Open File Explorer app explore all ways to open. What is the "Explorer" and how to use it? How to open Windows Explorer

We briefly got acquainted with the file organization of Windows. Now let's get acquainted with the file system management tool - Windows Explorer.


Windows Explorer is a file manager built into the Windows system itself. It is loaded automatically during the installation of the operating system. To run it, you need to do the following:

  • left mouse button click " Start" in the lower right corner of the desktop;
  • in the menu that appears, hover over the option " All programs", while a menu with installed programs on your computer will appear (initially there will be much fewer of them than in the figure);
  • hover over " Standard";
  • in the menu that appears, left-click on the item " Conductor";
  • you will see the start page of Windows Explorer.

The default folder is usually " My documents":


The explorer window consists of the following parts:

Understanding the principle of the Explorer, I think, will not be difficult. The developers have tried to make everything as clear and visual as possible. Let's see what is included in the information field of our computer. To do this, left-click the "Folders" button in the toolbar, and then click the "My Computer" link located in the left window:



At the very top of the window are the folders in which documents created by the user are saved by default (first of all, this applies to documents created using Microsoft Office).

Below is a list of logical hard drives that are present on the computer. The hard disk is formatted at the stage of operating system installation, as a rule, two logical disks are created: C and D. In this case, disk C is called system drive for the simple reason that it is on it that the operating system is installed. In order to view information about a logical disk, you need to right-click on it and select "Properties" in the context menu.



Below is a list of connected removable drives: floppy drives (outdated); card reader for connecting removable flash drives; CD drive; if a removable USB flash drive is installed in the computer, then it is also displayed. In short, ALL media currently connected to the computer are displayed here.


You can get from the "My Documents" window to the "My Computer" window in another way - using address bar. To do this, do the following:

  1. Click on the leftmost green arrow with the inscription "Back" on the Navigation Panel, and you will again be taken to the previous "My Documents" window;
  2. In the Address line, left-click on the small arrow located at the right edge of the line;
  3. Select "My Computer" from the list that appears.

Hello everyone So I don’t even know what to tell you about what kind of program this Explorer is. The fact is that it is, as it were, part of Windows, and almost any Windows, whether Windows XP or Windows 10. Explorer is not even a program, it is precisely part of Windows, it is such a component, so to speak, that you need to have easy access to files. To make it convenient to search for files and generally navigate among folders.

Here the Explorer program does not even have its own process in the task manager, there is not even some folder where it is installed, because the Explorer program, as it were, exists, but only in words. But what the hell is all this? I can’t say for sure here, but it seems to me that the Explorer program is part of the Windows shell, that is, part of the explorer. Not to be confused with Internet Explorer, this is a Windows browser! This Explorer itself runs under the explorer.exe process, it is in the task manager, it’s clear that you shouldn’t complete this process, otherwise everything will be lost. In the literal sense, everything, and the Start menu and folders are open, and in general everything is completely, because Explorer is a Windows shell!

So, look, this is how to say this is the Explorer program:


So you see there are a lot of folders here? Well, so that you do not have difficulties running through them, so that it is convenient to watch them, then this is what the Explorer is for. He is like your personal assistant, so to speak figuratively.

Here is an example of an old-style explorer, so to speak, I don’t even know what kind of ancient Windows it is, either Windows XP, or even older, but this is not particularly important, in general, look, this Explorer:


As you can see, in principle, well, not the same thing, but very similar. So that you still understand, then you were traveling by train? Well, there is also a conductor there! Well, what is it for? To say that it was convenient for you to ride, well, roughly speaking, in short, it helps you, as it were. Here is also an explorer in Windows, it sort of helps you navigate through folders to make it easier for you. Well, I hope now it’s already clear what kind of Explorer program it is? I hope so, although I agree that I explained it a little strange ..

Can Explorer be removed? No guys, it's not possible to remove it, you need to cut out the Windows shell altogether. And without it, you just stupidly can not work in Windows, no way at all.

How can you start File Explorer? It's very simple, for this you can simply call the Start menu and write the word Explorer there below, and then select it:

Here is another picture, here I think you will also understand everything, well, this is to say so to give maximum information, then here I am showing you this picture, see:


This means that in the Start menu, if you open the All Programs menu, and then select Standard, then you will see the Explorer program there, in fact, here it is:

By the way, even if you right-click on this conductor here, then select the Properties item in the menu:

Then the Properties window will appear: Explorer, here you can only make sure that Explorer is running under the Windows Explorer shell, which in turn is already running under the explorer.exe process, in general, this is the window, see:

You can also click the File Location button here, well, to understand where this Explorer sits. If you click, the C:\Windows system folder will open, and the explorer.exe file will be highlighted there (but as you already know, this is the Windows shell file):


True, there is a small correction here, you may not have C:\Windows, but for example D:\Windows, well, I mean that your system drive may have a completely different letter.

Oh guys, I found another picture, here it is written very briefly and very clearly what Explorer is, see:


And here is another picture, it says how to search for files in Explorer, see in general:


But here it means how to search for files in Windows XP Explorer. But in Windows 7 they made it even easier, you just need to do this, look, here you are in some folder or on a disk, right? And so you need to find something? You press the F3 button and write what you need to find! The field where you need to write, it will be activated by itself and will wait for you to write there. Well, I pressed the F3 button and the search field immediately activated, here it is, look:


You see there is the word utorrent there? I used to look for everything related to the uTorrent torrent download, that is, here, so to speak, the history is saved for convenience.

Here is another picture, you know, it will be very useful info, see:


And do you know what happens? There is this error:


Here is another picture, the same explorer error:


So guys, I’ll say right away that there is no way to eliminate this error, well, that is, there is no universal way, it seems to me that there is none. The fact is that this error can be caused by some program, or just the error itself can be in Windows. So there could be a lot of reasons for this. You can try to find the reason, if some program is to blame here, then this is good, so you need to solve the problem with the program. If this is Windows itself, then this is bad, you can check Windows itself for errors, for this you must have either an installation flash drive with Windows or an installation disk. What do you need it for? The fact is that there is a certain check of Windows, in which all broken files, well, roughly speaking, all these files will be replaced with original ones, which will be taken from the installation disk. So how do you run this command? Look, hold down Win + R, then the Run window will appear, you write the cmd command there, after which the command line will start. Then you write something like sfc /scannow to the command line, press enter and wait. Well, this is so, you know, it may help, or it may not help, but just in case, you can try. If you have no errors, then the command line will be something like this info:


Well, I'm a little off topic, but suddenly what I wrote above will come in handy.

And more, guys! If you have such an error with the conductor, some strange and muddy, then you know what to do? I'm not saying that this is the best way, but if possible, it's better to reinstall Windows, because it can take you a lot of time to solve this error .. just a lot ...

So what else do I want to say? You might be wondering if Explorer has any settings at all? Despite the fact that this program does not have its own process, there is not even a folder where it is installed, and as you already understood, this is all because it is part of the Explorer shell, well, despite this, there are still settings and Explorer! Or maybe it's not Explorer settings, but Explorer settings? Hmm, I can’t exactly answer, okay, I think it’s not so important anymore! So look, to get into the settings, then you need to hold down the Win + R buttons and write the following command there:


Then click OK, after which the Control Panel will open, there you already find the Folder Options icon and run it:


Then this window will open:

There are all sorts of settings here, you can view them and adjust something here, so to speak. More useful and interesting options are hidden on the View tab:

There are checkboxes for displaying or hiding system files, for displaying file extensions, well, in general, there are a lot of options, it’s worth looking through them and maybe setting something up so to speak for yourself, well, you understand

Well guys, it seems that I showed you everything? You know, I’ll finally show you the Windows 10 Explorer, look what it is:


As for me, it is made very conveniently and beautifully, well, or it seems to me. I'm probably weird, but I generally like Windows 10, although many users consider it buggy and unfinished ..

That's what you think will happen if you take it and delete it ... no, not a conductor, not an explorer, but if you delete Internet Explorer, that's what you think will happen? But that one is not so simple, the fact is that if you delete it in Windows 7, then there will be problems, wrote about it. But the trick is that if you remove Internet Explorer from Windows 10, then there won’t seem to be any problems, well, you can see for yourself, I wrote about it here. But here I have an idea, maybe if you uninstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in the same way as I uninstalled in Windows 10, then maybe there were no problems .. it's just thinking out loud ..

In general, guys, that's all, I hope that everything was clear to you here, and if something is wrong, well, then you're sorry. Good luck in life and that everything is fine with you

30.12.2016

This guide shows you how to open File Explorer on a Windows computer. In Windows 10 and 8 this application is called "File Explorer", while in Windows 7 and Vista it is called "Windows Explorer".

Quick Guide

1. Open " Start» .
2. Enter Conductor(Windows 10 and 8) or conductor Windows (Windows 7 and Vista).
3. Click the appropriate result.

How to open File Explorer in Windows 10 and 8

  • Click the folder icon on the taskbar.
  • Press keyboard shortcut ⊞ Win + E.
  • Right click Start and click " Conductor» .
  • Click the Start button, then click the folder-shaped icon on the left.

How to open file explorer Windows 7 and Vista

  1. Open the menu Start, Click Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen or press ⊞ Win key.
  2. Enter explorer. You should see a folder icon at the top of the Start window.
  3. Click File Explorer. It's the folder-shaped icon at the top of the Start window. This will open the File Explorer app.
    Opening Windows Explorer, you can "pin it" to the taskbar, which will allow you to launch File Explorer with a single click. Right-click the File Explorer icon at the bottom of the screen, then click Pin to taskbar.

Consider alternative ways to open Windows Explorer.

Explorer is the standard file manager of the Windows operating system. Starting with the release of Windows 95 and continuing to function successfully in the modern version of Windows 8, the embedded platform has served as the main program for moving and handling files and folders. If you have a question about how to open File Explorer, in this article, using Windows 8 as an example, you can learn four ways to do this. Choose the most suitable and easy for you, keep in mind that they are all relevant for any version of Windows.

It's easy: double-click the left mouse button on the "My Computer" icon or simply open any folder. A window will appear on the screen in the name of the open folder - this is the same explorer. An equally simple way is to use burning keys. Press the Windows and E buttons at the same time - and you will see the standard file manager window on the monitor.


Enter the Start menu by pressing the Windows key. Type the word "explorer" on the keyboard - and the system will find the program you are looking for. Another method suggests, in the same way as in the previous paragraph, in the "Start" menu, find the "Run" option and start this service. Or you can use a combination of burning keys that is equivalent in action - type "Windows" and "R". In the window that opens, there will be a line in which you should enter the command " explorer", - as a result, the explorer will start.


There is really nothing super complicated in working with File Explorer, because Windows developers have been trying for years to simplify the interface of the operating system so that the user can easily perform any task. Despite this, the program is a fully functional file manager, with which you can easily find the necessary files or folders, rename them, copy or move them.

Undoubtedly, a user of any level of training has somehow come across a standard Windows program called "Explorer". She is familiar to everyone. What is the purpose of the "Explorer" program in Windows, in the main aspects, approximately all users know. But the application itself has a number of interesting features, which will now be described.

What is Windows Explorer?

Before dealing with the question of what the "Explorer" is intended for on a computer, let's find out what kind of program it is basically.

In general, by and large, this application, as is commonly believed, is a file manager, in other words, a tool for viewing the contents of hard drives and logical partitions, removable media in the form of optical drives and USB devices, as well as a fairly powerful tool for managing all this content .

But if this was the case in older Windows systems, over time the program improved more and more and began to transform into a tool for performing specific operations and even adjusting system parameters. That is, it became possible to access, for example, the "Control Panel" and all its components or view information about the computer system.

So, if we consider this topic from this point of view, it can be noted that the Explorer program is designed to manage folders and files, to view and change parameters and settings, as well as to perform additional operations. But more on that later.

Where did it all begin?

And it all started quite prosaically. Even before the release of the first version of Windows, work was usually done on a DOS system. Entering commands to call a particular operation or to open and edit files, not to mention the clear ordering of data, was extremely inconvenient.

It was then that one of the first, if not the very first Norton Commander appeared, which today most users call “Grandfather Norton”. It had a two-panel structure - two main windows with a workspace, and allowed you to manage the contents of disks in terms of the simplest operations (copy, delete, open, etc.). But in the application, you had to constantly navigate to the main line in order to enter or exit a folder or section.

Therefore, Microsoft, having borrowed all the best from Commander, created its own program, which later became the familiar Explorer. It also had two windows, but the left one displayed a tree structure of folders (and then additional items), and the right one showed the contents of the selected section. Thus, content navigation has become much more convenient.

What is Windows Explorer for?

Now let's look at the main features of the application. What is the "Explorer" for? Primarily for viewing files and folders (this is its main function). Thanks to the tree structure, you can open the full list of folders, and not look for, say, the desired directory like Norton.

Despite the constant change in the application, the program interface remains almost unchanged, the difference is only in additional elements and features. The same address bar, standard main menu bar and two windows, often disabled by default, etc.

But, on the other hand, the question of what "Explorer" is intended for in the latest versions of Windows has another answer. It can be noted that quite interesting tools have appeared here. For example, to write data to a disk, you no longer need to use third-party programs, because the system has its own recording tool (which was not in older versions). However, there are plenty of opportunities.

Special data structuring operations

If we talk specifically about organizing the contents of the computer, you can use the display tools of the "View" menu, which provides several options for sorting data, say, by size, creation or modification date, it is possible to group them according to similar criteria, etc.

On the other hand, considering the question of what "Explorer" is intended for, we can say that it is also a means of displaying hidden data that is not available to the user in normal mode, since changing them from the point of view of the system is undesirable. For this, the view menu is used, where in a new window on a special tab the corresponding parameter is set.

You can use many additional commands in the context menu, up to customizing the appearance of folders. Not to mention some additional features like a quick search for objects by name or with different attributes and extensions, which, by the way, in most cases are duplicated in the sections of the main menus and in the toolbox.

What else is the "Explorer" in the computer for, and where is it located?

Among the additional features, it is worth noting the direct sending of data in the form of an e-mail message, however, subject to a configured email client, permission and removal of shared access to files and directories, sorting media content into pre-defined folders for video, audio and graphics.

In the latest versions of Windows, you can even use automatic synchronization with One Drive cloud storage, as well as get quick access to recently used documents and folders.

Now let's see where in the system the executable file of the explorer.exe program is located. You don't need to go far - this is the Windows root directory on the drive where the system is installed.

Ways to call "Explorer"

With regard to launching the program, several of the most common ways can be noted. The longest one is using the main Start menu, where, depending on the version of Windows, you select either the Standards or Utilities section.

Another method is to use the right click on the "Start" button, where the "Explorer" launch line is selected.

The third method is to enter the explorer.exe command in the "Run" menu, which, in turn, is called either through the standard "Start" or the Win + R combination.

But the fastest and easiest way is the Win + E combination. It is often forgotten or simply not known. But it is the most convenient in terms of saving time.

Possible problems in the program

So, what the "Explorer" is intended for, I think, is already more or less clear. Let's look at the main types of failures in the application.

Most often, the program may freeze at the time of copying, deleting or moving data that either has errors or is protected from such actions. Sometimes the problem lies in the excessive use of system resources. Usually, even if a blank screen appears after a few minutes, work is restored. In some cases, system errors on disks can lead to such violations. To fix it, it is recommended to simply check the system partition using the built-in tools or commands like chkdisk (with various types of additional options, say /f /r in the Run menu with automatic failure repair and recovery of damaged clusters. You can also use the command line (cmd) , where the combination sfc / scannow is written.

But most often, the incorrect shutdown of the "Explorer" is associated with the penetration of viruses and executable malicious codes into the system. As already clear, in such a situation, you will have to clean the computer. If the standard protection tool missed the threat, it is better to use portable utilities or recovery discs that load anti-virus software even before Windows starts.