the search feature shortcut (Ctrl + F) and how to use it to find files and folders.

Keywords

💡Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keys on a computer keyboard that perform specific actions within a program or an operating system. In the context of this video, they are used to enhance productivity in Windows File Explorer by allowing for quicker navigation and file management. For example, 'Win + E' is used to open File Explorer, and 'Ctrl + N' to open a new window with the same folder.

💡File Explorer

File Explorer is a file manager application in Microsoft Windows operating systems that allows users to browse and interact with the file system. It is central to the video's theme as the presenter shares shortcuts specifically for this application. The script mentions using shortcuts to navigate within File Explorer, such as 'Shift + Tab' to focus on the navigation pane.

💡Quick Access

Quick Access is a feature in File Explorer that provides shortcuts to frequently accessed folders or recently used files. The video discusses how to use keyboard shortcuts to quickly navigate to pinned items in the Quick Access section, enhancing the user's ability to manage files efficiently.

💡Navigation Pane

The Navigation Pane is a part of the File Explorer interface that allows users to access folders and locations on their computer. The script explains how to use 'Shift + Tab' to set focus on the Navigation Pane and then use the arrow keys to select items, demonstrating a keyboard-centric approach to file management.

💡New Window

In the context of File Explorer, opening a 'New Window' allows users to have multiple instances of the application open, each potentially viewing different directories. The video mentions the shortcut 'Ctrl + N' to open a new window, which is useful for tasks like copying or moving files between folders without navigating back and forth.

💡Close Window

Closing a window in File Explorer or any application is an action that removes the window from view, allowing the user to exit the application or close a specific instance of it. The script provides two methods to close a File Explorer window: 'Ctrl + W' or 'Alt + F4'.

💡Create New Folder

Creating a new folder is a common file management task where a user makes a new directory to organize files. The video script explains using 'Ctrl + Shift + N' to create a new folder in File Explorer and then renaming it, which is a fundamental aspect of organizing files and folders.

💡Rename

Renaming is the action of changing the title or name of a file or folder. The video demonstrates using 'F2' to rename a selected file or folder and provides a method for renaming multiple items sequentially using 'F2' followed by 'Tab', which is a time-saving technique for file management.

💡Address Bar

The Address Bar in File Explorer displays the current folder path and allows users to type or paste a path to navigate to a specific location. The script mentions 'Ctrl + L' or 'Alt + D' as shortcuts to select the address bar, which can be used to quickly navigate to a folder by typing or pasting its path.

💡Search Feature

The search feature in File Explorer allows users to find files and folders based on keywords. The video describes using 'Ctrl + F' to set focus to the search bar, enabling users to type in search terms and quickly locate relevant items within the current directory.

💡View

In File Explorer, 'View' refers to the way files and folders are displayed, such as in icons, list, or details. The script explains shortcuts like 'Ctrl + Shift + 2' for large thumbnail view and 'Ctrl + Shift + 6' for details view, allowing users to switch between different visual representations of the file system.

💡Right-Click Menu

The right-click menu, also known as the context menu, appears when a user right-clicks on an item and provides various options related to that item. The video mentions the shortcuts 'Menu Key' or 'Shift + F10' to open this menu, which is an alternative to using the mouse for accessing these options.

Highlights

Opening File Explorer with the Windows key plus E shortcut.

Using Shift Tab to focus on the navigation pane and Quick Access.

Navigating through pinned items in Quick Access with arrow keys.

Tab key to switch focus between navigation pane and main window.

Opening a new File Explorer window with the same folder using Ctrl N.

Closing File Explorer windows with Ctrl W or Alt F4.

Creating a new folder with the Ctrl Shift N shortcut.

Renaming files and folders using the F2 key.

Renaming multiple files sequentially with F2 and Tab.

Selecting the address bar with Ctrl L or Alt D.

Using Ctrl F to activate the search feature in File Explorer.

Changing view modes with Ctrl Shift 1 through 6.

Opening the right-click menu with the Menu key or Shift F10.

Navigating back to the previous folder with the Backspace key.

Using Alt left and right arrows for forward and back navigation.

Going up to the parent folder with Alt Up Arrow.

Invitation for viewers to share their favorite shortcuts in the comments.

The video includes a bonus tip on using shortcuts in web browsers.

Explanation of the condensed right-click menu in Windows 11 and using Shift F10 to open the full menu.

Encouragement to like, subscribe, and visit excelcampus.com for free resources.

Transcripts

hey there my name is john and in this

video i'm going to share 12 of my

favorite keyboard shortcuts for windows

file explorer and this will work in both

windows 10 and windows 11. so let's jump

right into it the first keyboard

shortcut is opening file explorer and

that shortcut is

key plus e so hold down the windows key

on your computer press the letter e and

that will open the file explorer window

now if you're like me and you like the

navigation pane over here and the quick

access with some of these pinned items

to get to this right away after you open

file explorer you can hold shift and

press tab so shift tab will set focus

over here you can see the quick access

is now blue and now you can use the up

and down arrows on the keyboard to

select items over here that you have

pinned so if i want to select one of

these items i'll just hit enter and now

i can see the contents of that folder

and to get back to the main window over

here we can just hit the tab key so i'll

hit tab again that'll set focus over

here on the main window and then again i

can use up and down arrows to scroll and

hit enter to either open a file or open

a folder

next i'll look at the shortcut to open a

new window with the same folder and the

shortcut for that is control n so here i

am in file explorer i'm going to hit

control n that's going to open a new

window here and navigate to the exact

same folder that i was in in the

previous window and this is great when

you're copying or moving files between

folders because now you can just

navigate to one of these folders here

and then drag it over to another folder

over here and you don't have to spend

extra time navigating to your folder in

this window over here then when you're

done with that new window or done with

any file explorer window keyboard

shortcut to close the window is control

w so hold ctrl and press w or

alternatively you can use alt f4

the shortcut to create a new folder is

ctrl shift n so hold ctrl shift and

press n and that will create a new

folder and of course prompt you to

rename it we have a new course on

powerautomate so i'll quickly rename it

that and hit enter to confirm the change

now i also want to mention as you're

watching this video if you find one of

these shortcuts to be your new favorite

leave a comment below and let us know

which one it is or if you're watching

the video and you're saying hey john you

completely forgot my favorite shortcut

i'll leave a comment below as well we'd

love to learn that from you

all right so now let's talk about

navigation if i want to go back to the

previous folder i can just hit the

backspace key on the keyboard that will

take me back to the previous folder it's

the same as hitting the back button up

here in the toolbar and just a little

side note there that will also work in

your web browser if you want to go back

in your web browser now as you can see

when we hover over the button here alt

left arrow will also go back so you can

use that as an alternative to backspace

and if you hover over the forward button

we'll see that alt right arrow will go

forward so alt left and right can also

be easy ways to navigate now you also

notice over here we have up and alt up

arrow is the shortcut for that now we'll

take you up to the parent folder so

let's say we go to a completely

different folder over here and we want

to go up and see the parent folder of

this we can just hit alt up arrow and

that'll take us to the parent folder

next we'll look at some shortcuts for

renaming files and folders so here i

have some excel files in this folder and

let's say i want to rename these with

this first file selected i'm going to

hit f2 on the keyboard and that will

jump me into edit mode where i can

rename the file if you're using a laptop

keyboard you might need to hold down the

fn or function key when you press f2 as

you can see here it just selects the

file name so i can just start typing

right here the file name i'm just going

to call this one and it does not select

the extension so that's nice it won't

change the extension you can just start

typing the file name and then of course

hit enter to confirm your change now if

you want to rename multiple files or

folders there's an additional shortcut

for that so i'm going to hit the down

arrow key here and then i'm going to hit

f2 to edit this file i'm going to just

rename it to 2 for right now and instead

of hitting enter i'm going to hit tab

and when i hit tab that's going to

confirm the change and jump me down to

the next file or folder and put it in

edit mode so i can rename that file so

for now i'm just gonna rename this one

to three hit tab rename this one to four

and that's the last one i'll hit enter

and that will allow me to quickly rename

multiple files and folders using f2 plus

tab next we'll look at selecting the

address bar this is the address bar up

here in file explorer and to select it

you can press ctrl l and that will

select the text in the address bar from

this point you can copy that text and

paste it somewhere else or if you have a

folder path copied you can paste it

right here and hit enter and that will

navigate to that folder now an alternate

shortcut for this is alt d so hold alt

and press d and that will select the

address bar as well and that might be a

little easier as a more of a one-handed

operation where control l is a

two-handed operation now a little bonus

tip here is that those both of those

shortcuts will also work in your web

browser to select the address bar in the

web browser

next we'll look at using the search

feature here in file explorer and the

keyboard shortcut for that is ctrl f so

that'll set focus to search let's say

we're looking for a logo here i can just

type that in and hit enter and that will

show me all the results for the files

and folders within the folder that i was

in of course now you can use the up and

down arrows to select here

if you want to go back and not select

any of these items just hit backspace

and that will take you back to the

folder you were in

next we'll look at changing the view so

i'm in a folder here with a lot of image

files and let's say i want to switch the

view to large thumbnail the keyboard

shortcut for that is control shift 2. so

that'll change the view here to view the

large thumbnails if i want to go back to

the details view keyboard shortcut for

that is ctrl shift six and that'll take

me back to details now if you're

wondering why it's ctrl shift 2 and ctrl

shift 6 well there's actually other

shortcuts here so if you go up to the

view menu you can see all of these

shortcuts here and essentially ctrl

shift 1 is extra large icons ctrl shift

two which we just looked at is large

icons all the way down to control shift

six is details and you can use all of

these going all the way down to content

now another way to remember this is down

here in the bottom right corner you can

also hover over these two buttons here

and if we hover over this button you'll

see that control shift six will take us

to details view and this is a large

thumbnail control shift two

and finally we'll take a look at opening

the right-click menu the shortcut to do

this is either the menu key or shift f10

so i'm just going to hit the menu key on

my keyboard now not all keyboards have a

menu key if yours does have it it'll be

between the control and alt keys on the

right side of the keyboard my favorite

logitech keyboard does have a menu key

and i'll put a link in the description

below this video to an article that

explains more about that keyboard

if you're on a laptop most laptops

unless you're using a microsoft laptop

also do not have a menu key so in that

case press shift f10 and that will open

up the right-click menu here now one

other note here if you're using windows

11 and you right-click an item with the

mouse you'll notice that it has this

condensed right-click menu or this

condensed context menu with a limited

number of items and then you can press

show more options down here to open up

the full menu and as you'll notice right

here it says that shift f10 is the

shortcut to open that menu and that's

the same as the menu key so instead of

doing that two-click operation to

right-click and then click show more

options here you can just select any

item and either hit the menu key or

shift f10 and that will open up that

full right-click menu

alright so i hope these shortcuts for

file explorer save some time out of your

day again if you have a new favorite

leave a comment below and let us know

what that is or if we missed one let us

know in the comments below as well if

you enjoyed this video hit the like

button if you're new to excel campus hit

the subscribe button and then head over

to excelcampus.com

free to grab our free excel pro tips

ebook thanks again for watching have a

great day and i'll see you in the next

video

[Applause]

[Music]

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