Windows Explorer can basically be set to either open each new folder in a new window or all folders in the same. Windows users who want to mix the two modes have the problem that it appears to be more difficulty than though.
Most launch a new Windows Explorer window and navigate to the folder they want to view in the new window. Some launch the new instance from the taskbar, some use the keyboard shortcut Windows-E to do so.
Both methods have the problem that the user needs to manually navigate to the folder first before work can be continued.
There are actually two ways to open a new Windows Explorer window directly in the program, with the selected folder as the starting folder.
A right-click on any folder in Windows Explorer displays a context menu, this is true for the standard display but also the sidebar if it is enabled and available in the Windows operating system. Among the items in the context menu is the option to spawn the selected folder in a new window.
open in new window
That’s however not the fastest option to spawn a new Windows Explorer window. Holding down CTRL while double-clicking a folder will open the contents of that folder in a new Windows Explorer window.
This is the fastest way to open a new window in Windows Explorer from another Windows Explorer window, providing that the default setting has been set to display all folders in the same Explorer instance.
Got more handy Windows Explorer tips to share? Let us know in the comments.
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“Holding down CTRL while double-clicking a folder will open
the contents of that folder in a new Windows Explorer window”
What do you know. I never knew.
Very handy indeed. Thanks, Martin.
Does not seem to be working in vista, and I don’t have the open in new window contextmenuitem neither. I think ctrl-doubleclicking worked on earlier versions of windows. Do you know a workaround for vista?