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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">File Explorer</span></span>
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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about the Microsoft Windows file listing browser. For exploring file system listings, see <a href="File_browser" class="mw-redirect" title="File browser">file browser</a>. For exploring inside files, see <a href="File_viewer" title="File viewer">file viewer</a>.</div>
<div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"Windows Explorer" and "explorer.exe" redirect here. They are not to be confused with <a href="Internet_Explorer" title="Internet Explorer">Internet Explorer</a> (iexplore.exe).</div>
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</style><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above summary">Windows File Explorer</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image logo"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File"></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image logo"><span typeof="mw:File"></span><div class="infobox-caption">File Explorer on <a href="Windows_11" title="Windows 11">Windows 11</a> in Light App Mode showing <a href="Special_folder" title="Special folder">special folders</a> on Home, with the new command bar and tabs feature</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="Programmer" title="Programmer">Developer(s)</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Initial release</th><td class="infobox-data">August 15, 1995<span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday dtstart published updated">1995-08-15</span>)</span></td></tr><tr style="display: none;"><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="Software_release_life_cycle" title="Software release life cycle">Stable release</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="margin:0px;">24H2 (10.0.26100.4770) (July 22, 2025<span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday dtstart published updated">2025-07-22</span>)</span><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) <span class=""><a class="external text external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Latest_stable_software_release/Windows_11&action=edit">[±]</a></span>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="Software_release_life_cycle#Beta" title="Software release life cycle">Preview release</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="margin:0px;"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">
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</style><div class="plainlist"><ul style="margin-left:1em;text-indent:-1em;"><li><b>Release Preview Channel</b>: 24H2 (10.0.26100.4770) (July 22, 2025<span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday dtstart published updated">2025-07-22</span>)</span><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) <span class=""><a class="external text external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Latest_preview_software_release/Windows_11&action=edit">[±]</a></span></li><li><b>Beta Channel</b>: 24H2 (10.0.26120.5742) (August 8, 2025<span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday dtstart published updated">2025-08-08</span>)</span><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) <span class=""><a class="external text external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Latest_preview_software_release/Windows_11&action=edit">[±]</a></span></li><li><b>Dev Channel</b>: 25H2 (10.0.26200.5742) (August 8, 2025<span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday dtstart published updated">2025-08-08</span>)</span><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) <span class=""><a class="external text external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Latest_preview_software_release/Windows_11&action=edit">[±]</a></span></li><li><b>Canary Channel</b>: 10.0.27919.1000 (August 8, 2025<span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday dtstart published updated">2025-08-08</span>)</span><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) <span class=""><a class="external text external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Latest_preview_software_release/Windows_11&action=edit">[±]</a></span></li></ul></div>
</div></td></tr><tr style="display:none"><td colspan="2">
</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Included with</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Windows_95" title="Windows 95">Windows 95</a> and later</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;">Predecessor</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Program_Manager" title="Program Manager">Program Manager</a>, <a href="File_Manager_(Windows)" class="mw-redirect" title="File Manager (Windows)">File Manager</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="Software_categories#Categorization_approaches" title="Software categories">Type</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Shell_(computing)" title="Shell (computing)">Shell</a>, <a href="File_manager" title="File manager">file manager</a></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><b>File Explorer</b>, previously known as <b>Windows Explorer</b>, is a <a href="File_manager" title="File manager">file manager</a> application and default <a href="Desktop_environment" title="Desktop environment">desktop environment</a> that is included with releases of the <a href="Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Microsoft Windows</a> <a href="Operating_system" title="Operating system">operating system</a> from <a href="Windows_95" title="Windows 95">Windows 95</a> onwards. It provides a <a href="Graphical_user_interface" title="Graphical user interface">graphical user interface</a> for accessing the <a href="File_system" title="File system">file systems</a>, as well as user interface elements such as the <a href="Taskbar" title="Taskbar">taskbar</a> and <a href="Desktop_environment" title="Desktop environment">desktop</a>.
</p><p>The application was renamed from "Windows Explorer" to "File Explorer" in <a href="Windows_8" title="Windows 8">Windows 8</a>;<sup id="cite_ref-win8-fileexp_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-win8-fileexp-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> however, the old name of "Windows Explorer" can still be seen in the <a href="Task_Manager_(Windows)" title="Task Manager (Windows)">Windows Task Manager</a>.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Overview">Overview</h2></div>
<p>Windows Explorer was first included with <a href="Windows_95" title="Windows 95">Windows 95</a> as a replacement for <a href="File_Manager_(Windows)" class="mw-redirect" title="File Manager (Windows)">File Manager</a>, which came with all versions of <a href="Windows_3.x" title="Windows 3.x">Windows 3.x</a> operating systems. Explorer could be accessed by double-clicking the new My Computer desktop icon or launched from the new <a href="Start_Menu" class="mw-redirect" title="Start Menu">Start Menu</a> that replaced the earlier <a href="Program_Manager" title="Program Manager">Program Manager</a>. There is also a shortcut key combination: <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1249182868">
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</style><kbd class="keyboard-key nowrap"><a href="Windows_key" title="Windows key">Windows key</a></kbd>+<kbd class="keyboard-key nowrap">E</kbd>. Successive versions of Windows (and in some cases, <a href="Internet_Explorer" title="Internet Explorer">Internet Explorer</a>) introduced new features and capabilities, removed other features, and generally progressed from being a simple file system navigation tool into a task-based file management system.
</p><p>While "Windows Explorer" or "File Explorer" is a term most commonly used to describe the file management aspect of the operating system, the Explorer <em>process</em> also houses the operating system's search functionality and File Type associations (based on <a href="Filename_extension" title="Filename extension">filename extensions</a>), and is responsible for displaying the <a href="Desktop_environment" title="Desktop environment">desktop</a> <a href="Icon_(computing)" title="Icon (computing)">icons</a>, the <a href="Start_Menu" class="mw-redirect" title="Start Menu">Start Menu</a>, the <a href="Taskbar" title="Taskbar">Taskbar</a>, and the <a href="Control_Panel_(Windows)" title="Control Panel (Windows)">Control Panel</a>. Collectively, these features are known as the <a href="Windows_shell" title="Windows shell">Windows shell</a>.
</p><p>File Explorer is the default user interface for accessing and managing the file systems, but it <i>is</i> possible to perform such tasks on Windows without File Explorer. For example, the <span style="font-weight:bold;color:#555;">File ▸ Run</span> menu option in <a href="Task_Manager_(Windows)" title="Task Manager (Windows)">Task Manager</a> on <a href="Windows_NT" title="Windows NT">Windows NT</a> or later functions independently of File Explorer, as do commands run within a <a href="Command-line_interface#Command_prompt" title="Command-line interface">command prompt</a> window.
</p><p>After a user logs in, the explorer process is created by the userinit process. Userinit performs some initialization of the user environment (such as running the login script and applying group policies) and then looks in the registry at the Shell value and creates a process to run the system-defined shell – by default, Explorer.exe. Then Userinit exits. This is why Explorer.exe is shown by various process explorers with no parent – its parent has exited.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2></div>
<p>In 1995, <a href="Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a> first released test versions of a shell refresh, named the Shell Technology Preview, and often referred to informally as "NewShell".<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The update was designed to replace the Windows 3.x Program Manager/File Manager based shell with Windows Explorer. The release provided capabilities quite similar to that of the Windows "Chicago" (<a href="Microsoft_codenames" class="mw-redirect" title="Microsoft codenames">codename</a> for Windows 95) shell during its late beta phases, however was intended to be nothing more than a test release.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There were two public releases of the Shell Technology Preview, made available to <a href="MSDN" class="mw-redirect" title="MSDN">MSDN</a> and <a href="CompuServe" title="CompuServe">CompuServe</a> users: May 26, 1995, and August 8, 1995. Both held Windows Explorer builds of 3.51.1053.1. The Shell Technology Preview program never saw a final release under NT 3.51. The entire program was moved across to the <a href="Cairo_(operating_system)" title="Cairo (operating system)">Cairo</a> development group who finally integrated the new shell design into the NT code with the release of NT 4.0 in July 1996.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_98_and_Windows_Desktop_Update">Windows 98 and Windows Desktop Update</h3></div>
<p>With the release of the <a href="Windows_Desktop_Update" title="Windows Desktop Update">Windows Desktop Update</a> (packaged with <a href="Internet_Explorer_4" title="Internet Explorer 4">Internet Explorer 4</a> as an optional component, and included in <a href="Windows_98" title="Windows 98">Windows 98</a>), Windows Explorer became "integrated" with Internet Explorer, most notably with the addition of navigation arrows (back and forward) for moving between recently visited directories, as well as Internet Explorer's Favorites menu.
</p><p>An <a href="Address_bar" title="Address bar">address bar</a> was also added to Windows Explorer, which a user could type in directory <a href="Path_(computing)" title="Path (computing)">paths</a> directly, and be taken to that folder.
</p><p>Another feature that was based on Internet Explorer technology was customized folders. Such folders contained a hidden web page that controlled the way the Windows Explorer displayed the contents of the folder.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_ME_and_Windows_2000">Windows ME and Windows 2000</h3></div>
<p>The "Web-style" folders view, with the left Explorer pane displaying details for the object currently selected, is turned on by default. For certain file types, such as pictures and media files, a preview is also displayed in the left pane.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="Windows_2000" title="Windows 2000">Windows 2000</a> Explorer featured an interactive media player as the previewer for sound and video files. However, such a previewer can be enabled in <a href="Windows_ME" class="mw-redirect" title="Windows ME">Windows ME</a> through the use of folder customization templates.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Windows Explorer in Windows 2000 and Windows ME allows for custom thumbnail previewers and <a href="Tooltip" title="Tooltip">tooltip</a> handlers. The default file tooltip displays file title, author, subject and comments;<sup id="cite_ref-ToolTipHandlers_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ToolTipHandlers-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> this metadata may be read from a special <a href="NTFS" title="NTFS">NTFS</a> stream, if the file is on an NTFS volume, or from a <a href="COM_Structured_Storage" title="COM Structured Storage">COM Structured Storage</a> stream, if the file is a structured storage document. All <a href="Microsoft_Office" title="Microsoft Office">Microsoft Office</a> documents since <a href="Office_95" class="mw-redirect" title="Office 95">Office 95</a><sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> make use of <a href="Structured_storage" class="mw-redirect" title="Structured storage">structured storage</a>, so their metadata is displayable in the Windows 2000 Explorer default <a href="Tooltip" title="Tooltip">tooltip</a>. <a href="Shortcut_(computing)" title="Shortcut (computing)">File shortcuts</a> can also store comments which are displayed as a tooltip when the mouse hovers over the shortcut.
</p><p>The right-hand pane, which usually just lists files and folders, can also be customized. For example, the contents of the system folders aren't displayed by default, instead showing in the right pane a warning to the user that modifying the contents of the system folders could harm their computer. It's possible to define additional Explorer panes by using <a href="Div_(HTML_tag)" class="mw-redirect" title="Div (HTML tag)">DIV</a> elements in folder template files.<sup id="cite_ref-ActiveDesktop_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ActiveDesktop-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This feature was abused by <a href="Computer_virus" title="Computer virus">computer viruses</a> that employed malicious scripts, <a href="Java_(programming_language)" title="Java (programming language)">Java</a> applets, or <a href="ActiveX" title="ActiveX">ActiveX</a> controls in folder template files as their infection vector. Two such viruses are VBS/Roor-C<sup id="cite_ref-VBS/Roor-C_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-VBS/Roor-C-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and VBS.Redlof.a.<sup id="cite_ref-VBS.Redlof.a_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-VBS.Redlof.a-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Other Explorer UI elements that can be customized include columns in "Details" view, icon overlays, and search providers: the new DHTML-based search pane is integrated into Windows 2000 Explorer, unlike the separate search dialog found in all previous Explorer versions.<sup id="cite_ref-WindowsShellExtensions_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WindowsShellExtensions-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Search capabilities were added, offering full-text searches of documents, with options to filter by date (including arbitrary ranges like "modified within the last week"), size, and file type. The <a href="Indexing_Service" title="Indexing Service">Indexing Service</a> has also been integrated into the operating system and the search pane built into Explorer allows searching files indexed by its database.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The ability to customize the standard buttons was also added.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_XP_and_Windows_Server_2003">Windows XP and Windows Server 2003</h3></div>
<p>There were significant changes made to Windows Explorer in <a href="Windows_XP" title="Windows XP">Windows XP</a>, both visually and functionally. Microsoft focused especially on making Explorer more discoverable and task-based, as well as adding several new features to reflect the growing use of a computer as a <a href="Technological_convergence" title="Technological convergence">digital hub</a>.
</p><p>Windows Explorer in <a href="Windows_Server_2003" title="Windows Server 2003">Windows Server 2003</a> contains all the same features as Windows XP, but the task panes and search companion are disabled by default.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Task_pane">Task pane</h4></div>
<p>The task pane is displayed on the left-hand side of the window instead of the traditional folder <a href="Tree_view" title="Tree view">tree view</a>. It presents the user with a list of common actions and destinations that are relevant to the current directory or file(s) selected. For instance, when in a directory containing mostly pictures, a set of "Picture tasks" is shown, offering the options to display these pictures as a slide show, to print them out, or to go online to order prints. Conversely, a folder containing music files would offer options to play those files in a media player or to go online to purchase music. Windows XP had a Media bar but it was removed with SP1. The Media Bar was only available with Windows XP RTM.
</p><p>Every folder also has "File and Folder Tasks", offering options to create new folders, share a folder on the local network, publish files or folders to a website, and other common tasks like copying, renaming, moving, and deleting files or folders. File types that have identified themselves as being printable also have an option listed to print the file.
</p><p>Underneath "Other Places" is a "Details" pane which gives additional information – typically file size and date, but depending on the file type, a thumbnail preview, author, image dimensions, or other details.
</p><p>The "Folders" button on the Windows Explorer toolbar toggles between the traditional tree view of folders, and the task pane. Users can get rid of the task pane or restore it using the sequence: Tools – Folder Options – General – Show Common Tasks/Use Windows Classic Folders.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Search_companion">Search companion</h4></div>
<p>Microsoft introduced animated "Search Companions" in an attempt to make searching more engaging and friendly; the default character is a puppy named Rover (previously used in <a href="Microsoft_Bob" title="Microsoft Bob">Microsoft Bob</a>), with three other characters (Merlin the magician, Earl the surfer, and Courtney) also available. These search companions use the same technology as <a href="Microsoft_Office" title="Microsoft Office">Microsoft Office</a>'s <a href="Office_Assistant" title="Office Assistant">Office Assistants</a>, even incorporating "tricks" and sound effects, and they can be used as Office Assistants if their files are copied into the C:\Windows\msagent\chars folder.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The search capability itself is fairly similar to Windows ME and Windows 2000, with one major addition: Search can also be instructed to search only files that are categorical "Documents" or "Pictures, music and video"; this feature is noteworthy largely because of how Windows determines what types of files can be classified under these categories. In order to maintain a relevant list of file types, Windows Explorer connects to Microsoft and downloads a set of XML files that define what these file types are. The Search Companion can be disabled in favor of the classic search pane used in Windows 2000 by using the <a href="Tweak_UI" title="Tweak UI">Tweak UI</a> applet from <a href="Microsoft_PowerToys#PowerToys_for_Windows_XP" title="Microsoft PowerToys">Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP</a>, or by manually editing the registry.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Image_handling">Image handling</h4></div>
<p>Windows XP improves image preview in Explorer by offering a Filmstrip view. "Back" and "Previous" buttons facilitate navigation through the pictures, and a pair of "Rotate" buttons offer 90-degree clockwise and counter-clockwise (<a href="Lossy_data_compression" class="mw-redirect" title="Lossy data compression">lossy</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> rotation of images. Aside from the Filmstrip view mode, there is a 'Thumbnails' mode, which displays <a href="Thumbnail" title="Thumbnail">thumbnail</a>-sized images in the folder. A Folder containing images will also show thumbnails of four of the images from that folder overlaid on top of a large folder icon.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Web_publishing">Web publishing</h4></div>
<p>Web sites that offer image hosting services can be plugged into Windows Explorer, which the user can use to select images on their computer, and have them uploaded correctly without dealing with comparatively complex solutions involving FTP or web interfaces.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Other_changes">Other changes</h4></div>
<ul><li>Explorer gained the ability to understand the metadata of a number of types of files. For example, with images from a digital camera, the <a href="Exif" title="Exif">Exif</a> information can be viewed, both in the Properties pages for the photo itself, as well as via optional additional Details View columns.</li>
<li>A Tile view mode was added, which displays the file's icon in a larger size (48 × 48), and places the file name, descriptive type, and additional information (typically the file size for data files, and the publisher name for applications) to the right.</li>
<li>The Details view also presented an additional option called "Show in Groups" which allows the Explorer to separate its contents by headings based on the field which is used to sort the items.</li>
<li>The taskbar can be locked to prevent it from accidentally being moved.</li>
<li>Windows Explorer also gained the ability to burn CDs and <a href="DVD-RAM" title="DVD-RAM">DVD-RAM</a> discs in Windows XP.</li>
<li>Ability to create and open <a href="ZIP_(file_format)" title="ZIP (file format)">ZIP files</a>, called "compressed folders", which is a file containing other files.<sup id="cite_ref-what_s_new_with_files_and_folders_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-what_s_new_with_files_and_folders-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li>
<li>Ability to open <a href="Cabinet_(file_format)" title="Cabinet (file format)">Cabinet (.cab) files</a>, another type of file that contains other files.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li>
<li>If a <code>.HTM</code> or <code>.<a href="HTML" title="HTML">HTML</a></code> file is copied or moved, the accompanying <code>_files</code> suffix folder is copied or moved among it automatically.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ul>
<p>ZIP and CAB files are integrated into the user interface so they can be browsed as if they were ordinary folders. Given that files contained inside ZIP files can not be opened directly, they are automatically extracted to a temporary location and launched with the associated program from the temporary location when opened, to make the appearance that the ZIP file is a real directory.<sup id="cite_ref-what_s_new_with_files_and_folders_21-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-what_s_new_with_files_and_folders-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Removed_and_changed_features">Removed and changed features</h4></div>
<div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="List_of_features_removed_in_Windows_XP#Windows_Explorer" title="List of features removed in Windows XP">List of features removed in Windows XP § Windows Explorer</a></div>
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<ul><li>The sort order has changed compared to the one in Windows 2000. For file names containing numbers Windows Explorer now tries to sort based on numerical value rather than just comparing each number digit by digit.<sup id="cite_ref-sortOrder_25-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-sortOrder-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_Vista_and_Windows_Server_2008">Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008</h3></div>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Search,_organizing_and_metadata">Search, organizing and metadata</h4></div>
<p>Windows Explorer includes significant changes from previous versions of Windows such as improved filtering, sorting, grouping and stacking. Combined with integrated desktop search, Windows Explorer allows users to find and organize their files in new ways, such as stacks.<sup id="cite_ref-FilteringTechRepublic_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FilteringTechRepublic-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-StackingCNET_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-StackingCNET-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The new Stacks viewing mode groups files according to the criterion specified by the user.<sup id="cite_ref-StackingCNET_27-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-StackingCNET-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Stacks can be clicked to filter the files shown in Windows Explorer. There is also the ability to save searches as virtual folders or search folders.<sup id="cite_ref-TechRepublic_28-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-TechRepublic-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A search folder is simply an XML file, which stores the query in a form that can be used by the Windows search subsystem.<sup id="cite_ref-SavedSearchFileFormat_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-SavedSearchFileFormat-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> When accessed, the search is executed and the results are aggregated and presented as a virtual folder.<sup id="cite_ref-TechRepublic_28-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-TechRepublic-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Windows Vista includes six search folders by default: recent documents, recent e-mail, recent music, recent pictures and videos, recent changed, and "Shared by Me".<sup id="cite_ref-QueryComposition_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-QueryComposition-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Additionally, search operators for properties were introduced, such as <code>kind:music</code>.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Since at least Windows 7, <a href="Operator_(computer_programming)" title="Operator (computer programming)">comparison operators</a> "greater than" and "less than" are supported to search for any supported attribute such as date ranges and file sizes, like <code>size:>100MB</code> to search for all files that are greater than 100 MB.<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Attributes sortable and searchable in Windows Explorer include pictures' dimensions, <a href="Exif" title="Exif">Exif</a> data such as aperture and exposure, video duration and framerate and width.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>When sorting items, the sort order no longer remains consistently Ascending or Descending. Each property has a preferred sort direction. For example, sort by date defaults to descending order, as does size. But name and type default to ascending order.
</p><p>Searching for files containing a given text string became problematic with Vista unless the files had been indexed. An alternative is to use the <a href="Findstr" title="Findstr">findstr</a> command-line function.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> After right-clicking on a folder one can open a command-line prompt in that folder.
</p><p>Windows Explorer also contains modifications in the visualization of files on a computer. A new addition to Windows Explorer in Vista and Server 2008 is the details pane, which displays metadata and information relating to the currently selected file or folder. The details pane will also display a thumbnail of the file or an icon of the filetype if the file does not contain visual information. Furthermore, different imagery is overlaid on thumbnails to give more information about the file, such as a picture frame around the thumbnail of an image file, or a filmstrip on a video file.
</p>
<p>The details pane also allows for the change of some textual metadata such as author and title in files that support them within Windows Explorer. A new type of metadata called tags allows users to add descriptive terms to documents for easier categorization and retrieval. Some files support open metadata, allowing users to define new types of metadata for their files. Out-of-the-box, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 supports Microsoft Office documents and most audio and video files. Support for other file types can however be added by writing specialized software to retrieve the metadata at the shell's request. Metadata stored in a file's <a href="Alternate_data_stream" class="mw-redirect" title="Alternate data stream">alternate data stream</a> only on NTFS volumes cannot be viewed and edited through the summary tab of the file's properties anymore. Instead, all metadata is stored inside the file, so that it will always travel with the file and not be dependent on the file system.<sup id="cite_ref-AddTagsProperties_35-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-AddTagsProperties-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Layout_and_icons">Layout and icons</h4></div>
<p>Windows Explorer in <a href="Windows_Vista" title="Windows Vista">Windows Vista</a> and <a href="Windows_Server_2008" title="Windows Server 2008">Windows Server 2008</a> also introduces a new layout. The task panes from Windows XP are replaced with a toolbar on top and a navigation pane on the left. The navigation pane contains commonly accessed folders and preconfigured search folders. Eight different views are available to view files and folders, including extra large, large, medium, small, list, details, tiles, and content. In addition, column headers now appear in all icon viewing modes,<sup id="cite_ref-StackingCNET_27-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-StackingCNET-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> unlike Windows XP where they only appear in the details icon viewing mode.<sup id="cite_ref-FilteringTechRepublic_26-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FilteringTechRepublic-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> File and folder actions such as cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, delete, rename and properties are built into a dropdown menu which appears when the Organize button is clicked. It is also possible to change the layout of the Explorer window by using the Organize button. Users can select whether to display classic menus, a search pane, a preview pane, a reading pane, and the navigation pane. The preview pane enables users to preview files (e.g., documents or media files) without opening them. If an application, such as <a href="Microsoft_Office_2007" title="Microsoft Office 2007">Office 2007</a>, installs preview handlers for file types, then these files can also be edited within the preview pane itself.<sup id="cite_ref-10ThingsPreviewPane_36-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10ThingsPreviewPane-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Windows Vista saw the introduction of the <a href="Breadcrumb_(navigation)" class="mw-redirect" title="Breadcrumb (navigation)">breadcrumb</a> bar for easier navigation. As opposed to the prior address bar which displayed the current folder in a simple editable combobox, this new style structures the path into clickable levels of folder hierarchy (though falls back to the classic edit mode when a blank area is clicked), enabling the user to skip as many levels as desired in one click rather than repeatedly clicking "Up". It is also possible to navigate to any subfolder of the current folder using the arrow to the right of the last item. The menu bar is now hidden by default but reappears temporarily when the user presses Alt.
</p><p>Check boxes in Windows Explorer allow the selection of multiple files.<sup id="cite_ref-PenandTouch_37-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-PenandTouch-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Free and used space on all drives is shown in horizontal indicator bars. Icons of various sizes are supported: 16 x 16, 24 x 24, 32 x 32, 48 x 48, 64 x 64, 96 x 96, 128 x 128 and 256 x 256. Windows Explorer can zoom the icons in and out using a slider or by holding down the Ctrl key and using the mouse scrollwheel.<sup id="cite_ref-QuickZoom_38-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-QuickZoom-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Live icons can display the content of folders and files themselves rather than generic icons.<sup id="cite_ref-WVUnleashed_39-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WVUnleashed-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Other_changes_2">Other changes</h4></div>
<p>With the release of Windows Vista and Server 2008 and <a href="Internet_Explorer" title="Internet Explorer">Windows Internet Explorer 7</a> for Windows XP, Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with Windows Explorer. In Windows Vista and Server 2008 (and in Windows XP as well if IE7 or 8 is installed), Windows Explorer no longer displays web pages, and IE7 does not support use as a file manager, although one will separately launch the other as necessary.
</p><p>When moving or copying files from one folder to another, if two files have the same name, an option is now available to rename the file; in previous versions of Windows, the user was prompted to choose either a replacement or cancel moving the file. Also, when renaming a file, Explorer only highlights the filename without selecting the extension. Renaming multiple files is quicker as pressing Tab automatically renames the existing file or folder and opens the file name text field for the next file for renaming. Shift+Tab allows renaming in the same manner upwards.
</p><p>Support for burning data on DVDs (DVD±R, DVD±R DL, DVD±R RW) in addition to CDs and DVD-RAM using version 2.0 of the Image Mastering API, as well as <a href="Live_File_System" title="Live File System">Live File System</a> support was added.<sup id="cite_ref-WindowsVistaOpticalPlatform_40-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WindowsVistaOpticalPlatform-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>If a file is in use by another application, Windows Explorer tells users to close the application and retry the file operation. Also, a new interface IFileIsInUse is introduced into the API which developers can use to let other applications switch to the main window of the application that has the file open or simply close the file from the "File in Use" dialog. If the running application exposes these operations by means of the IFileIsInUse interface, Windows Explorer, upon encountering a locked file, allows the user to close the file or switch to the application from the dialog box itself.<sup id="cite_ref-IFileInUse_41-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-IFileInUse-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Windows Vista introduced pre-included support for the <a href="Media_Transfer_Protocol#Windows" title="Media Transfer Protocol">Media Transfer Protocol</a>.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Removed_and_changed_features_2">Removed and changed features</h4></div>
<div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="List_of_features_removed_in_Windows_Vista" title="List of features removed in Windows Vista">List of features removed in Windows Vista</a></div>
<p>The ability to customize the layout and buttons on the toolbars has been removed in Windows Vista's Explorer, as has the ability to add a password to a <a href="ZIP_(file_format)" title="ZIP (file format)">zip</a> file (compressed folder). The Toolbar button in Explorer to go up one folder from the current folder has been removed (the function still exists however, one can move up a folder by pressing <kbd class="keyboard-key nowrap">Alt</kbd> + <kbd class="keyboard-key nowrap">↑</kbd>). Although still fully available from the menus and keyboard shortcuts, toolbar buttons for Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Delete, Properties and some others are no longer available. The Menu Bar is also hidden by default but is still available by pressing the Alt key or changing its visibility in the layout options. Several other features are removed such as showing the size on the status bar without selecting items, storing <a href="Metadata" title="Metadata">metadata</a> in NTFS <a href="Alternate_data_stream" class="mw-redirect" title="Alternate data stream">alternate data streams</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> the IColumnProvider interface which allowed addition of custom columns to Explorer<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and folder background customization using desktop.ini.
</p><p>The ability to right-click a folder and hit "Search" was removed in Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Users must open the folder they wish to search in and enter their keywords in the search field located on the top right corner of the window. Alternatively, users can specify other search parameters through the "Advanced Search" UI, which can be accessed by clicking on the Organize Bar and selecting Search Pane under the Layout submenu. Pressing F3 also opens the "Advanced Search" interface.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_7_and_Windows_Server_2008_R2">Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2</h3></div>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Libraries">Libraries</h4></div>
<p>Windows Explorer in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 supports libraries, <a href="Virtual_folder" title="Virtual folder">virtual folders</a> described in a <code>.library-ms</code> file that aggregates content from various locations – including shared folders on networked systems if the shared folder has been indexed by the host system – and present them in a unified view. Searching in a library automatically federates the query to the remote systems, in addition to searching on the local system, so that files on the remote systems are also searched. Unlike search folders, Libraries are backed by a physical location which allows files to be saved in the libraries. Such files are transparently saved in the backing physical folder. The default save location for a library may be configured by the user, as can the default view layout for each library. Libraries are generally stored in the libraries special folder, which allows them to be displayed on the navigation pane.
</p><p>By default, a new user account in Windows 7 contains four libraries, for different file types: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. They are configured to include the user's profile folders for these respective file types, as well as the computer's corresponding Public folders.
</p><p>In addition to aggregating multiple storage locations, Libraries enable Arrangement Views and Search Filter Suggestions. Arrangement Views allow users to pivot their views of the library's contents based on metadata. For example, selecting the "By Month" view in the Pictures library will display photos in stacks, where each stack represents a month of photos based on the date they were taken. In the Music library, the "By Artist" view will display stacks of albums from the artists in their collections, and browsing into an artist stack will then display the relevant albums.
</p><p>Search Filter Suggestions are a new feature of the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Explorer's search box. When the user clicks in the search box, a menu shows up below it showing recent searches as well as suggested <a href="Advanced_Query_Syntax" class="mw-redirect" title="Advanced Query Syntax">Advanced Query Syntax</a> filters that the user can type. When one is selected (or typed in manually), the menu will update to show the possible values to filter by for that property, and this list is based on the current location and other parts of the query already typed. For example, selecting the "tags" filter or typing "tags:" into the search box will display the list of possible tag values which will return search results.
</p><p>The <a href="Metadata" title="Metadata">metadata</a> written within the file, implemented in Vista, is also utilized in Windows 7. This can sometimes lead to long wait times displaying the contents of a folder. For example, if a folder contains many large video files totaling hundreds of gigabytes, and the Window Explorer pane is in Details view mode showing a property contained within the metadata (for example Date, Length, Frame Height), Windows Explorer might have to search the contents of the whole file for the meta data. Some damaged files can cause a prolonged delay as well. This is due to metadata information being able to be placed anywhere within the file, beginning, middle, or end, necessitating a search of the whole file. Lengthy delays also occur when displaying the contents of a folder with many different types of program icons. The icon is contained in the metadata. Some programs cause the activation of a virus scan when retrieving the icon information from the metadata, hence producing a lengthy delay.<sup id="cite_ref-AddTagsProperties_35-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-AddTagsProperties-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Arrangement Views and Search Filter Suggestions are database-backed features that require that all locations in the Library be indexed by the Windows Search service. Local disk locations must be indexed by the local indexer, and Windows Explorer will automatically add locations to the indexing scope when they are included in a library. Remote locations can be indexed by the indexer on another Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 machine, on a Windows machine running <a href="Windows_Search_4" class="mw-redirect" title="Windows Search 4">Windows Search 4</a> (such as Windows Vista or Windows Home Server), or on another device that implements the MS-WSP remote query protocol.<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Federated_search">Federated search</h4></div>
<p>Windows Explorer also supports federating search to external data sources, such as custom databases or web services, that are exposed over the web and described via an <a href="OpenSearch_(specification)" title="OpenSearch (specification)">OpenSearch</a> definition. The federated location description (called a Search Connector) is provided as a <code>.osdx</code> file. Once installed, the data source becomes queryable directly from Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer features, such as previews and thumbnails, work with the results of a federated search as well.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Other_changes_3">Other changes</h4></div>
<ul><li>Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 support showing icons in the context menu and creating cascaded context menus with static verbs in submenus using the <a href="Windows_Registry" title="Windows Registry">Registry</a> instead of a <a href="#Extensibility">shell extension</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li>
<li>The search box in the Explorer window and the address bar can be resized.</li>
<li>Certain folders in the navigation pane can be hidden to reduce clutter.</li>
<li>Progress bars and overlay icons on an application's button on the taskbar.</li>
<li>Content view which shows thumbnails and metadata.</li>
<li>Buttons to toggle the preview pane and create a new folder.</li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Removed_or_changed_features">Removed or changed features</h4></div>
<div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="List_of_features_removed_in_Windows_7#Windows_Explorer" title="List of features removed in Windows 7">List of features removed in Windows 7 § Windows Explorer</a></div>
<p>In <a href="Windows_7" title="Windows 7">Windows 7</a>, several features have been removed from Windows Explorer, including the collapsible folder pane, overlay icon for shared items, remembering individual folder window sizes and positions, free disk space on the status bar, icons on the command bar, ability to disable Auto Arrange and Align to Grid, sortable column headings in other views except details view, ability to disable full row selection in details view, automatic horizontal scrolling and scrollbar in the navigation pane and maintaining selection when sorting from the Edit menu.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_8_and_Windows_Server_2012">Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012</h3></div>
<p>The file manager on <a href="Windows_8" title="Windows 8">Windows 8</a> and <a href="Windows_Server_2012" title="Windows Server 2012">Windows Server 2012</a> is renamed File Explorer and introduces new features such as a redesigned interface incorporating a <a href="Ribbon_(computing)" title="Ribbon (computing)">ribbon toolbar</a>, and a redesigned file operation dialog that displays more detailed progress and allows for file operations to be paused and resumed. The details pane from Windows Vista and 7 was removed and replaced with a narrower pane with no icons and fewer detail columns. But other details are displayed by hovering over the file's name.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-win8-fileexp_7-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-win8-fileexp-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_10_and_Windows_Server_2016">Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016</h3></div>
<p>File Explorer's icons were redesigned to fit with the more flat and simplified theming of Windows 10 as a whole. The window border padding is thinner than previous versions. Windows 10 Creators Update and later versions come with a new Universal File Explorer (also known as the UWP File Explorer). Although hidden, it can be opened by creating a shortcut pointing to "explorer shell:AppsFolder\c5e2524a-ea46-4f67-841f-6a9465d9d515_cw5n1h2txyewy!App" <sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A <a href="Dark_mode" class="mw-redirect" title="Dark mode">Dark mode</a> was added to the software in 2018, to match similar themes available for other inbuilt Windows applications.<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_10,_version_1809_and_Windows_Server_2019">Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019</h3></div>
<p>Dark mode support was added to File Explorer in Windows 10, version 1809 and <a href="Windows_Server_2019" title="Windows Server 2019">Windows Server 2019</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Universal File Explorer also includes new features.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_10,_version_1909">Windows 10, version 1909</h3></div>
<p><a href="Windows_Search" title="Windows Search">Windows Search</a> and <a href="OneDrive" title="OneDrive">OneDrive</a> have been integrated into File Explorer's search feature in Windows 10, version 1909.<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_11">Windows 11</h3></div>
<p>In <a href="Windows_11" title="Windows 11">Windows 11</a>, File Explorer had undergone significant UI changes, with the <a href="Ribbon_(computing)" title="Ribbon (computing)">Ribbon Interface</a> dating back to <a href="Windows_8" title="Windows 8">Windows 8</a> having been reworked into a command bar. Translucency, shadows, and rounded geometry have also been added, following the Microsoft's new <a href="Fluent_Design_System" title="Fluent Design System">Fluent Design System</a>. In March 2022, Microsoft introduced <a href="Advertising" title="Advertising">adverts</a> into File Explorer, but later stated that these were "not intended to be published externally" after significant negative <a href="Media_(communication)" class="mw-redirect" title="Media (communication)">media</a> coverage.<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_11_2022_Update">Windows 11 2022 Update</h3></div>
<p>On April 5, 2022, Microsoft announced that it would be adding tabs, favorites, and a new homepage to File Explorer.<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> These features were eventually introduced via an update to the Windows 11 2022 Update on October 18, 2022.<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Windows_11_2023_Update">Windows 11 2023 Update</h3></div>
<p>On 21 September, 2023, <a href="Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a> announced that it would be adding a modern home page, address bar, search experience, and details pane, along with an update gallery pane.<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This update was released to most <a href="Windows_11" title="Windows 11">Windows 11</a> <a href="User_(computing)" title="User (computing)">users</a> via an enablement package to <a href="Windows_11" title="Windows 11">Windows 11</a>, 22H2. The full release is slated to come out with the full release of Windows 11 23H2. The new File Explorer is now based on <a href="XAML" class="mw-redirect" title="XAML">XAML</a> technology, instead of the former Win32 technology.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Extensibility">Extensibility</h2></div>
<p>File Explorer can be extended to support non-default functionality by means of Windows shell extensions, which are <a href="Component_Object_Model" title="Component Object Model">COM</a> objects that plug the extended functionality into Windows Explorer.<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Shell extensions can be in the form of shell extension handlers, toolbars or even namespace extensions that allow certain folders (or even non-filesystem objects such as the images scanned by a scanner) to be presented as a <a href="Special_folder" title="Special folder">special folder</a>. File Explorer also allows <a href="Metadata" title="Metadata">metadata</a> for files to be added as <a href="NTFS" title="NTFS">NTFS</a> <a href="Alternate_data_stream" class="mw-redirect" title="Alternate data stream">alternate data streams</a>, separate from the data stream for the file.
</p><p>Shell extension handlers are queried by the shell beforehand for modifying the action the shell takes. They can be associated on a per file type – where they will show up only when a particular action takes place on a particular file type – or on a global basis – which are always available. The shell supports the following extension handlers:
</p>
<table class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;">
<tbody><tr>
<th>Handler
</th>
<th>Description
</th>
<th>Can be implemented on
</th>
<th>Required shell version
</th></tr>
<tr>
<td>Context menu handler
</td>
<td>Adds menu items to the context menu. It is called before the context menu is displayed.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td><a href="Windows_95" title="Windows 95">Windows 95</a> and later. Windows 7 introduced <a href="Features_new_to_Windows_7#Miscellaneous_Shell_enhancements" title="Features new to Windows 7">IExecuteCommand</a>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Drag-and-drop handler
</td>
<td>Controls the action upon right-click drag and drop and modifies the context menu that appears.
</td>
<td>Global
</td>
<td>Windows 95 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Drop target handler
</td>
<td>Controls the action after a data object is dragged and dropped over a drop target such as a file.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows 95 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Data object handler
</td>
<td>Controls the action after a file is copied to the clipboard or dragged and dropped over a drop target. It can provide additional clipboard formats to the drop target.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows 95 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Icon handler
</td>
<td>Assigns a custom icon to an individual file amongst a class of file types. It is called before file icons are displayed.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows 95 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Property sheet handler
</td>
<td>Replaces or adds pages to the property sheet dialog box of an object.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows 95 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Copy hook handler
</td>
<td>Allows running, modifying or denying the action when a user or application tries to copy, move, delete, or rename an object.
</td>
<td><i>Not associated with a file type</i>
</td>
<td>Windows 95 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Search handler
</td>
<td>Allows shell integration of a custom search engine.
</td>
<td><i>Not associated with a file type</i>
</td>
<td>Windows 95 through Windows XP
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Infotip handler
</td>
<td>Allows retrieving flags and infotip information for an item and displaying it inside a popup <a href="Tooltip" title="Tooltip">tooltip</a> upon mouse hover.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td><a href="Windows_Desktop_Update" title="Windows Desktop Update">Windows Desktop Update</a> and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Thumbnail image handler
</td>
<td>Provides for a thumbnail image to be generated and displayed along with its alpha type when a file is selected or the thumbnail view is activated.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows Desktop Update and later. Windows Vista introduced a newer IThumbnailProvider interface that also shows thumbnails in the Details pane. The older IExtractImage is still supported but not in the Details pane.<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="Disk_Cleanup" title="Disk Cleanup">Disk Cleanup</a> handler
</td>
<td>Add a new entry to the <a href="Disk_Cleanup" title="Disk Cleanup">Disk Cleanup</a> application and allows specifying additional disk locations or files to clean up.
</td>
<td>Per folder
</td>
<td><a href="Windows_98" title="Windows 98">Windows 98</a> and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Column handler
</td>
<td>Allows creating and displaying custom columns in Windows Explorer details view. It can be used to extend sorting and grouping.
</td>
<td>Per folder
</td>
<td><a href="Windows_2000" title="Windows 2000">Windows 2000</a> and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Icon overlay handler
</td>
<td>Allows displaying an overlay icon over a shell object (a file or folder icon).
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows 2000 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Metadata handler
</td>
<td>Allows viewing and modifying metadata stored in a file. It can be used to extend details view columns, infotips, property pages, sorting and grouping.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows 2000 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Filter handler (IFilter)
</td>
<td>Allows file properties and its contents to be indexed and searched by <a href="Indexing_Service" title="Indexing Service">Indexing Service</a> or <a href="Windows_Search" title="Windows Search">Windows Search</a>
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows 2000 and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="AutoPlay" title="AutoPlay">AutoPlay</a> handler
</td>
<td>Examines newly discovered removable media and devices and, based on content such as pictures, music or video files, launches an appropriate application to play or display the content.
</td>
<td>Per file type category<br>Windows XP only: per device and per file type category
</td>
<td><a href="Windows_XP" title="Windows XP">Windows XP</a> and later
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Property handler
</td>
<td>Allows viewing and modifying system-defined and custom properties of a file.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td><a href="Windows_Vista" title="Windows Vista">Windows Vista</a> and later; on Windows XP if <a href="Windows_Search" title="Windows Search">Windows Search</a> is installed.
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>Preview handler
</td>
<td>Renders enhanced previews of items without launching the default application when a file is selected. It can also provide file type-specific navigation such as browsing a document, or seeking inside a media file.
</td>
<td>Per file type
</td>
<td>Windows Vista and later
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Namespace extensions are used by Explorer and Common Dialogs to either display some data – which are not necessarily persisted as files – in a folder-like view or to present data in a way that is different from their organization on the file system. This feature can be exploited by a any hierarchical data source that can be represented as a file system like the Windows one, including Cloud-based implementation. <a href="Special_folders" class="mw-redirect" title="Special folders">Special folders</a>, such as My Computer and Network Places in Windows Explorer are implemented this way, as are Explorer views that let items in a <a href="Mobile_phone" title="Mobile phone">mobile phone</a> or <a href="Digital_camera" title="Digital camera">digital camera</a> be explored. <a href="Revision_control" class="mw-redirect" title="Revision control">Source-control systems</a> that use Explorer to browse source repositories also use Namespace extensions to allow Explorer to browse the revisions. To implement a namespace extension, the <code>IPersistFolder</code>, <code>IShellView</code>, <code>IShellFolder</code>, <code>IShellBrowser</code> and <code>IOleWindow</code> <a href="Interface_(computing)" title="Interface (computing)">interfaces</a> need to be implemented and registered. The implementation needs to provide the logic for navigating the data store as well as describing the presentation. Windows Explorer will instantiate the COM objects as required.<sup id="cite_ref-creatense_60-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-creatense-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>While Windows Explorer natively exposes the extensibility points as <a href="Component_Object_Model" title="Component Object Model">COM</a> <a href="Interface_(computing)" title="Interface (computing)">interfaces</a>, <a href=".NET_Framework" title=".NET Framework">.NET Framework</a> can also be used to write some types of extensions, using the <a href="COM_Interop" title="COM Interop">COM Interop</a> functionality of .NET Framework.<sup id="cite_ref-creatense_60-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-creatense-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> While Microsoft itself makes available extensions – such as the photo info tool<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> – which are authored using <a href=".NET_Framework" title=".NET Framework">.NET Framework</a>, they currently recommend against writing <a href="Managed_code" title="Managed code">managed</a> shell extensions, as only one instance of the <a href="Common_Language_Runtime" title="Common Language Runtime">CLR</a> (prior to version 4.0) can be loaded per-process. This behavior will cause conflicts if multiple managed add-ins, targeting different versions of the CLR, are attempted to be run simultaneously.<sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-63"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Comparison_of_file_managers" title="Comparison of file managers">Comparison of file managers</a></li>
<li><a href="List_of_alternative_shells_for_Windows" title="List of alternative shells for Windows">List of alternative shells for Windows</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes_and_references">Notes and references</h2></div>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>
<ul><li>Sullivan, Kent. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081022103457/http://www.sigchi.org/chi96/proceedings/desbrief/Sullivan/kds_txt.htm">"The Windows 95 User Interface: A Case Study in Usability Engineering"</a> (1996) for <a href="Association_for_Computing_Machinery" title="Association for Computing Machinery">Association for Computing Machinery</a>. (Sullivan was a developer on the Windows 95 UI team)</li>
<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026121303/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307856/en">How To Customize the Windows Explorer Views in Windows XP</a></li>
<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/handlers">MSDN: Creating Shell Extension Handlers</a>, Windows Dev Center, May 31, 2018</li>
<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/441/The-Complete-Idiot-s-Guide-to-Writing-Shell-Extens">The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Shell Extensions</a>, by Michal Dunn, March 15, 2006</li>
<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/88/Namespace-extensions-the-undocumented-Windows-Shel">Namespace extensions – the undocumented Windows Shell</a>, by Henk Devos, November 30, 1999</li></ul>
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</style><div id="Microsoft_Windows_components875" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components" title="List of Microsoft Windows components">Microsoft Windows components</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div>
<ul><li><a href="List_of_Microsoft_Windows_application_programming_interfaces_and_frameworks" title="List of Microsoft Windows application programming interfaces and frameworks">APIs</a></li>
<li>Architecture
<ul><li><a href="Architecture_of_Windows_9x" title="Architecture of Windows 9x">9x</a></li>
<li><a href="Architecture_of_Windows_NT" title="Architecture of Windows NT">NT</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Booting_process_of_Windows" title="Booting process of Windows">Booting process</a></li>
<li><a href="List_of_games_included_with_Windows" title="List of games included with Windows">Games</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Management<br>tools</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="App_Installer" title="App Installer">App Installer</a></li>
<li><a href="Cmd.exe" title="Cmd.exe">Command Prompt</a></li>
<li><a href="Control_Panel_(Windows)" title="Control Panel (Windows)">Control Panel</a></li>
<li><a href="Device_Manager" title="Device Manager">Device Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="DirectX_Diagnostic_Tool" title="DirectX Diagnostic Tool">DirectX Diagnostic Tool</a></li>
<li><a href="Disk_Cleanup" title="Disk Cleanup">Disk Cleanup</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Drive_Optimizer" title="Microsoft Drive Optimizer">Drive Optimizer</a></li>
<li><a href="Driver_Verifier" title="Driver Verifier">Driver Verifier</a></li>
<li><a href="Event_Viewer" title="Event Viewer">Event Viewer</a></li>
<li><a href="IExpress" title="IExpress">IExpress</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Management_Console" title="Microsoft Management Console">Management Console</a></li>
<li><a href="Netsh" title="Netsh">Netsh</a></li>
<li><a href="Performance_Monitor" title="Performance Monitor">Performance Monitor</a></li>
<li><a href="PowerShell" title="PowerShell">PowerShell</a></li>
<li><a href="Recovery_Console" title="Recovery Console">Recovery Console</a></li>
<li><a href="Resource_Monitor" title="Resource Monitor">Resource Monitor</a></li>
<li><a href="Settings_(Windows)" title="Settings (Windows)">Settings</a></li>
<li><a href="Sysprep" title="Sysprep">Sysprep</a></li>
<li><a href="MSConfig" title="MSConfig">System Configuration</a></li>
<li><a href="System_File_Checker" title="System File Checker">System File Checker</a></li>
<li><a href="System_Information_(Windows)" title="System Information (Windows)">System Information</a></li>
<li><a href="System_Policy_Editor" title="System Policy Editor">System Policy Editor</a></li>
<li><a href="System_Restore" title="System Restore">System Restore</a></li>
<li><a href="Task_Manager_(Windows)" title="Task Manager (Windows)">Task Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Error_Reporting" title="Windows Error Reporting">Windows Error Reporting</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Ink" title="Windows Ink">Windows Ink</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Installer" title="Windows Installer">Windows Installer</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Update" title="Windows Update">Windows Update</a>
<ul><li><a href="Windows_Insider" title="Windows Insider">Windows Insider</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Preinstallation_Environment#Windows_Recovery_Environment" title="Windows Preinstallation Environment">WinRE</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Management_Instrumentation" title="Windows Management Instrumentation">WMI</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Application_software" title="Application software">Apps</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Microsoft_3D_Viewer" title="Microsoft 3D Viewer">3D Viewer</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Calculator" title="Windows Calculator">Calculator</a></li>
<li><a href="Calendar_(Windows)" title="Calendar (Windows)">Calendar</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Camera" title="Windows Camera">Camera</a></li>
<li><a href="Character_Map_(Windows)" title="Character Map (Windows)">Character Map</a></li>
<li><a href="City_Art_Search" title="City Art Search">City Art Search</a></li>
<li><a href="Clipchamp" title="Clipchamp">Clipchamp</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Clock" title="Windows Clock">Clock</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Intune" title="Microsoft Intune">Company Portal</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Copilot" title="Microsoft Copilot">Copilot</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Edge" title="Microsoft Edge">Edge</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Fax_and_Scan" title="Windows Fax and Scan">Fax and Scan</a></li>
<li><a href="Feedback_Hub" title="Feedback Hub">Feedback Hub</a></li>
<li><a href="Get_Help" title="Get Help">Get Help</a></li>
<li><a href="Magnifier_(Windows)" title="Magnifier (Windows)">Magnifier</a></li>
<li><a href="Mail_(Windows)" title="Mail (Windows)">Mail</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Media_Player" title="Windows Media Player">Media Player</a>
<ul><li><a href="Windows_Media_Player_(2022)" title="Windows Media Player (2022)">2022</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Mesh" title="Microsoft Mesh">Mesh</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Messaging" title="Microsoft Messaging">Messaging</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Mobility_Center" title="Windows Mobility Center">Mobility Center</a></li>
<li><a href="MSN#MSN_Money_app" title="MSN">Money</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Movies_%26_TV" title="Microsoft Movies & TV">Movies & TV</a></li>
<li><a href="Narrator_(Windows)" title="Narrator (Windows)">Narrator</a></li>
<li><a href="MSN#MSN_app" title="MSN">News</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Notepad" title="Windows Notepad">Notepad</a></li>
<li><a href="OneDrive" title="OneDrive">OneDrive</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_OneNote" title="Microsoft OneNote">OneNote</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Paint" title="Microsoft Paint">Paint</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_PC_Manager" title="Microsoft PC Manager">PC Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="People_(Windows)" title="People (Windows)">People</a></li>
<li><a href="Phone_Link" title="Phone Link">Phone Link</a></li>
<li><a href="Photos_(Windows)" title="Photos (Windows)">Photos</a></li>
<li><a href="Quick_Assist" title="Quick Assist">Quick Assist</a></li>
<li><a href="Remote_Desktop_Connection" class="mw-redirect" title="Remote Desktop Connection">Remote Desktop Connection</a></li>
<li><a href="Snipping_Tool" title="Snipping Tool">Snipping Tool</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Speech_Recognition" title="Windows Speech Recognition">Speech Recognition</a></li>
<li><a href="Sticky_Notes" title="Sticky Notes">Sticky Notes</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Store" title="Microsoft Store">Store</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Terminal" title="Windows Terminal">Terminal</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Tips" title="Microsoft Tips">Tips</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_To_Do" title="Microsoft To Do">To Do</a></li>
<li><a href="Sound_Recorder_(Windows)" title="Sound Recorder (Windows)">Voice Recorder</a></li>
<li><a href="MSN#MSN_Weather_app" title="MSN">Weather</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Whiteboard" title="Microsoft Whiteboard">Whiteboard</a></li>
<li><a href="List_of_Remote_Desktop_Protocol_clients#Windows_App" title="List of Remote Desktop Protocol clients">Windows App</a></li>
<li><a href="Xbox_(app)" title="Xbox (app)">Xbox</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Windows_shell" title="Windows shell">Shell</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Action_Center" title="Action Center">Action Center</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Aero" title="Windows Aero">Aero</a></li>
<li><a href="AutoPlay" title="AutoPlay">AutoPlay</a></li>
<li><a href="AutoRun" title="AutoRun">AutoRun</a></li>
<li><a href="ClearType" title="ClearType">ClearType</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Search" title="Windows Search">Search</a>
<ul><li><a href="IFilter" title="IFilter">IFilter</a></li>
<li><a href="Indexing_Service" title="Indexing Service">Indexing Service</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Shell_namespace" title="Windows Shell namespace">Namespace</a></li>
<li><a href="Virtual_folder#Windows" title="Virtual folder">Saved search</a></li>
<li><a href="Special_folder" title="Special folder">Special folder</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Start_menu" title="Start menu">Start menu</a></li>
<li><a href="Task_View" title="Task View">Task View</a></li>
<li><a href="Taskbar" title="Taskbar">Taskbar</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Spotlight" title="Windows Spotlight">Windows Spotlight</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_XP_visual_styles" title="Windows XP visual styles">Windows XP visual styles</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Windows_service" title="Windows service">Services</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Background_Intelligent_Transfer_Service" title="Background Intelligent Transfer Service">BITS</a></li>
<li><a href="Common_Log_File_System" title="Common Log File System">CLFS</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Error_Reporting" title="Windows Error Reporting">Error Reporting</a></li>
<li><a href="Multimedia_Class_Scheduler_Service" title="Multimedia Class Scheduler Service">Multimedia Class Scheduler</a></li>
<li><a href="Service_Control_Manager" title="Service Control Manager">Service Control Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Shadow_Copy" title="Shadow Copy">Shadow Copy</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Task_Scheduler" title="Windows Task Scheduler">Task Scheduler</a></li>
<li><a href="Wireless_Zero_Configuration" title="Wireless Zero Configuration">Wireless Zero Configuration</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="File_system" title="File system">File systems</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="ISO_9660" title="ISO 9660">CDFS</a></li>
<li><a href="Distributed_File_System_(Microsoft)" title="Distributed File System (Microsoft)">DFS</a></li>
<li><a href="ExFAT" title="ExFAT">exFAT</a></li>
<li><a href="File_Allocation_Table" title="File Allocation Table">FAT</a></li>
<li><a href="Installable_File_System" title="Installable File System">IFS</a></li>
<li><a href="NTFS" title="NTFS">NTFS</a>
<ul><li><a href="Encrypting_File_System" title="Encrypting File System">EFS</a></li>
<li><a href="Hard_link" title="Hard link">Hard link</a></li>
<li><a href="NTFS_links" title="NTFS links">links</a></li>
<li><a href="NTFS_volume_mount_point" title="NTFS volume mount point">Mount Point</a></li>
<li><a href="NTFS_reparse_point" title="NTFS reparse point">Reparse point</a></li>
<li><a href="Transactional_NTFS" title="Transactional NTFS">TxF</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="ReFS" title="ReFS">ReFS</a></li>
<li><a href="Universal_Disk_Format" title="Universal Disk Format">UDF</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Server_(computing)" title="Server (computing)">Server</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Active_Directory" title="Active Directory">Active Directory</a></li>
<li><a href="Active_Directory_Rights_Management_Services" title="Active Directory Rights Management Services">Active DRM Services</a></li>
<li><a href="File_Replication_Service" title="File Replication Service">DFS Replication</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Distributed_Transaction_Coordinator" title="Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator">Distributed Transaction Coordinator</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_DNS" title="Microsoft DNS">DNS</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_domain" title="Windows domain">Domains</a></li>
<li><a href="Folder_redirection" title="Folder redirection">Folder redirection</a></li>
<li><a href="Group_Policy" title="Group Policy">Group Policy</a></li>
<li><a href="Hyper-V" title="Hyper-V">Hyper-V</a></li>
<li><a href="Internet_Information_Services" title="Internet Information Services">IIS</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Message_Queuing" title="Microsoft Message Queuing">MSMQ</a></li>
<li><a href="Network_Access_Protection" title="Network Access Protection">Network Access Protection</a></li>
<li>Print Services for UNIX</li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Personal_Web_Server" title="Microsoft Personal Web Server">PWS</a></li>
<li><a href="Remote_Desktop_Services" title="Remote Desktop Services">Remote Desktop Services</a></li>
<li><a href="Remote_Differential_Compression" title="Remote Differential Compression">Remote Differential Compression</a></li>
<li><a href="Remote_Installation_Services" title="Remote Installation Services">Remote Installation Services</a></li>
<li><a href="Roaming_user_profile" title="Roaming user profile">Roaming user profiles</a></li>
<li><a href="Server_Core" title="Server Core">Server Core</a></li>
<li><a href="SharePoint" title="SharePoint">SharePoint</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_System_Resource_Manager" title="Windows System Resource Manager">System Resource Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Deployment_Services" title="Windows Deployment Services">Windows Deployment Services</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Media_Services" title="Windows Media Services">Windows Media Services</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Server_Update_Services" title="Windows Server Update Services">WSUS</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Software_architecture" title="Software architecture">Architecture</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Windows_Boot_Manager" title="Windows Boot Manager">Boot Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Console" title="Windows Console">Console</a></li>
<li><a href="Client/Server_Runtime_Subsystem" title="Client/Server Runtime Subsystem">CSRSS</a></li>
<li><a href="Desktop_Window_Manager" title="Desktop Window Manager">Desktop Window Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Enhanced_Write_Filter" title="Enhanced Write Filter">Enhanced Write Filter</a></li>
<li><a href="Graphics_Device_Interface" title="Graphics Device Interface">Graphics Device Interface</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Windows_library_files#Hardware_Abstraction_Layer" title="Microsoft Windows library files">Hardware Abstraction Layer</a></li>
<li><a href="I/O_request_packet" title="I/O request packet">I/O request packet</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Imaging_Format" title="Windows Imaging Format">Imaging Format</a></li>
<li><a href="Kernel_Transaction_Manager" title="Kernel Transaction Manager">Kernel Transaction Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Windows_library_files" title="Microsoft Windows library files">Library files</a></li>
<li><a href="Logical_Disk_Manager" title="Logical Disk Manager">Logical Disk Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Local_Security_Authority_Subsystem_Service" title="Local Security Authority Subsystem Service">LSASS</a></li>
<li><a href="MinWin" title="MinWin">MinWin</a></li>
<li><a href="NTLDR" title="NTLDR">NTLDR</a></li>
<li><a href="Ntoskrnl.exe" title="Ntoskrnl.exe">Ntoskrnl.exe</a></li>
<li><a href="Object_Manager" title="Object Manager">Object Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Open_XML_Paper_Specification" title="Open XML Paper Specification">Open XML Paper Specification</a></li>
<li><a href="Portable_Executable" title="Portable Executable">Portable Executable</a>
<ul><li><a href="Dynamic-link_library" title="Dynamic-link library">DLL</a></li>
<li><a href=".exe" title=".exe">EXE</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Registry" title="Windows Registry">Registry</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Resource_Protection" title="Windows Resource Protection">Resource Protection</a></li>
<li><a href="Security_Account_Manager" title="Security Account Manager">Security Account Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Server_Message_Block" title="Server Message Block">Server Message Block</a></li>
<li><a href="Shadow_Copy" title="Shadow Copy">Shadow Copy</a></li>
<li><a href="Session_Manager_Subsystem" title="Session Manager Subsystem">SMSS</a></li>
<li><a href="System_Idle_Process" title="System Idle Process">System Idle Process</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_USER" title="Windows USER">USER</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Hardware_Error_Architecture" title="Windows Hardware Error Architecture">WHEA</a></li>
<li><a href="Winlogon" title="Winlogon">Winlogon</a></li>
<li><a href="WinUSB" title="WinUSB">WinUSB</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Security</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Security_and_Maintenance" title="Security and Maintenance">Security and Maintenance</a></li>
<li><a href="AppLocker" title="AppLocker">AppLocker</a></li>
<li><a href="BitLocker" title="BitLocker">BitLocker</a></li>
<li><a href="Credential_Guard" title="Credential Guard">Credential Guard</a></li>
<li><a href="Data_Execution_Prevention" class="mw-redirect" title="Data Execution Prevention">Data Execution Prevention</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Defender_Antivirus" title="Microsoft Defender Antivirus">Defender</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_family_features" title="Microsoft family features">Family features</a></li>
<li><a href="Kernel_Patch_Protection" title="Kernel Patch Protection">Kernel Patch Protection</a></li>
<li><a href="Mandatory_Integrity_Control" title="Mandatory Integrity Control">Mandatory Integrity Control</a></li>
<li><a href="Protected_Media_Path" title="Protected Media Path">Protected Media Path</a></li>
<li><a href="User_Account_Control" title="User Account Control">User Account Control</a></li>
<li><a href="User_Interface_Privilege_Isolation" title="User Interface Privilege Isolation">User Interface Privilege Isolation</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Firewall" title="Windows Firewall">Windows Firewall</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Compatibility</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="COMMAND.COM" title="COMMAND.COM">COMMAND.COM</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Subsystem_for_Linux" title="Windows Subsystem for Linux">Windows Subsystem for Linux</a></li>
<li><a href="WoW64" title="WoW64">WoW64</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="API" title="API">API</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Active_Scripting" title="Active Scripting">Active Scripting</a>
<ul><li><a href="JScript" title="JScript">JScript</a></li>
<li><a href="VBScript" title="VBScript">VBScript</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Script_Host" title="Windows Script Host">WSH</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Component_Object_Model" title="Component Object Model">COM</a>
<ul><li><a href="ActiveX" title="ActiveX">ActiveX</a></li>
<li><a href="ActiveX_Document" title="ActiveX Document">ActiveX Document</a></li>
<li><a href="COM_Structured_Storage" title="COM Structured Storage">COM Structured storage</a></li>
<li><a href="Distributed_Component_Object_Model" title="Distributed Component Object Model">DCOM</a></li>
<li><a href="Object_Linking_and_Embedding" title="Object Linking and Embedding">OLE</a></li>
<li><a href="OLE_Automation" title="OLE Automation">OLE Automation</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Transaction_Server" title="Microsoft Transaction Server">Transaction Server</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="DirectX" title="DirectX">DirectX</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Native_API" title="Windows Native API">Native</a></li>
<li><a href=".NET" title=".NET">.NET</a></li>
<li><a href="Universal_Windows_Platform" title="Universal Windows Platform">Universal Windows Platform</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_API" title="Windows API">WinAPI</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Mixed_Reality" title="Windows Mixed Reality">Windows Mixed Reality</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Runtime" title="Windows Runtime">Windows Runtime</a></li>
<li><a href="WinUSB" title="WinUSB">WinUSB</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Video_game" title="Video game">Games</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><i><a href="Microsoft_Solitaire_Collection" title="Microsoft Solitaire Collection">Solitaire Collection</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Surf_(video_game)" title="Surf (video game)">Surf</a></i></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Discontinued</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Games</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><i><a href="Full_Tilt!_Pinball#3D_Pinball_for_Windows_–_Space_Cadet" title="Full Tilt! Pinball">3D Pinball</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Chess_Titans" title="Chess Titans">Chess Titans</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Microsoft_FreeCell" title="Microsoft FreeCell">FreeCell</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Microsoft_Hearts" title="Microsoft Hearts">Hearts</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Windows_Ultimate_Extras" title="Windows Ultimate Extras">Hold 'Em</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="InkBall" title="InkBall">InkBall</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Purble_Place" title="Purble Place">Purble Place</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Microsoft_Solitaire" title="Microsoft Solitaire">Solitaire</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Microsoft_Spider_Solitaire" title="Microsoft Spider Solitaire">Spider Solitaire</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="Microsoft_Tinker" title="Microsoft Tinker">Tinker</a></i></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Apps</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="ActiveMovie" title="ActiveMovie">ActiveMovie</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Address_Book" title="Windows Address Book">Address Book</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Anytime_Upgrade" title="Windows Anytime Upgrade">Anytime Upgrade</a></li>
<li><a href="Backup_and_Restore" title="Backup and Restore">Backup and Restore</a></li>
<li><a href="Cardfile" title="Cardfile">Cardfile</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_CardSpace" title="Windows CardSpace">CardSpace</a></li>
<li><a href="CD_Player_(Windows)" title="CD Player (Windows)">CD Player</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Chat" title="Windows Chat">Chat</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Contacts" title="Windows Contacts">Contacts</a></li>
<li><a href="Cortana_(virtual_assistant)" title="Cortana (virtual assistant)">Cortana</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Desktop_Gadgets" title="Windows Desktop Gadgets">Desktop Gadgets</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Diagnostics" title="Microsoft Diagnostics">Diagnostics</a></li>
<li><a href="DriveSpace" title="DriveSpace">DriveSpace</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_DVD_Maker" title="Windows DVD Maker">DVD Maker</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Easy_Transfer" title="Windows Easy Transfer">Easy Transfer</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Edge_Legacy" title="Microsoft Edge Legacy">Edge Legacy</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Fax" class="mw-redirect" title="Microsoft Fax">Fax</a></li>
<li><a href="MSN_Food_%26_Drink" class="mw-redirect" title="MSN Food & Drink">Food & Drink</a></li>
<li><a href="Groove_Music" title="Groove Music">Groove Music</a></li>
<li><a href="MSN_Health_%26_Fitness" class="mw-redirect" title="MSN Health & Fitness">Health & Fitness</a></li>
<li><a href="Help_and_Support_Center" class="mw-redirect" title="Help and Support Center">Help and Support Center</a></li>
<li><a href="HyperACCESS" title="HyperACCESS">HyperTerminal</a></li>
<li><a href="Imaging_for_Windows" title="Imaging for Windows">Imaging</a></li>
<li><a href="Internet_Explorer" title="Internet Explorer">Internet Explorer</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Journal" title="Windows Journal">Journal</a></li>
<li><a href="Make_Compatible" title="Make Compatible">Make Compatible</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Maps" title="Windows Maps">Maps</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Media_Center" title="Windows Media Center">Media Center</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Meeting_Space" title="Windows Meeting Space">Meeting Space</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Messaging" title="Windows Messaging">Messaging</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Messenger" title="Windows Messenger">Messenger</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Mobile_Device_Center" title="Windows Mobile Device Center">Mobile Device Center</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Movie_Maker" title="Windows Movie Maker">Movie Maker</a></li>
<li><a href="MSN_Dial-Up_Internet_Access" title="MSN Dial-Up Internet Access">MSN Dial-Up</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_NetMeeting" title="Microsoft NetMeeting">NetMeeting</a></li>
<li><a href="NTBackup" title="NTBackup">NTBackup</a></li>
<li><a href="Outlook_Express" title="Outlook Express">Outlook Express</a></li>
<li><a href="Paint_3D" title="Paint 3D">Paint 3D</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Pay" title="Microsoft Pay">Pay</a></li>
<li><a href="Phone_Companion" title="Phone Companion">Phone Companion</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Photo_Gallery" title="Windows Photo Gallery">Photo Gallery</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Photo_Viewer" title="Windows Photo Viewer">Photo Viewer</a></li>
<li><a href="Program_Manager" title="Program Manager">Program Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Skype" title="Skype">Skype</a></li>
<li><a href="MSN#Discontinued_apps" title="MSN">Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Start" title="Microsoft Start">Start</a></li>
<li><a href="Problem_Steps_Recorder" class="mw-redirect" title="Problem Steps Recorder">Steps Recorder</a></li>
<li><a href="Syskey" title="Syskey">Syskey</a></li>
<li><a href="Travel_(Windows)" class="mw-redirect" title="Travel (Windows)">Travel</a></li>
<li><a href="WinHelp" title="WinHelp">WinHelp</a></li>
<li><a href="WordPad" title="WordPad">WordPad</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Write" title="Microsoft Write">Write</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Others</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Desktop_Cleanup_Wizard" title="Desktop Cleanup Wizard">Desktop Cleanup Wizard</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_File_Protection" title="Windows File Protection">File Protection</a></li>
<li><a href="Games_for_Windows" title="Games for Windows">Games for Windows</a></li>
<li><a href="High_Performance_File_System" title="High Performance File System">HPFS</a></li>
<li><a href="Interix" title="Interix">Interix</a></li>
<li><a href="Media_Control_Interface" title="Media Control Interface">Media Control Interface</a></li>
<li><a href="MS-DOS_7" title="MS-DOS 7">MS-DOS 7</a></li>
<li><a href="Next-Generation_Secure_Computing_Base" title="Next-Generation Secure Computing Base">Next-Generation Secure Computing Base</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_POSIX_subsystem" title="Microsoft POSIX subsystem">POSIX subsystem</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_ScanDisk" title="Microsoft ScanDisk">ScanDisk</a></li>
<li><a href="Video_for_Windows" title="Video for Windows">Video for Windows</a></li>
<li><a href="Virtual_DOS_machine" title="Virtual DOS machine">Virtual DOS machine</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_on_Windows" title="Windows on Windows">Windows on Windows</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_Services_for_UNIX" title="Windows Services for UNIX">Windows Services for UNIX</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_SideShow" title="Windows SideShow">Windows SideShow</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_System_Assessment_Tool" title="Windows System Assessment Tool">Windows System Assessment Tool</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_To_Go" title="Windows To Go">Windows To Go</a></li>
<li><a href="WinFS" title="WinFS">WinFS</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Spun off to<br><a href="Microsoft_Store" title="Microsoft Store">Microsoft Store</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="DVD_Player_(Windows)" title="DVD Player (Windows)">DVD Player</a></li>
<li><a href="Windows_File_Manager" title="Windows File Manager">File Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Hover!" title="Hover!">Hover!</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Mahjong" title="Microsoft Mahjong">Mahjong</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Minesweeper" title="Microsoft Minesweeper">Minesweeper</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div>
<ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"></span></span> Category</li>
<li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="List-Class article"></span></span> <a href="List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components" title="List of Microsoft Windows components">List</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
<div class="navbox-styles"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="File_managers_(comparison)224" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><div id="File_managers_(comparison)224" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="File_manager" title="File manager">File managers</a> (<a href="Comparison_of_file_managers" title="Comparison of file managers">comparison</a>)</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Cross-platform_software" title="Cross-platform software">Cross-platform</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Dired" title="Dired">Dired</a></li>
<li><a href="Dolphin_(file_manager)" title="Dolphin (file manager)">Dolphin</a></li>
<li><a href="Double_Commander" title="Double Commander">Double Commander</a></li>
<li><a href="GEM_(desktop_environment)" title="GEM (desktop environment)">Graphics Environment Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Midnight_Commander" title="Midnight Commander">Midnight Commander</a></li>
<li><a href="MuCommander" title="MuCommander">MuCommander</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Unix-like" title="Unix-like">Unix-like</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="EmelFM2" title="EmelFM2">emelFM2</a></li>
<li><a href="Gentoo_(file_manager)" title="Gentoo (file manager)">gentoo</a></li>
<li><a href="GNOME_Commander" title="GNOME Commander">GNOME Commander</a></li>
<li><a href="GNOME_Files" title="GNOME Files">GNOME Files</a></li>
<li><a href="Konqueror" title="Konqueror">Konqueror</a></li>
<li><a href="Krusader" title="Krusader">Krusader</a></li>
<li><a href="Nemo_(file_manager)" title="Nemo (file manager)">Nemo</a></li>
<li><a href="Nnn_(file_manager)" title="Nnn (file manager)">nnn</a></li>
<li><a href="PCMan_File_Manager" title="PCMan File Manager">PCManFM</a></li>
<li><a href="Ranger_(file_manager)" title="Ranger (file manager)">ranger</a></li>
<li><a href="SpaceFM" title="SpaceFM">SpaceFM</a></li>
<li><a href="Thunar" title="Thunar">Thunar</a></li>
<li><a href="Xfe" title="Xfe">Xfe</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="DOS" title="DOS">DOS</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="DOS_Navigator" title="DOS Navigator">DOS Navigator</a></li>
<li><a href="DOS_Shell" title="DOS Shell">DOS Shell</a></li>
<li><a href="Norton_Commander" title="Norton Commander">Norton Commander</a></li>
<li><a href="PathMinder" title="PathMinder">PathMinder</a></li>
<li><a href="PC_Tools_(software)" title="PC Tools (software)">PC Shell</a></li>
<li><a href="ViewMAX" title="ViewMAX">ViewMAX</a></li>
<li><a href="Volkov_Commander" title="Volkov Commander">Volkov Commander</a></li>
<li><a href="XTree" title="XTree">XTree</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="OS/2" title="OS/2">OS/2</a> etc.</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="DOS_Navigator" title="DOS Navigator">DOS Navigator</a></li>
<li><a href="Norton_Commander" title="Norton Commander">Norton Commander</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Windows</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th id="Official18" scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Official</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="File_Manager_(Windows)" class="mw-redirect" title="File Manager (Windows)">File Manager</a></li>
</ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Unofficial</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Altap_Salamander" title="Altap Salamander">Altap Salamander</a></li>
<li><a href="Directory_Opus" title="Directory Opus">Directory Opus</a></li>
<li><a href="DOS_Navigator" title="DOS Navigator">DOS Navigator</a></li>
<li><a href="Explorer%2B%2B" title="Explorer++">Explorer++</a></li>
<li><a href="Far_Manager" title="Far Manager">Far Manager</a></li>
<li><a href="Norton_Commander" title="Norton Commander">Norton Commander</a></li>
<li><a href="STDU_Explorer" title="STDU Explorer">STDU Explorer</a></li>
<li><a href="Total_Commander" title="Total Commander">Total Commander</a></li>
<li><a href="WinSCP" title="WinSCP">WinSCP</a></li>
<li><a href="Xplorer%C2%B2" title="Xplorer²">xplorer²</a></li>
<li><a href="XTree" title="XTree">XTree</a></li>
<li><a href="XYplorer" title="XYplorer">XYplorer</a></li>
<li><a href="ZTreeWin" title="ZTreeWin">ZTreeWin</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Macintosh_operating_systems" class="mw-redirect" title="Macintosh operating systems">Macintosh OSs</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th id="Classic_Mac_OS27" scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Classic_Mac_OS" title="Classic Mac OS">Classic Mac OS</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Finder_(software)" title="Finder (software)">Finder</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="MacOS" title="MacOS">macOS</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Commander_One" title="Commander One">Commander One</a></li>
<li><a href="Finder_(software)" title="Finder (software)">Finder</a></li>
<li><a href="ForkLift_(file_manager)" title="ForkLift (file manager)">ForkLift</a></li>
<li><a href="Path_Finder" title="Path Finder">Path Finder</a></li>
<li><a href="Xfile" title="Xfile">Xfile</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="BeOS" title="BeOS">BeOS</a> etc.</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="OpenTracker" class="mw-redirect" title="OpenTracker">OpenTracker</a></li>
<li><a href="Tracker_(file_manager)" class="mw-redirect" title="Tracker (file manager)">Tracker</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><!--htdig_noindex--><div><div class="zim-footer">
This article is issued from <a class="external text" title="Last edited on 2025-07-06" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?title=File_Explorer&oldid=1299181880">Wikipedia</a>. The text is available under <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0</a> unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.
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