By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Name the parts of a File Explorer window: navigation pane, address bar, file list and details.
- Open Documents, Downloads and This PC and say what a drive letter such as C: means.
- Delete a practice file, then restore it from the Recycle Bin.
- Open Settings, move between its sections and use its search box.
File Explorer is the Windows tool for looking at your files and folders, and Settings is where you change how the computer behaves. Together they answer two everyday questions: where did I put that file, and where do I change this option? Learning how to look without changing anything is the safest way to start. Menu names can differ slightly between versions of Windows 11, so we focus on the layout ideas.
Opening File Explorer
File Explorer is the program that shows your files and folders. Open it by clicking the yellow folder icon on the taskbar, or by pressing the Windows key and E together. If the icon is missing, press the Windows key, type file explorer, and press Enter. You can think of it as a filing cabinet with a window: the drawers are drives, the folders inside are labelled sections, and the files are the papers.
- Marker 1: Address bar: where you are
- Marker 2: Toolbar: actions
- Marker 3: Navigation pane: places
- Marker 4: File list
Read this figure as text
A simulated File Explorer window with a navigation pane on the left, an address bar on top and a list of files in the middle.
A simulated File Explorer window titled Practice. Marker 1 is the address bar, which shows the current location, Home then Documents then practice. Marker 2 is the toolbar, with buttons such as New, Cut, Copy, Rename, Delete and View. Marker 3 is the navigation pane on the left, listing Home, Gallery, Desktop, Downloads, Documents, This PC and Network. Marker 4 is the file list in the middle, showing three practice files: shopping-list.txt, school-notes.docx and market-photo.jpg, with their sizes. The first file is selected. Names and positions can differ slightly between versions.
Finding your way around
The navigation pane on the left is your list of places. Home (called Quick access in older versions) shows folders you use often and files you opened recently. Desktop, Downloads, Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos are folders in your own account's area. Downloads is where web browsers usually save the things you download. The address bar at the top shows the route to where you are, separated by arrows. Click any part of that route to jump back to it.
Double-click a folder to open it. Use the back arrow at the top left to return. The View button changes how items are shown: large icons, a list, or Details, which adds columns for size and date modified. Details view is the most useful when you are learning, because it shows what the file is and how big it is.
This PC and drives
Click This PC in the navigation pane. You see the storage devices attached to the computer. Windows gives each one a letter. The internal main drive is almost always C:, called the C drive, and your own folders live inside it. Other letters, such as D: or E:, usually mean a second drive, a USB stick or a memory card. Letters A: and B: are left over from old floppy disks and are not used today. A bar under each drive shows how full it is. If the C drive is nearly full, Windows slows down and cannot install updates properly.
- Marker 1: Internal drive (C:)
- Marker 2: Removable USB stick (E:)
- Marker 3: Free space shown beside each drive
Read this figure as text
A simulated This PC window showing the Windows C drive with free space and a removable USB drive.
A simulated window titled This PC. Under Folders it lists Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos. Under Devices and drives it lists two items. The first is Local Disk (C:), the internal drive, with 180 GB free of 237 GB. The second is USB drive (E:), a removable stick, with 14 GB free of 15 GB. Marker 1 points at the C drive, marker 2 at the USB drive, and marker 3 at the free-space information. The sizes are made-up examples.
Deleting and the Recycle Bin
When you delete a file from your computer's drive, Windows normally does not destroy it at once. It moves it to the Recycle Bin, like putting a paper in a waste basket that nobody has emptied yet. You can open the Recycle Bin from the icon on the desktop, right-click a file and choose Restore to put it back where it came from. Only when you choose Empty Recycle Bin (or Windows empties it to free space) is the file gone for good.
- Step 1: Select and DeleteFile leaves its folder
- Step 2: In the Recycle BinStill recoverable, still uses space
- Step 3: RestoreBack in its original folder
- Step 4: Empty Recycle BinGone for good
Read this figure as text
A flow showing a file moving from a folder to the Recycle Bin and either returning with Restore or being removed with Empty Recycle Bin.
Step 1: you select a file and press Delete. Step 2: the file moves to the Recycle Bin and disappears from its folder, but still takes up space. Step 3: you open the Recycle Bin and choose Restore, which puts the file back in its original folder. Or step 3 alternative: you choose Empty Recycle Bin, which removes the files permanently and frees the space.
The Settings app
Settings is where you change how Windows looks and behaves. Open it from Start (the gear icon in Pinned) or press the Windows key and I together. The left side lists sections. Common ones are System (display, sound, notifications, power, storage), Bluetooth & devices, Network & internet, Personalisation, Apps, Accounts, Time & language, Privacy & security and Windows Update. Each section opens into pages of switches and menus. A search box at the top finds a setting by name, which is quicker than browsing.
System
Display: brightness, scaling
Sound: volume and devices
Notifications
Power and battery
Storage
- Marker 1: Search box
- Marker 2: Sections
- Marker 3: Page for the selected section
Read this figure as text
A simulated Settings window with a search box, a list of sections on the left and a System page on the right.
A simulated window titled Settings. Marker 1 is the search box at the top, labelled Find a setting. Marker 2 is the section list on the left: System, Bluetooth and devices, Network and internet, Personalisation, Apps, Accounts, Time and language, Privacy and security and Windows Update. System is selected. Marker 3 is the page on the right, showing System options such as Display, Sound, Notifications, Power and Storage. Section names can differ slightly between versions.
You may also hear about the Control Panel. It is an older settings tool that still exists for some advanced items. Beginners should start with Settings, because it holds almost everything they need. Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 have the same Settings app. Pro adds extra tools for businesses and schools, such as joining a work domain, which you do not need at home.
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Saving everything on the Desktop because it is easy to see.
✔ Do this: A crowded desktop is hard to search and slows start-up slightly. Keep files in Documents, Pictures or Downloads, in named folders.
✖ Instead of: Emptying the Recycle Bin without looking inside.
✔ Do this: Open it first and check. Emptying is permanent, and files you meant to keep may be there.
✖ Instead of: Changing many settings at once and not remembering what was changed.
✔ Do this: Change one thing, test it, and note the original value so you can reverse it.
If something goes wrong
- I cannot find a file I saved yesterday.
- Open Home in File Explorer to see recent files. Otherwise type part of the name in the search box at the top right of File Explorer, and check the Downloads folder.
- File Explorer shows no file sizes or dates.
- Click View and choose Details. The columns Size and Date modified then appear.
- My USB stick does not appear under This PC.
- Unplug it and plug it into a different USB port. Wait a few seconds. If it still does not appear, try it on another computer to find out whether the stick or the port is at fault.
Key terms
- File Explorer
- The Windows program for browsing files and folders.
- Windows Settings
- The Windows app where you change how the computer looks and behaves.
- Trash (Recycle Bin)
- A holding place for deleted files, from which you can restore them until you empty it.
- Storage
- The part of a computer that keeps your files and programs even when it is switched off.
- File path
- The written route to a file through the folders that contain it.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Make, delete and restore a practice file
Open File Explorer, open Documents, and create a new folder called practice (right-click an empty area, choose New, then Folder). Inside it create a text file called test.txt (right-click, New, Text Document). Delete test.txt, open the Recycle Bin on the desktop, find the file and restore it. Check that it is back in the practice folder. Only ever delete files that you made for this exercise.
Challenge: find three settings without changing them
Open Settings. Using only the search box, find the page where you can see how much storage is used, the page that shows the Windows version, and the page for Bluetooth. Write down where each page is in the section list. Do not change any switch. Then use File Explorer's Details view to find the size of three files in your practice folder.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- File Explorer has a navigation pane, an address bar, a toolbar and a file list. Details view shows sizes and dates.
- The C: drive is the internal main drive. Other letters are extra drives and USB sticks, which should be ejected before removal.
- Deleted files go to the Recycle Bin and can be restored until it is emptied. Removable drives usually skip it.
- Settings has sections on the left and a search box at the top. Look first, then change one thing at a time.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.
- Windows help and learning (Microsoft)