How to Open Windows Explorer

This minHour teaches you how to open the Explorer app on a Windows computer. On Windows 10 and 8, this app is called "File Explorer", while it is called "Windows Explorer" on Windows 7 and Vista.

Windows 10 and 8

Open the Start menu.

Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press the ⊞ Win key.

  • On Windows 8, instead hover your mouse in the upper-right corner of the screen, then click the magnifying glass icon.

Type file explorer into Start.

You should see a folder icon appear at the top of the Start window.

Click on File Explorer.

It’s the folder-shaped icon at the top of the Start window. Doing so will open File Explorer.

  • With File Explorer open, you can “pin it” to your 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 different methods for opening File Explorer

A few different ways of opening File Explorer include the following:

  • Click on the taskbar.
  • Press .
  • Right-click Start and click File Explorer.
  • Click Start, then click the folder-shaped icon on the left.

Windows 7 and Vista

Open the Start menu.

Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen or press the ⊞ Win key.

Type windows explorer into Start.

You should see a folder icon appear at the top of the Start window.

Click Windows Explorer.

It’s the folder-shaped icon at the top of the Start window. Doing so will open the Windows Explorer app.

  • With Windows Explorer open, you can “pin it” to your taskbar which will allow you to launch Windows Explorer with a single click. Right-click the Windows Explorer icon at the bottom of the screen, then click Pin to taskbar.

Consider alternative ways of opening Windows Explorer.

A few different ways are:

  • Press .
  • Click Start, then click .

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