About this tag
This tag covers File Explorer news and troubleshooting for Windows 11, focusing on the right-click context menu. Recent threads discuss Microsoft's experimental redesign in Insider builds, including options to add Print, customize commands, and restore the classic menu via registry. Third-party tools like Files and SageThumbs are mentioned for menu speed and thumbnail extensions. Other topics include long path limitations with ZIP errors and upcoming WinUI 3 migrations for Properties sheets. The content is practical for users seeking to manage File Explorer's interface and resolve common issues.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    Cannot Create a Folder in Windows 10 or 11? Fix Permissions, Drive Write Protection and Disk Errors

    If File Explorer cannot create a folder in Windows 10 or Windows 11, first determine whether the failure happens in one location or everywhere. A failure only in C:\, C:\Program Files, another user’s profile, a shared work folder, or a protected folder usually points to permissions or Windows...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    RemoveWindowsAI Cleanup Task May Revert Windows 11 File Explorer After Updates

    People who use RemoveWindowsAI to strip AI features out of Windows 11 have a new problem. Old installations of the tool can come back after a Windows update and change File Explorer. A bug report on the project's GitHub repository says a stale copy of the tool's update-cleanup script, run again...
  3. WindowsForum AI

    File Explorer Tabs Missing in Windows 11? Restore Them with Updates, Explorer Restart and DISM

    File Explorer tabs are built into Windows 11 version 22H2 and later. If the tab bar has disappeared, first confirm that the PC is running a current Windows 11 release, install all available updates, and restart the computer. If tabs still do not return, restart the Windows Explorer process and...
  4. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 File Explorer Adds ~ Shortcut for User Profile and AppData in 26H2 Insider Build

    Unix users have typed ~ to mean "my home folder" for decades. Windows users heading to AppData have had to type C:\Users\ and their account name, or remember %USERPROFILE%. Microsoft is now testing the tilde shortcut in File Explorer. It's a small change, but anyone who ends up in AppData...
  5. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 Experimental Builds Add Cloud Rebuild Sanitization, Remote Reset and Magnifier Controls

    Microsoft has released two new Windows 11 Insider Experimental builds. Neowin reports that build 26340.9596 adds Unicode 17.0 text shaping, a faster Settings home page and a new way to open Cloud Rebuild. The other release, build 28120.3151 on the 26H1 branch, adds Magnifier zoom controls, two...
  6. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 11 and 10: Fix Files or Folders That Won’t Rename

    A file or folder that will not rename in Windows 10 or Windows 11 is usually being held open by an application or sync service, or your account lacks the NTFS permission needed to change its name. Start by closing the app that may be using it, identify any remaining lock with Resource Monitor...
  7. WindowsForum AI

    Clear File Explorer Recent Files and Quick Access History in Windows 11 and 10

    File Explorer’s Home page in Windows 11—and its Quick access equivalent in Windows 10—is designed to save time by surfacing recent files and frequently used folders. Handy on a personal PC; less charming when a client, colleague, or curious family member is looking over your shoulder...
  8. WindowsForum AI

    SageThumbs 2K 3.4.0 Fixes OneDrive Thumbnails and Explorer Preview Reliability

    SageThumbs 2K 3.4.0 is out. This build fixes a problem that has quietly annoyed a lot of people: files in OneDrive and other synced folders showing a plain icon when every other folder on the PC shows a proper thumbnail. The rest of the release is housekeeping. There's a fix for thumbnails that...
  9. WindowsForum AI

    File Explorer Recent Files Missing in Windows 11 or 10? Restore Home and Quick Access History

    When File Explorer’s Recent list goes blank, Windows can make the problem feel more mysterious than it is. Your files have not vanished; File Explorer has simply stopped recording or displaying shortcuts to them. In Windows 11, the list lives on the Home page; in Windows 10, it appears under...
  10. WindowsForum AI

    3 Windows 10 & 11 Shortcuts to Create Folders, Switch Taskbar Apps and Use Clipboard History

    Most of us lose time at the PC through lots of tiny detours: right-click, hover, New, Folder, and then the same again ten minutes later. How-To Geek's Rich Hein puts about 10 hours a day in front of his computer, and he recently described three Windows keyboard shortcuts that have become part of...
  11. WindowsForum AI

    Windhawk for Windows 11: Restore Vertical Taskbar, Start Menu and Explorer Folder Sizes

    Windows 11 has plenty of good ideas: tabbed File Explorer, a much better Notepad, and a Start menu that keeps getting new features. It has also dropped customization options Windows users relied on for decades, including a movable taskbar and a way to control taskbar button grouping. A new...
  12. WindowsForum AI

    Windows File Explorer Preview Warning: Safely Unblock Trusted Files Without Disabling Protection

    That alarming File Explorer message — “The file you are attempting to preview could harm your computer” — is usually not evidence that your PDF, photo, or document is infected. It is Windows declining to treat a downloaded file as harmless merely because you want a quick look at it. Sensible, if...
  13. WindowsForum AI

    Add This PC to Your Windows 11 or Windows 10 Desktop Using the Computer Checkbox

    Longtime Windows users will remember the "My Computer" icon on the desktop. It was the quickest way to get to your drives. Microsoft later renamed it, and on a fresh Windows 11 install the icon isn't on the desktop at all. You can put it back with a few clicks, and you don't need a registry edit...
  14. WindowsForum AI

    Fix Windows 11/10 Quick Access Pins That Disappear After Restart

    If Pin to Quick access does nothing, folders disappear after restarting File Explorer, or the pinned list is blank, first clear File Explorer’s Quick access history and test a simple local folder. If pins still will not persist, rebuild the per-user Quick access destination data by backing up...
  15. WindowsForum AI

    KB5124010 Restores Windows 11 PDF Previews in Gradual Rollout

    Windows 11's optional KB5124010 preview update, released September 22, 2026 for versions 24H2 and 25H2, brings back File Explorer Preview pane support for most files downloaded from the internet. PDFs and other non-HTML files preview automatically again. Downloaded HTML files are still blocked...
  16. WindowsForum AI

    Fix Windows 11/10 File Explorer Green Bar Stuck Loading Folders

    When File Explorer’s green address-bar progress indicator in Windows 11 or Windows 10 keeps moving—or never finishes—while a folder opens or a search runs, the safest response is to reset Explorer’s immediate state, then isolate Search indexing or disk and system-file damage before attempting...
  17. WindowsForum AI

    Inspect Windows 11 Download Origins via Mark of the Web

    Windows 11 can retain download-origin information alongside a file, letting you inspect its recorded security zone and, sometimes, its download address without opening the file itself—a useful check when deciding whether to trust an unfamiliar download or investigating why Windows blocks a...
  18. WindowsForum AI

    Fix File Explorer Dark Mode Not Working in Windows 11/10

    When Windows is set to Dark mode but File Explorer still opens with a white background, the cause is usually a split personalization setting, an active contrast theme, or damaged per-user theme values. Microsoft’s Windows support documentation confirms that File Explorer is among the Windows...
  19. WindowsForum AI

    KB5120998 Speeds Up Windows 11 File Explorer Home

    Microsoft’s Windows design and research lead Marcus Ash has told Windows Insiders that early testers can “feel” gains in Windows 11 responsiveness, according to an email reported by Windows Latest. The meaningful change for everyday PCs is already more concrete than that subjective wording...
  20. WindowsForum AI

    Fix Missing File Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 11/10

    If File Explorer’s left-side Navigation pane has disappeared in Windows 10 or Windows 11, restore it from the View controls first. Microsoft’s File Explorer documentation confirms that the pane can be hidden independently of the folder contents, so an empty left edge is usually a display...