Here's how Computer folder looks in Windows Vista. In Windows 7 it looks almost exactly the same, just colors and some Toolbar commands are different.
In Windows 8/8.1 and 10, Computer or This PC looks like this. Ribbon replaces all menus and toolbars with Tabs and content-sensitive buttons, drop-downs and check boxes. You can minimize or maximize Ribbon using keyboard shortcut CTRL+F1. There is no Menu bar or Details pane available in Windows 8 and newer.
In Windows 10, File Explorer opens the Quick Access view by default. It displays user's frequent folders and most used files. To change this, open View tab in Ribbon, click or touch Options and select This PC from the Open File Explorer to dropdown.
Menu bar is hidden by default in Windows Vista and 7. You can reveal it by pressing ALT key on your keyboard once; in Windows 8 and newer, it activates the Ribbon-style toolbar.
To the right of Address bar there is a Refresh button that you can use to reload folder contents. You can also press F5key on your keyboard for the refresh function.
Search box is a location-sensitive Windows Search box for finding files and folders quickly. You can type in a part of a file or folder name, for example win finds windows, edwin, a_winter_tale.mp3, etc. You can also search by file type (type:jpg or kind:video), file properties (created:<30/06/09 or author:linus) and any combination of search criteria, for example horse author:"linus benedict" size:>10MB NOT kind:(video OR picture).
Toolbar or Ribbon is location-sensitive in Windows Vista and later - its buttons change depending what type of folder or file is selected.
There are two common buttons always visible in the left side of Toolbar in Windows Vista:
- Organize button includes file and folder management items, such as cut, copy, paste and layout options such as hiding or showing Menu Bar, Search Pane, Details Pane, etc.
- Views button allows you to switch between different folder views - icons, list, details, thumbnails, etc. You can use CTRL+mousewheel for this, too.
In Windows 7, there are always three buttons visible in the right side of Toolbar.
- Preview pane button opens and closes Preview pane that you can use for viewing photos, videos, document properties, etc. You can also use keyboard shortcut ALT+P for this
- Help button opens Windows Help and Support Center, a place for finding information and answers to your Windows-related questions. Pressing WINDOWS KEY+F1 on your keyboard does the same.
In Windows 8/8.1 and 10, Ribbon can be activated by pressing ALT key once. It then displays letters that run commands or open different Tabs.
Ribbon is also able to hide or reveal buttons and descriptions according to window size. Below are examples of Ribbon at its minimum and maximum size. Buttons have arrowheads pointing down if Ribbon is not able to display all possible options - clicking an arrowhead displays all commands available in the group.
Navigation pane displays common folders for quick navigation.
Details pane in Windows Vista and newer shows properties of selected items or properties related to currently open folder. For example, when you click on a local disk in Computer, you will see the disk's size, free space and other properties. Clicking on a photo will display date the photo was taken, rating, dimensions, size, etc.
Details pane is like a much improved Status bar (Status bar is still available in Windows Vista and 7, but it has no purpose whatsoever compared to Details pane).
Details pane is like a much improved Status bar (Status bar is still available in Windows Vista and 7, but it has no purpose whatsoever compared to Details pane).
In Windows 8 and later, there are two buttons available on the bottom right of File Explorer window - the left one displays the folder in Details view and the right one displays the folder in Large Thumbnails view.