7 Time Saving File Management Tips

Open a Command Prompt in a Specific Folder

Have you ever been in a folder in Windows Explorer and then wanted to open a Command Prompt in that same folder? If so, you know that you can [Shift]+right click and select Open command window here from the context menu. However, there’s another option that just might be a tad quicker.

Click in Windows Explorer’s Address bar so that all the text is highlighted, type cmd, and press [Enter]. When you do, you’ll see a Command Prompt window targeted on that folder.

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When using a Jump List to access a file, you may need to access other files in the folder. Fortunately you can do so right from the Jump List. Just right click on the filename and select Open file location command on the context menu. When you do, Windows Explorer will open the folder containing that file.

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When copying files from one folder to another, sometimes it’s easier to have two Windows Explorer windows open side by side. Fortunately, using Windows Key shortcuts and Snap, you can create a dual-pane file manager simulation with four simple keystrokes:

[Windows]+E

[Windows]+[Left Arrow]

[Windows]+E

[Windows]+[Right Arrow]

Now, if having the Navigation pane in each window gets in your way, you can…

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…remove them. To do so, pull down the Organize menu, select the Layout menu, and clear the Navigation pane check box.

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With the Navigation panes out of the way, you may find that copying files in the dual-pane file manager is easier.

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Extending the Send To menu

As you know, when you right click on a file or folder and select the Send To menu you will see the default list of locations to which you can copy items. However, if you hold down the Shift key as you right-click, when you select the Send To menu you'll have access to a host of new items such as special folders.

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When you are navigating from folder to folder on your hard disk or between network shares in Windows Explorer, chances are that you return to some of the same folder over the course of time. While using the Back and Forward buttons will get the job done, there is an alternative button that you can use to more quickly navigate to folders that you’ve recently accessed. Called Recent Pages, this little button can be found right between the Forward button and the Address bar. Just click the button and select a folder name from the menu.

The Recent Pages feature is also available in the Open and Save dialog boxes of most applications.

Keep in mind that the Recent Pages feature will only show you the places that you have been since you opened the current Windows Explorer session. If you close and reopen Windows Explorer, the Recent Page menu will be empty. However, there is another…

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…similar feature called Recent Places that remembers all of the folders that you’ve accessed over a long period of time. Just select Recent Places in the Favorites tree in the navigation pane and you’ll see an extensive list of the folders that you’ve accessed. To make Recent Places even more useful, click the Date modified column header and sort the folders in ascending or descending order.

The Recent Places feature is also available in the Open and Save dialog boxes of most applications.

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If you regularly perform searches for certain files, you can make running that search again easier by pinning it to the Windows Explorer Jump List. To do so, launch Windows Explorer, fill in the Search box, and press [Enter] to initiate the search. When the Search results appears, click the Save search button and the search will immediate appear in the Navigation pane under Favorites. Next…

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…drag the search from the Navigation pane and drop in on the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar. When you do…

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…the search will be pinned to the Jump List, where you can easily access it. If you want to free up space in the Navigation pane, you can remove the saved search by right clicking and selecting the Remove command.

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Even though Microsoft removed the Up button from the Windows Explorer Command Bar in Windows 7, they did not remove the functionality from the operating system. In fact there are two ways that you can access and use the Up functionality in Windows Explorer—a keyboard shortcut and a menu item.

When you are in Windows Explorer and want to go up one folder, you can use the use the keyboard shortcut [Alt]+Up Arrow. You can also, pull down the View menu, select the Go To menu, and choose the Up one level command.

Using either of these techniques as an Up button replacement will work just fine, but they are not as convenient as having an Up button on the Command Bar.  If you really want to put the Up button on the Command Bar, check out my February 2011 article Add the Up button to the Explorer Command Bar in Windows 7.

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What’s your favorite way to file management tip? Share your comments in the TechRepublic Community Forums and let us hear from you. 

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