Windows Help & Advice - USA (2019-11)

54 |^ |^ November 2019

FILES & FILE EXPLORER

31

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.

32

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 (the file shell32.dll is selected

by default, with lots of options). You can also

select previously created or downloaded icon

(ICO)files– seethestep-by-stepguideonthe

pageoppositefora waytoextracticonsfrom

otherfiles.Alternatively,clickChooseFileto

chooseapicturetodisplayinstead–thisis

perfectforphotofolders,whereyou’drather

focusononeofthephotosinsidethanhave

Windowsdisplayseveralofthematonce.

33

Setupindividual

folderviews

Windows also remembers any individual

Customisationsthatyouperformona folder,

soafter openingit,switchto theViewtab

ontheFileExplorer’sRibbon,whereyoucan

experimentwiththeLayoutandCurrentView

sections to apply settings that will remain

specifictothatparticularfolderwheneveryou

reopenit.

34

AdjustIconSpacing

Further tweaks can be performed

using Winaero Tweaker – navigate to the

Advanced Appearance Settings > Icons

section,whereyoucanadjustthehorizontal

and vertical spacing of icons in both File

Explorerandonthedesktop,pluschangethe

defaultfontusedtodisplaynames.

35

TweakFile

Explorerpanes

FileExplorerdisplaystwopanes– Navigation

andDetails– bydefault,butyoucanalsoadd

a PreviewpaneviatheRibbon’sViewtab,plus

restoreLibrariestotheNavigation paneby

clickingit andchoosingShowLibraries.

36

SetupQuickAccess

The Quick Access section of the

Navigationpaneis FileExplorer’sbestfeature,

barnone. You can drag frequently accessed

foldersinto here to pin them for one-click

accessfrom any File Explorer location. You

can also click and drag existing entries to

rearrange their running order, or right-click to

unpinthem.

37

Clean the

Navigation pane

TheNavigation pane can get cluttered with

lots ofentries you don’t use. The simplest

way to review and remove these is to

open up Winaero Tweaker to File Explorer

>Navigation Pane – Default Items. Want to

addyour own links? Select Navigation Pane

• Custom Items to do so.

38

Customise Navigation

pane items

Youcan rename the Quick Access, Libraries,

andThis PC icons in the Navigation pane via

Winaero Tweaker’s File Explorer section, too.

Youcan also change their icons in the same

waythat you edit any folder icon.

39

Customise the

This PC view

Given that most of us open File Explorer

toThisPC by default, it helps if you can tailor it

toyourexact needs. Fire up Ultimate Windows

Tweaker, and navigate to the Customisation >

ThisPCoption, where you can decide which

userfolders should be displayed, as well as

addingvarious useful system shortcuts at the

sametime.

40

Add tabs to

File Explorer

Yourweb browser has tabs to reduce window

clutter,so why not File Explorer? We’ve been

usingQTTabBar (http://qttabbar.wikidot.com)

forthebest part of a year to do just that. Once

installed, tabs appear beneath the Ribbon

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.