You’ll find a Windows Explorer tile on your
Windows 8 Start screen, and you can move it to any place on the screen
you like by tapping or clicking and dragging it the place most
convenient for you.
Starting Windows Explorer
The easiest way to get to Windows Explorer is to
access it from the Windows 8 Start screen. When you tap or click the
Windows Explorer tile, Explorer opens on your desktop.
You can also launch Windows Explorer if
you’re working on the desktop by tapping or clicking the Folder icon in
the Quick Launch bar on the left side of the taskbar.
Exploring the Explorer Screen
Although Windows Explorer has a new look and
feel, you’ll find that many of the tools in Windows Explorer are
throwbacks to Windows 7 style. The new ribbon is a huge addition, of
course, and we’ll talk about that in the next section. Here are the key
elements on the Windows Explorer screen that you’ll be working with:
• Location bar. The Location bar shows the library, folder, and any subfolders that contain the currently selected file.
• Refresh button. The Refresh button updates the display to show the files in the current folder.
• Search box. You can use the search box to find folders, files, and libraries in Windows Explorer.
• Preview pane. The Preview pane displays a preview of the contents of the file.
• Navigation pane. The Navigation pane displays your favorites, libraries, and folders and files on your computer.
• Minimize the Ribbon. Use this tool to both hide and redisplay the Windows Explorer ribbon.
• Get Help. Click Get Help to display a pop-up window of help information related to the task you were performing in Windows Explorer.
Wondering Where the Details Pane Went?
In the version
of Windows Explorer that was included with Windows 7, when you selected
the Details pane, a horizontal pane appeared along the bottom of the
Explorer window. Now, in Windows 8, Windows Explorer displays the
Details pane on the side of the screen, giving you information about the
selected file or folder.
>>>step-by-step: Navigating Windows Explorer
You can easily navigate Windows
Explorer to get to the files and folders you want by using several
different tools. The Navigation pane, on the left side of the Explorer
window, makes it easy for you to tap or click the library, folder, or
subfolder you want to view. (You can also copy and move folders by
dragging them in the Navigation Pane.) You can enter a file location in
the Location bar to move directly to a folder you want; or you can use
the Back, Forward, or Up buttons to the left of the Location bar to move
to folders in close proximity to your current one.
1. In Windows Explorer, tap or click the arrow to the left of the library you want to view. Any subfolders in that library appear.
2. Select the folder with the files you want to view.
3. Tap or click the file you want. The file appears in the Preview pane on the right side of the Explorer window.
Changing the Windows Explorer Layout
You
can hide and redisplay the different panes in Windows Explorer: Details
pane, Preview page, and Navigation pane. Tap or click the View tab and
in the Panes group on the left of the ribbon, select the pane you want
to display. If you deselect both the Preview pane and the Details pane,
the center pane will extend to show only the files and subfolders in the
currently selected folder. You can also tap or click the Navigation
Pane arrow to display a menu of options for changing the way the
Navigation Pane displays folders and favorites. To redisplay a pane
you’ve hidden, tap or click the pane to select the one you want to show.
