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Bring the assertion that "File Explorer" was renamed in Win 8 back into the lead section, since I found the source for that |
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{{Short description|File manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system}}
{{About|the Microsoft Windows file listing browser|exploring file system listings|file browser|exploring inside files|file viewer}}
{{
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Windows File Explorer
| logo =
| logo_size = x64px
| screenshot = Windows File Explorer 25.png
| screenshot_size = 300px
| caption = File Explorer on [[Windows 11]] in Light App Mode showing [[special folder]]s on Home, with the new command bar and tabs feature
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1995|8|15}}
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'''File Explorer''', previously known as '''Windows Explorer''', is a [[file manager]] application and default [[desktop environment]] that is included with releases of the [[Microsoft Windows]] [[operating system]] from [[Windows 95]] onwards. It provides a [[graphical user interface]] for accessing the [[file system]]s, as well as user interface elements such as the [[taskbar]] and [[desktop environment|desktop]].
The application was renamed from "Windows Explorer" to "File Explorer" in [[Windows 8]];<ref name=win8-fileexp />
==Overview==
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* The taskbar can be locked to prevent it from accidentally being moved.
* Windows Explorer also gained the ability to burn CDs and [[DVD-RAM]] discs in Windows XP.
* Ability to create and open [[ZIP (file format)|ZIP files]], called "compressed folders", which is a file containing other files.<ref name="what_s_new_with_files_and_folders">{{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/whatsnew_overview.mspx?mfr=true|title=Windows XP – What's new with files and folders|website=Windows|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523022826/http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/whatsnew_overview.mspx?mfr=true|archive-date=May 23, 2007}}</ref><ref>[https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/extract-zip-files-in-windows-me-xp-2003/ How to create and extract a Zip File in Windows ME/XP/2003]</ref>
* Ability to open [[Cabinet (file format)|Cabinet (.cab) files]], another type of file that contains other files.<ref>[http://www.tech-pro.net/howto-open-cab-file.html How To: Open a Cab file] – Quote: "If you're using Windows XP or Windows Vista, then your operating system has built-in support for opening Cab files."</ref>
* If a <code>.HTM</code> or <code>.[[HTML]]</code> file is copied or moved, the accompanying <code>_files</code> suffix folder is copied or moved among it automatically.<ref>{{cite web |title=Moving web pages saved by IE (HTM file & _FILES folder) |url=https://resource.dopus.com/t/moving-web-pages-saved-by-ie-htm-file--files-folder/7826 |website=Directory Opus Resource Centre |date=4 May 2009 |quote=When Windows Explorer […] move a Web page both the HTML file and the directory are automatically moved together. […] Moreover, the user only has to drag EITHER part--the file or the directory and the other part will follow automatically. This way the page is kept intact irrespective of where Windows stores it. |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216103635/https://resource.dopus.com/t/moving-web-pages-saved-by-ie-htm-file--files-folder/7826 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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.<ref name=what_s_new_with_files_and_folders />
====Removed and changed features====
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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.
Searching for files containing a given text string became problematic with Vista unless the files had been indexed. An alternative is to use the [[findstr]] command-line function.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wikihow.com/Search-for-Contents-in-Any-File-Type-Without-Indexing-Service-Enabled-in-Windows-Vista-and-Windows-7 |title=How to Search for Contents in Any File Type Without Indexing Service Enabled in Windows Vista and Windows 7 |publisher=Wikihow.com |date=January 27, 2014 |access-date=January 31, 2014 |archive-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319022640/http://www.wikihow.com/Search-for-Contents-in-Any-File-Type-Without-Indexing-Service-Enabled-in-Windows-Vista-and-Windows-7 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After right-clicking on a folder one can open a command-line prompt in that folder.
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.
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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.<ref name="IFileInUse">{{cite web |url=http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2007/03/29/Your-File-Is-In-Use_2620_-Demystified.aspx |title=Your File Is In Use... Demystified |last= Davis |first=Christopher |date=March 29, 2007 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |work=Shell: Revealed Blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429124756/http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2007/03/29/Your-File-Is-In-Use_2620_-Demystified.aspx |archive-date=April 29, 2007 |access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>
Windows Vista introduced
====Removed and changed features====
{{See also|List of features removed in Windows Vista}}
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 [[ZIP (file format)|zip]] 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 {{key|Alt}} + {{key|↑}}). 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 [[metadata]] in NTFS [[alternate data stream]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969361.aspx|title=Properties|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=June 19, 2018|archive-date=October 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009095457/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969361.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> the IColumnProvider interface which allowed addition of custom columns to Explorer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776147.aspx|title=IColumnProvider interface (Windows)|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=June 19, 2018|archive-date=April 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417193207/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776147.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> and folder background customization using desktop.ini.
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.
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====Removed or changed features====
{{See also|List of features removed in Windows 7#Windows Explorer}}
In [[Windows 7]], 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.
===Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012===
[[File:Windows Explorer Ribbon.png|thumb|The new File Explorer with ribbon in [[Windows 8]]|alt=]]
The file manager on [[Windows 8]] and [[Windows Server 2012]] is renamed File Explorer and introduces new features such as a redesigned interface incorporating a [[Ribbon (computing)|ribbon toolbar]], 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/29/improvements-in-windows-explorer.aspx|title=Improvements in Windows Explorer|access-date=2011-10-30|archive-date=2011-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107021845/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/29/improvements-in-windows-explorer.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=win8-fileexp>{{cite web|title=Microsoft switches to File Explorer name in Windows 8, bids farewell to Windows Explorer|date=29 June 2012 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/6/29/3125837/windows-8-file-explorer-name-replaces-windows-explorer|publisher=The Verge|access-date=August 3, 2012|archive-date=August 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817112930/http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/29/3125837/windows-8-file-explorer-name-replaces-windows-explorer|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Windows 10 File Explorer icon.png|thumb|64px|File Explorer icon in Windows 10 RTM to version 1903
=== Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 ===
=== Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019 ===
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=== Windows 11 ===
In [[Windows 11]], File Explorer had undergone significant UI changes, with the [[Ribbon (computing)|Ribbon Interface]] dating back to [[Windows 7]] having been
=== Windows 11 2022 Update ===
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===Windows 11 2023 Update===
On 21 September, 2023, [[Microsoft]] announced that it would be adding a modern home page, address bar, search experience, and details pane, along with an update gallery pane.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mehdi |first=Yusuf |date=2023-09-21 |title=Announcing Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion |url=https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/09/21/announcing-microsoft-copilot-your-everyday-ai-companion/ |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=The Official Microsoft Blog |language=en-US}}</ref> This update was released to most [[Windows 11]] [[User (computing)|users]] via an enablement package to [[Windows 11]], 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 XAML technology, instead of the former Win32 technology.
==Extensibility==
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