Always Show Folders in Windows Explorer
December 21st, 2007
Are you sick of clicking on the “Folders” button to see the folder tree everytime you open Windows Explorer? Here are the simple steps to make that folder tree show by default.
- Click Start > Control Panel > Folder Options
- Click the File Types tab.
- Page down until you locate the icon that looks like a folder in the “Extensions” column. It will have the word “(NONE)” after the icon and the “File Types” column will show Folder. Not “File Folder”, but just “Folder”. Select that entry and click the Advanced button. From that window you can set the default action to “explore” and click “OK”. Click “OK” again to close out of the Folder Options.
Now you will see the split view everytime you open Windows Explorer.
I followed these instructions and now my Explorer specifically does NOT open a folder tree view when I open it. I can’t delete the “explore” action from those Advanced settings either. What is happening here?
Thank you for a simple fix to something that has driven me crazy for years!
Even though it was back in 08/08, the reason Allen could not get this to work is he did not click the “set as default” button. Follow the instructions above but once you highlight “explore” make sure you click the “set as default” button for this to work. Then if you ever want to change it back, follow the same steps but highlight “open” and click the “set as default” button.
Thanks that was the KEY piece missing, works like a charm, left panel tree of folders, right panel selected folder; also the ‘my computer’ and ‘my documents’ now pop up this way which is really damn useful, more than the sill default panel and each time having to click the ‘folders’ button…!
Thanks, worked fine for me!
Worked fine, at first forgot that ‘Set as default’ button, great stuff!
tanks, tanks, tanks so much men
Thanks, this has been drivin’ me crazy!!
I did this and when I open the regular Windows Explorer, I do get the Folders pane — thank you. However, is there a way for this to be in effect for shortcuts. I create many shortcuts of the Windows Explorer icon for my desktop to take me to the folders I use the most. I’m still not getting the folders pane on those. I created a new one to see if it would only be in effect for subsequently created shortcuts, but still no folders pane. Maybe I’m not setting up the shortcut correctly. I highlight the folder icon for Windows Explorere, select Create Shortcut from the context menu, then move it to my desktop. Then I open properties and change the Target from
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe
to
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe “O:\”
or
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe O:\
Apply, OK
Now when I double-click on that icon, I do go to the O: drive, but no Folders pane.
Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Thank you.
By the way, I also tried COPY the Windows Explorer icon and PASTE on the desktop as well as Create Shortcut. No folders pane in either case.
Thanks.
Well, I kept at it and found the answer. I made Target just O:\ and it opened to the O: driver with a Folders pane.
Thanks
Alternately you can save the following lines of text to a file named ‘Always_Explore_Folders.reg’
The import into the windows registry by double clicking the file after you save it.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@=”explore”
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
“BrowserFlags”=dword:00000022
“ExplorerFlags”=dword:00000021
Worked fine for me but in reverse… I couldn’t get rid of the folders view, the darn thing always came up.
Thanks!
Would be really great, if you emphasize the following:
1) If “explore” option is not bold, then you haven’t clicked “set as default”. “set as default” must be clicked after selecting the “explore” option and ensure “explore” turns bold after clicking “set as default”.
2) Still doesn’t work, look at the Target field. Remove “%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe O:\” and just have “O:\” and this should do the trick.
Thanks a lot anyways.
Brilliant!!! Thank you for solving something that has been bugging me for over a year
Thank you! That was making me crazy.
Awesome. Thanks!
great! works fine for me. have been thinking of doing this for few months. googled this up today, and voila, your pointer works fine! thanks!
I actually can’t get this to work! Works with standard folders but not shortcuts. They are mapped straight to the drive but the folder list never comes up. Frustrating!
thanks,so easy when you know ……
Thanks so much, that drove me crazy for years!
AQIB RIZVI
Well how about the fact that after setting this, EVERY folder opens in a NEW explorer window ? How do I get rid of this and still have the tree view?
YES! thank you !