{"id":1690,"date":"2018-08-30T17:23:30","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T15:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/advanced-windows-explorer\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T13:31:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T12:31:47","slug":"advanced-windows-explorer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/","title":{"rendered":"Advanced Windows Explorer"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

From a PowerShell prompt: ii .<\/code> or $aPath | ii<\/code>
From a cmd prompt: start .<\/code><\/p>\n

From within Windows Explorer itself:<\/p>\n

Control<\/kbd> + N<\/kbd>: Open new window in same path <\/div>\n

Builtin shortcuts<\/h1>\n
Control<\/kbd> + Shift<\/kbd> + N<\/kbd>: Create a new directory <\/div>\n
F2<\/kbd>: Rename selected. Follow with Tab to rename next. <\/div>\n
Shift<\/kbd> + Delete<\/kbd>: Delete permanently <\/div>\n
Control<\/kbd> + C<\/kbd>, Control<\/kbd> + V<\/kbd>: Duplicate file <\/div>\n
Shift<\/kbd> + F10<\/kbd>: Open context menu (or Menu) = Right click <\/div>\n
Alt<\/kbd> + Enter<\/kbd>: Open directory\/file properties (or Alt+Double click) <\/div>\n
Control<\/kbd> + Shift<\/kbd> + 6<\/kbd>: Switch to details view <\/div>\n

The 6 can be replaced with any number from 1 (Extra large icons) to 4 (Small icons), 5 (List), 7 (Tiles) and 8 (Content).<\/p>\n

Control<\/kbd> + L<\/kbd>: Focus AddressBar (or Alt+D) <\/div>\n
F4<\/kbd>: Open AddressBar dropdown with last typed locations <\/div>\n

The locations are stored in: HKCU:SoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerTypedPaths<\/p>\n

Navigation<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Alt<\/kbd> + Up<\/kbd>: Go to parent folder <\/div>\n
Alt<\/kbd> + Left<\/kbd>: Go to previous folder (or Backspace) <\/div>\n
Alt<\/kbd> + Right<\/kbd>: Go to next folder <\/div>\n

Drag & Drop<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Control<\/kbd>: Copy dragged file(s) <\/div>\n
Shift<\/kbd>: Move dragged file(s) <\/div>\n
Control<\/kbd> + Shift<\/kbd>: Create shortcut <\/div>\n

Create a new dotfile<\/h2>\n

To work around \u201cYou must type a file name\u201d, append an additional dot at the end of the filename.<\/p>\n

.gitignore.\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Or in PowerShell: ac .gitignore \"node_modules\"<\/code><\/p>\n
Back to the CLI<\/h2>\n
Alt+D followed by cmd or powershell will open a prompt at the current path.<\/p>\n
Shift<\/kbd> + F10<\/kbd>, w<\/kbd>: Open command prompt in selected folder <\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Jump to an env var<\/h2>\n
Alt+D followed by %APPDATA%<\/code>, %USERPROFILE%<\/code> or any environment variable.
 Or one of the shell commands like shell:startup<\/code>, shell:sendto<\/code> or shell:desktop<\/code><\/p>\n
# List all \"shell:\" locations\n# (Not nearly all paths are printed because of naming mismatches)\n$path = \"HKLM:SOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerFolderDescriptions\"\nGet-ChildItem $path | Select-Object `\n\t@{l=\"Name\";e={$_.GetValue(\"Name\")}},`\n\t@{l=\"Path\";e={[Environment]::GetFolderPath($_.GetValue(\"Name\")).Replace(\" \", \"\")}}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Less used shortcuts<\/h2>\n
Control<\/kbd> + F1<\/kbd>: Toggle Ribbon <\/div>\n
Control<\/kbd> + Mousewheel<\/kbd>: Scroll through the different views <\/div>\n
Alt<\/kbd> + P<\/kbd>: Toggle preview pane <\/div>\n
Control<\/kbd> + F<\/kbd>: Focus the search box <\/div>\n
F11<\/kbd>: Full screen <\/div>\n
F5<\/kbd>: Refresh <\/div>\n
Right<\/kbd>: Select first subfolder when there is no selection <\/div>\n
Autohotkey Extensions<\/h1>\n
Add missing stuff yourself with Autohotkey.
 Find the source for the Autohotkey scripts here<\/a><\/p>\n
Execute shortcut code only when Windows Explorer is active:<\/p>\n
SetTitleMatchMode Regex\n#IfWinActive ahk_class CabinetWClass|ExploreWClass|Progman|WorkerW\n; \"ahk_class CabinetWClass|ExploreWClass\" executes in Windows Explorer\n; \"ahk_class Progman|WorkerW\" executes on Desktop\n#IfWinActive\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Some of the scripts use the following methods. They are defined in windows-explorer-util.ahk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n
; Get the currently active path\nExplorer_GetPath()\n\n; Get the currently selected file(s)\nExplorer_GetSelected()\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Hijacking Windows + E<\/h2>\n
If the selected text while pressing Windows E is a path, open Windows Explorer in that specific path.<\/p>\n
~#e::\n; Save clipboard\noldClip := clipboard\n; Send Control+C\nSend, ^c\nClipWait, 3\nclipVal := clipboard\n\n; Does the copied text contain a path?\nfileExists := FileExist(clipVal)\nif (fileExists = \"D\") {\n    ; Open explorer in specific directory\n    Run % \"explorer.exe \/root,\" clipVal\n\n} else if (fileExists) {\n    ; Open explorer with file selected\n    Run % \"explorer.exe \/select,\" clipVal\n\n} else {\n    ; Simply open explorer\n    Send #e\n}\n\n; Restore the clipboard\nclipboard := oldClip\nReturn\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Zip directory<\/h2>\n
Ahk source<\/a> for creating a zip file with the contents of the current directory or the currently selected files.<\/p>\n
Create new file<\/h2>\n
One creates a new directory with Control + Shift + N but there is not really one for creating a new file.<\/p>\n
; Control + Shift + F: New file\n^+f::\nDeselectSelectedFiles()\nSend {Appskey}\nSend w\nSend t\nSend ^a\nReturn\n\n; Control + Shift + T: New txt file\n^+t::\nDeselectSelectedFiles()\nSend {Appskey}\nSend w\nSend t\nReturn\n\nDeselectSelectedFiles()\n{\n\t; Explorer_GetSelected is defined in utilities\/windows-explorer-util.ahk\n\tselectedFiles := Explorer_GetSelected()\n\tif selectedFiles\n\t{\n\t\t; If no file is selected, ^Space may actually select it\n\t\t; after which {AppsKey} will open the wrong ContextMenu\n\t\tSend ^{Space}\n\t}\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Other<\/h2>\n
Change extension dialog<\/strong>:
 Windows doesn\u2019t offer an option to not show a confirmation dialog when changing the extension of a file. The best we can do is wait and whenever one pops up click it away?<\/p>\n
While, 1\n{\n    WinWaitActive, Rename ahk_class #32770\n    Send y\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Details View<\/strong>:
 While Control + Shift + 6<\/code> is probably very useful, pesky Windows might truncate longer filenames with the switch to Details View.<\/p>\n
; Control + Shift + 6: Details View\n; ~ = Do not block native function\n~^+6::\n; Resize columns so that filenames are completely visible\nSend {Control Down}{NumpadAdd}{Control Up}\nReturn\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Closing<\/strong>:
 Closing an Explorer window can be done with Alt+F4 or with Control+W. But when you want to close it after Windows annoyed you, this scrips allows you to you to do so by hitting Esc hard, twice.<\/p>\n
~Esc::\nIf (A_PriorHotKey = A_ThisHotKey and A_TimeSincePriorHotkey < 500)\n\tWinClose\n\nReturn\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
(I guess I just didn\u2019t know about Control + W before this post:)<\/p>\n
\n
Alternatives<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
According to AlternativeTo Windows Explorer<\/a>, many people like Total Commander.<\/p>\n
Updates<\/h1>\n
    \n
  •  30 August 2018: Hijacking Windows + E<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    A listing of handy but less known shortcuts in Windows Explorer and some Autohotkey examples on how to add extra functionality.<\/p>\n
    Open Windows Explorer, the most direct way:<\/p>\n
    Win<\/kbd> + E<\/kbd>: Open Windows Explorer <\/div>\n
    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[36,9,7],"class_list":["post-1690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-productivity","tag-autohotkey","tag-powershell","tag-windows"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAdvanced Windows Explorer - Itenium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Advanced Windows Explorer - Itenium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A listing of handy but less known shortcuts in Windows Explorer and some Autohotkey examples on how to add extra functionality.Open Windows Explorer, the most direct way:Win + E: Open Windows Explorer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Itenium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-30T15:23:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-28T12:31:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/explorer.gif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Usdevelop\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Usdevelop\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/\",\"name\":\"Advanced Windows Explorer - Itenium\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/explorer.gif\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-30T15:23:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-28T12:31:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab401ce01e858184ee4a8667fe0f022\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/explorer.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/explorer.gif\",\"width\":360,\"height\":300},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/blog\/productivity\/advanced-windows-explorer\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Advanced Windows Explorer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/demo.sidekick.be\/itenium\/\",\"name\":\"Itenium\",\"description\":\"We build software. 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