Windows Help & Advice – May 2019

16 |^ |^ May 2019

File Explorer

Customise folder behaviour
Windows can be instructed to treat
folders in a specific way depending on
the contents inside. Right-click a folder
and choose Properties > Customise
where you can optimise it for a specific
file type, such as pictures or documents.

Change the folder icon
You’ll also see an option to change
the folder icon – useful if you want a
more visual prompt as to the folder’s
contents. Click ‘Change Icon...’ to
browse files for any icons they contain
(shell32.dll is selected by default with
lots of options). You can also select
previously created or downloaded icon
(ICO) files – see the step-by-step guide
on the page opposite for a way to
extract icons from other files.
Alternatively, click ‘Choose File...’ to
choose a picture to display instead

• this is perfect for photo folders where
  you’d rather focus on one of the photos
  inside rather than have Windows display
  several of them at once.

Set up individual folder views
Windows also remembers any individual
customisations that you perform on a
folder, so after opening it switch to the
View tab on the File Explorer’s Ribbon
where you can experiment with the
Layout and Current View sections to
apply settings that will remain specific
to that particular folder whenever you
reopen it.

Adjust icon spacing
Further tweaks can be performed
using Winaero Tweaker – navigate to
the Advanced Appearance Settings >
Icons section where you can adjust the
horizontal and vertical spacing of
icons in both File Explorer and on the

desktop,pluschangethedefaultfont

usedtodisplaynames.

TweakFileExplorerpanes

FileExplorerdisplaystwopanes–

NavigationandDetails– bydefault,but

youcanalsoadda Previewpaneviathe

Ribbon’sViewtab,plusrestoreLibraries

totheNavigationpanebyclickingit and

choosingShowLibraries.

Setup QuickAccess

TheQuickAccesssectionofthe

NavigationpaneisFileExplorer’sbest

feature,barnone.Youcandrag

frequentlyaccessedfoldersintohereto

pinthemforone-clickaccessfromany

FileExplorerlocation.Youcanalsoclick

anddragexistingentriestorearrange

theirrunningorder,orright-clickto

unpinthem.

CleantheNavigationpane

TheNavigationpanecangetcluttered

withlotsofentriesyoudon’tuse.The

simplestwaytoreviewandremove

theseistoopenupWinaeroTweaker

toFileExplorer>‘NavigationPane–

DefaultItems’.Wanttoaddyourown

links?Select‘NavigationPane–

CustomItems’todoso.

Customisenav paneitems

YoucanrenametheQuickAccess,

LibrariesandThisPCiconsinthe

NavigationpaneviaWinaeroTweaker’s

FileExplorersection,too.Youcanalso

changetheiriconsinthesamewaythat

youeditanyfoldericon.

CustomisetheThisPC view

GiventhatmostofusopenFileExplorer

to This PC by default, it helps if you can

tailor it to your exact needs. Fire up

Ultimate Windows Tweaker and

navigate to the Customization > This PC

option where you can decide which

user folders should be displayed, as

well as adding various useful system

shortcuts at the same time.

Add tabs to File Explorer

Your web browser has tabs to reduce

window clutter, so why not File

Explorer? We’ve been using QTTabBar

(http://qttabbar.wikidot.com/) for the

“Given most of us open File Explorer

to This PC by default, it helps that

you can tailor it to your exact needs”

Customise folders using icons or images to help

provide a visual reference to their contents.

Adjust the spacing

between icons using

Winaero Tweaker –

you’ll need to log

off and on again.