Windows Moving Through Folders in Windows File Explorer
Many times you will open Windows File Explorer, and activate first one folder, and then another folder. You can use the long, slow method of working between the "Tree View" and the "List View" to alternate between the folders you are working with, or you can use a simple set of key commands to move back-and-forth between the folders you have opened. If you first open your "Documents" folder, and then open the "Music" folder in the "Libraries" area, you can use Alt left arrow or Backspace to move from the second folder you opened, or "Music," back to the first folder you opened, or "Documents." If you need to move forward to the second folder, or "Music," press Alt right arrow and you will move from the "Documents" folder to the "Music" folder. Practice the following activity until you understand where you are in the two folders, and are quick and accurate. When you are finished, move to the link at the bottom of this page titled "BACK" to go to the "Simple Windows Lessons" web page.
NOTE: Windows remembers in sequence the folders you activate from the time you open Windows File Explorer. For example, Windows will remember the "Computer" item as the first item because that is where it goes when you press Windows key e to open the Windows File Explorer. It will then remember in sequence any other drives or folders that you hit Enter on to activate. If you activate four items it will remember the "Computer" item and the four items you activated. Alt left arrow takes you backwards through the sequence and Alt right arrow takes you forward through the sequence, stopping at the last item you activated. When you close the Windows File Explorer (Alt F4) Windows forgets the sequence of items.
1. Press and hold down the Windows key and hit the letter e to open the Windows File Explorer.
2. Press and hold down the Shift key and hit the Tab key again-and-again until you get to the "Tree View." (be patient and listen to your screen reader!)
3. Up arrow to the "Libraries" area.
4. Hit the Enter key on the "Libraries" item.
5. Right arrow to open the "Libraries" item.
6. Down arrow to the "Documents" item. You may need to right arrow one more time, and down arrow to "My Documents."
7. Hit the Enter key one time to activate the "Documents" or "My Documents item, and then right arrow.
8. Down arrow to the "Music" item.
9. Hit the Enter key one time to activate the "Music" item.
10. Press and hold down the Alt key and hit the left arrow key one time to move back to the "Documents" item in the "Tree View."
11. Press and hold down the Alt key and hit the right arrow key one time to move forward to the "Music" item in the "Tree View."
12. Hit the Alt left arrow key command to move back to the "Documents" or "My Documents" item in the "Tree View."
13. Hit the Enter key one time to be sure the "Documents" or "My Documents" item is active.
14. Hit the Tab key again-and-again to get to the "List View" of the "Documents" or "My Documents" folder.
15. Press and hold down the Shift key and hit the Tab key again-and-again to move to the "Tree View."
16. Down arrow to the "Music" item.
17. Hit the Enter key one time to activate the "Music" item.
18. Hit the Tab key again-and-again to go to the "List View" for the "Music" folder.
19. Press and hold down the Alt key and hit the left arrow key one time to go to the "List View" of the "Documents" or "My Documents" folder.
20. Press and hold down the Alt key and hit the right arrow key one time to go to the "List View" of the "Music" folder.
21. Do the above steps again-and-again until you become very familiar with where you are in the sequence of active folders in both the "Tree View" and the "List View."
22. Press Alt F4 to close Windows File Explorer. Windows will immediately forget the sequence of folders you were just working with.