Customize File Explorer: Show Extensions, Hidden Files & Quick Access Toolbar

Customize File Explorer: Show Extensions, Hidden Files & Quick Access Toolbar​

Difficulty: Beginner | Time Required: 12-15 minutes
Introduction
Keeping file extensions visible, revealing hidden files, and tailoring the Quick Access Toolbar can dramatically speed up your Windows workflow. By showing extensions you can quickly tell file types, revealing hidden items helps you manage system and configuration files, and a personalized Quick Access Toolbar gives you your most-used commands at your fingertips. This guide covers both Windows 10 and Windows 11, so you can follow along whether you’re on the older system or the latest Windows release.
Prerequisites

• Basic familiarity with File Explorer (opening folders, selecting files).
• A standard user account is fine; you don’t need admin rights to change these settings (though some system files remain protected).
• Optional: a folder that contains a mix of known and unknown file types to verify extensions, and/ or a hidden file you want to spot.

Detailed step-by-step instructions
1) Open File Explorer

• Windows 10 and Windows 11: Click the folder icon on the taskbar or press Windows + E to launch File Explorer.

2) Show file name extensions (e.g., .txt, .exe, .jpg)

• Windows 10:
  • Go to the View tab on the ribbon.
  • In the Show/hide group, check the box for “File name extensions.”
• Windows 11:
  • Open File Explorer.
  • Click the View button (three horizontal lines or a “View” label) or the three-dots menu, then choose Show.
  • In the Show submenu, select “File name extensions.”
• Quick tip: If you still don’t see extensions, you can also enable “Hide extensions for known file types” off by going to File Explorer Options (Folder Options) > View > uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types.” This ensures extensions are shown for all files consistently.

3) Show hidden files and folders

• Windows 10:
  • In the same View tab, within Show/hide, tick the box “Hidden items.”
• Windows 11:
  • Open the View menu (three-dots) or the View button.
  • Under Show, enable “Hidden items.”
• Quick tip: Hidden items can include important system files. If you need to view protected OS files, see the warning in step 6.

4) Optional: Reveal protected operating system files

• For a deeper look (use with caution):
  • In Windows 10/11, open File Explorer Options (you can search “File Explorer Options” or press Alt+V, then O in some setups).
  • Go to the View tab and deselect “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).”
  • You’ll be prompted with a warning; confirm only if you know what you’re doing.
• Caution: These files are typically hidden for a reason. Don’t move or delete them unless you’re confident about the impact.

5) Customize the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)

• Where is the QAT? It’s the small toolbar at the very top-left of the File Explorer window, near the address bar.
• Windows 10 and Windows 11:
  • Click the drop-down chevron at the end of the Quick Access Toolbar (or right-click any command in the ribbon) and choose “More commands” or “Customize Quick Access Toolbar.”
  • You’ll get a list of commands you can add. Check the ones you want, such as:
  • New Folder
  • Copy, Paste
  • Delete
  • Rename
  • Properties
  • Undo/Redo
  • To rearrange, you can drag items up or down within the QAT.
  • If you don’t see a desired command, choose “More commands…” to access a larger list and add it from there.
• Quick tip: Place your most-used actions on the QAT so you don’t have to switch between the ribbon tabs.

6) Quick verification and practice

• Create a test folder with a few sample files (e.g., readme.txt, image.jpg, program.exe) and a hidden text file if you want to check hidden items.
• Verify file extensions appear for each file (e.g., readme.txt shows “.txt”).
• Toggle Hidden items to ensure you can see hidden files or folders.
• Use the Quick Access Toolbar to create a new folder or copy a file to confirm the shortcuts work as expected.
• If you’re testing OS files, re-cover your steps after testing so you don’t leave sensitive items visible longer than needed.

Tips and troubleshooting notes

• Different UI flows between Windows 10 and Windows 11:
  • Windows 10 tends to present Show/hide options in a dedicated View tab on the ribbon.
  • Windows 11 folds many options into the View menu (three-dots) or the View button; you’ll still find “File name extensions” and “Hidden items” in a Show submenu.
• If a setting doesn’t “stick,” close and reopen File Explorer or sign out/in. Most of these options are per-user preferences and apply across all Explorer windows.
• Caution with hidden OS files:
  • It’s best to keep “Hide protected operating system files” enabled unless you’re performing a specific, knowledgeable task. Deleting or renaming OS files can destabilize Windows.
• Resetting Quick Access Toolbar:
  • If you customize too much and want the default setup, you can reset the QAT from the same customization menu (look for a “Reset” option) and then re-add your essential commands.
• Accessibility considerations:
  • If you rely on precise file types, ensuring file extensions are visible helps with quick identification, especially when planning batch renames or organizing folders.

Conclusion and key benefits
Enabling file extensions, revealing hidden items, and personalizing the Quick Access Toolbar together creates a faster, safer, and more intuitive file management experience. You’ll quickly identify file types, access system and configuration files when needed, and execute frequent actions with fewer clicks. This small set of tweaks pays off in daily productivity, particularly when organizing large folders, troubleshooting, or moving files across drives.
Key takeaways:

• Show file extensions to quickly identify file types and reduce mis-clicks.
• Reveal hidden files to better understand what Windows is managing behind the scenes.
• Customize the Quick Access Toolbar for one-click access to your most-used commands.
• Use caution with hidden OS/system files and consider reverting changes if something feels off.

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This tutorial was generated to help WindowsForum.com users get the most out of their Windows experience.