File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is the default file management tool for Windows. Its simplicity is what makes it easy for beginners to navigate through files.
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In this article, we will discuss 15 ways how you can use File Explorer to manage photos easily. Please make sure that your Windows setup is updated before proceeding since some of these features might not be available in the previous Windows versions.
1. Preview Image Metadata
Viewing an image’s metadata can be helpful in terms of managing your personal photos. Information such as date of creation, resolution, modified date, and image attributes can be seen in the metadata of an image. To easily view the metadata of an image:
1) Click on the View tab
2) Select the Details pane to turn on the ability to preview metadata of an image
3) To preview the metadata of any image, right-click on it and you will see the metadata on the right-side panel
2. Quick View Access
Quick Access is one of the many special directories Windows has. Quick Access allows users to reach their required folder with one click. There are only a few folders pinned in this section due to the default settings. However, you can add more easily.
- Navigate to where your desired folder is located
- Right-click on the target folder, click Pin to Quick Access
- Now you can see the folder in the Quick Access section on the navigational panel
- To remove a folder from the Quick Access section, right-click on it and then click Unpin from Quick Access
3. Preview Images
You can preview images in File Explorer without opening them. If you need to take a quick look at a large number of images, the preview pane is very useful.
1) Click on the View Tab, followed by the Preview Pane button to turn image preview on
2) To preview any image in the File Explorer, simply click on it
4. Show Extension of Known Files
By default, file extensions are not visible. Follow these steps to make the extensions visible:
1) In File Explorer, click on View and then on Options
2) A new Folder Options window will pop up. Click on the View Tab
3) Under the Advanced Settings section, unselect the box for hiding Extensions for known file types
4) To save the changes, click on the OK
5. Compressing Images
File size can be decreased by compressing images. It allows users with slow internet speed to share them using a messenger app or via email. If you click on the Zip option, it compresses the selected images and creates a zip archive inside the current folder.
1) In your File Explorer, click on the Share tab
2) Choose the images you would like to compress
3) To start compressing them, click on the Zip button
6. Sorting Images
To better organize images, they can also be sorted.
1) Select the Sort by button and choose an option from the list
2) To add more options for sorting images, you can click on Choose columns
7. Share Images
As compared to desktops, image-sharing features are used more commonly in mobile phones. If needed, you can share images by following these steps:
1) Choose the images you would like to share
2) Click on the Share tab followed by Share
3) In the new window that pops up, you can select the application where you want to share the images. You can also choose to share the selected images with your contact
8. Change the Thumbnail Size of Images
Windows File Explorer already displays an image preview due to its default settings. However, you can further modify the thumbnail size settings to view more images at once.
Head to the View tab and then click on different options under the Layout section to try different viewing options. You can select between different options such as Tiles, Small Icons, Medium-sized icons, Extra large icons, etc.
9. Group Images
Grouping images using different criteria for example date of creation, date of modification, file location, and dimensions can really help you organize your personal photos. Apart from the default given options, you can also add more grouping options, for example, camera lens, into your File Explorer.
1) Navigate to the top right side of your folder and click on the small arrow pointing downwards
2) Click on Group by and then choose a grouping criteria from the given options. Once you select an option, Windows will instantly group your images
3) To add more options to the existing list, click on Choose Columns. In a new “Choose Details” window that pops up, you can check or uncheck all the grouping options that you would like to see in your list.
10. Using the Navigation Pane
To access various folders easily we can use the navigation pane. Special directories such as Dropbox, Network drives, Google Drive, Onedrive & Quick Access are usually listed under the root folder. Other directories such as the partitions can be found under the PC directory. As described earlier, to access your most-used folders quickly, you can pin them in the Quick Access section. Before you do that, you need to make your navigation pane visible. To do so:
1) Open File Explorer and click on View
2) Click on Navigation Pane and check the Navigation Pane option as demonstrated in the screenshot below.
11. Set Images as Background
Generally, it is pretty straightforward to set a Desktop wallpaper in Windows 10. In case if your Windows version isn’t activated yet and thus you are unable to change the wallpaper through the personalization option, you can try these steps:
1) In your File Explorer go to the Manage tab
2) Choose an image and click on Set as Background
12. Rotate Images
If images were taken upside-down, rotating them can be quite helpful. File Explorer can be used to easily rotate images without having to use any additional software.
1) In File Explorer, click on the Manage tab
2) Choose the images that you want to rotate and click on the Rotate Right or Rotate Left buttons at the top
13. Sharing images via Email
One of the cool features that File Explorer offers is its Sharing feature. You can easily share images via Email using the email option in File Explorer. If your email client doesn’t work with the built-in email functionality, you can use Mozilla Thunderbird instead. Mozilla Thunderbird is also a free email client.
1) Head to the Share tab and choose the images you want to share via email
2) Click on the Email option, like shown in the screenshot below.
3) Before you attach your images to an email, you will see a pop-up where you can reduce the image’s resolution as well. Reducing the image resolutions will help you upload images and send emails faster.
4) Enter the To Address and then send the email using Mozilla Thunderbird
14. Slideshow
Creating a full-fledged slideshow using Microsoft PowerPoint can be a bit time-consuming. Luckily, File Explorer provides a minimized version of MS PowerPoint.
1) Go to the Manage tab, followed by the Slide Show option
2) If you right-click on a slide, you can see different options (eg: shuffle, loop, etc) for the slideshow.
15. Item Check Boxes
If you are tired of holding your Control Key + Left Mouse Click to select images, File Explorer has a great solution for you: Item CheckBoxes. The Item CheckBoxes are a replacement for the combination of the Control Key + Left Mouse Click. To enable this:
1) Open the View Tab and then click on the Item checkboxes option
2) Now, you will start seeing small checkboxes on the top left corner of all your images. To select an image, simply check the boxes
