How to Make Windows 10’s File Explorer Open to This PC instead of Quick Access
Back in the old days it This PC was called My Computer, and everyone was fine with that. Then later, Microsoft, thinking that calling it My Computer would make people think every computer was their computer, dropped the My and it became Computer. Then the older people got booted out of Microsoft and some guy whose name I can’t spell took over, hired a bunch of new people and noww it’s not My Computer or Computer, it’s This PC.
This PC is still My Computer / Computer. A rose by any other name, you know. Now what’s my point? My point is that when you click “File Explorer” (Windows Explorer’s name in Windows 10) you don’t see your hard drive(s) you see the Quick Access menu. Some us, like me for instance, like to see My Computer/Computer they way we used to with all the hard drives visible. And no matter how convenient Quick Access is supposed to be. Quick Access is sort of like Libraries. We’ll save that discussion for another time. More importantly, when you open File Explorer to Quick Access, you won’t see your hard drives in he right pane.
We’re going to show you how to change File Explorer so it opens up with This PC (formerly known as Computer and My Computer). And it’s very simple. It’s so simple in fact, you’ll be able to do it faster than you were able to read this tip.
Ready?
Step #1:
Open File Explorer. You can do this a bunch of ways – here are three:
Click start & click “This PC”
Click the folder icon on your taskbar
Press the Windows Key + E
Note that will open to “Quick access” (highlighted in yellow below).
Step #2:
Let’s change this so it opens up to This PC (My Computer/Computer).
Click View (at the top – see red box)
Click Options (see red arrow)
Select Change folder and search options – highlighted in yellow below:
Step #3:
In Folder Options, next to “Open File Explorer to: ” use the down arrow to select This PC. Then click Apply/OK.
Behold! It’s My Computer/Computer/This PC – just like it used to be in days of old.
So now you know how to make File Explorer open to This PC in Windows 10. If you ever want to go back to having File Explorer open to Quick Access, follow the steps above and select Quick Access instead of This PC in step 3 above.
Yay! I’m done.
A great tip….short, sweet and succinct….love these kind !
Love it. Simple and clean.
Hey TC I have had this tip for a long time, and I even have “My Computer” and not This PC. Don’t ask me how though, I don’t remember.
TC
In addition to your above post, I have taken it one step further to enable File Explorer to open at a desired folder. Below is a “how to” document pasted here….
HOW TO SET FILE EXPLORER TO OPEN IN A FOLDER OF CHOICE
IN WINDOWS 10
First, in Windows 10, you must create a separate shortcut for File Explorer (or explorer.exe) on your desktop.
To do that, click on the File Explorer shortcut icon on the Taskbar and then go to
C:\ and click on Windows.
In the right pane, scroll down to find explorer.exe and right click on it.
Move the mouse pointer down to Send to, and click on Desktop (create shortcut)
On your desktop, right mouse click on the newly created explorer.exe – Shortcut and click on Properties.
In the Properties dialog box, click on the Shortcut tab if not already showing there.
In the Target text box will be shown the value:
C:\Windows\explorer.exe
As the text is already highlighted, just type the following: (what you type will replace that shown)
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e,
where represents the full path to the new folder that you want File Explorer to open as the default folder on launch. The spaces (shown here must not be omitted).
For example, if you want File Explorer to run and show the root of C:\ folder, the Target path should be like this:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, C:\
Click Apply / OK.
Or you if you want File Explorer to go directly to the F:\Download Files\Videos folder, the text should read as:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, F:\Download Files\Videos
Click on Apply / OK.
Now, right click on the existing File Explorer icon on the Taskbar and click on Unpin from taskbar
Then right click on the new File Explorer shortcut on the desktop and click on Pin to taskbar.
If you wish, I could attach to an email, the PDF document which is pasted above. Cheers David
Thanks David. I took some screenshots that I think will help anyone who reads it. I think they’ll get the idea with those 2 screen shot. If you don’t mind we’ll use this tip in InfoAve Premium later on this month. Is that OK?
I edited the text a little above…while they can click “OK” without clicking “Apply” – I prefer clicking both. Just a good habit I guess.
So simple and clean. I like it .
followed your procedure to change to pc instead of quick access. It shows all my drives but in folders it only shows 2 folders: 3d objects and desktop. How can I add my other folders documents, downloads etc to it??
Thanks for your reply
Right-click on the folders you want to add to quick access and choose “Pin to Quick Access”. You can so this with folders and drives.
Thank you so much for this easy fix! I have never liked Quick Access, and now I’ve got My PC back again, just like the good ol’ days! Yay!