Managing Open Files and Windows
An important aspect of good File Management is having the ability to easily access the files you need and, moreover, being able to efficiently navigate through lots of open files. In this tutorial, we'll outline various ways to streamline access to commonly used files, how to switch between multiple open files, and how to organize open files on screen.
Note that the information in this tutorial pertains to Windows 8.1 and/or Windows 10 running in Desktop mode, which uses a conventional interface with icons and windows rather than one with tiles and full screen apps designed primarily for touch-based input. A good rule of thumb: if you see the Taskbar described here, you're almost certainly in desktop mode; if you don't, you're probably not.
Pin Apps to the Taskbar
One of the best things that you can do to facilitate easy access to your most frequently used files is to pin the app that's associated with them to the Windows Taskbar-the small horizontal strip of real estate at the bottom of the screen when you're using either Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 in desktop mode.
Windows pins several apps to the Taskbar by default. These include Internet Explorer, File Explorer, and Windows Store. But you can also pin your own apps to the Taskbar as well. To pin an app to the Taskbar, search for it from the Start menu, then right click or long tap the item and choose Pin to Taskbar.
After you've pinned an app to the Taskbar, you'll see that its icon takes up residence at the bottom of the screen.
All apps appear on the Taskbar while they're open even if they've not been pinned, but the benefit to pinning an app is that it will appear on the Taskbar even when it's NOT open. To pin an open app to the Taskbar so that it will remain there even after it is closed, right click or long tap the app's icon and choose Pin this program to taskbar.
Recent and Pinned Files
Once an app is pinned to the Taskbar, accessing files gets a lot more convenient. Right click or long tap a pinned app and a "Recent" menu (also known as a Jump List) will pop up, giving you one-click access to the files that you recently used with that app. (Some apps, such as File Explorer and Windows Media Player, use the label "Frequent" rather than "Recent".)
Even better, you can keep any recently accessed file even closer at hand by pinning it to the Jump List.To pin a file to a Jump List, hover the mouse cursor over a file. You'll see a pin icon appear to the right of its name. Click it and the file selected will appear in a new "Pinned" list above the list of recent files. Repeat the process to unpin a pinned file.
PINNING FOLDERS AND FILES TO THE TA SKBAR
Windows makes it easy to pin files-and even folders-to the Taskbar even if they haven't been opened recently. To pin a file or folder to the Taskbar, find the item in File Explorer, then click or tap and hold and drag it down to an empty area of the Taskbar, letting it go once you see the Pin to... label appear. (This label will vary depending on which kind of item you are trying to pin.)
Case in point: if you've chosen to pin a folder, it will be pinned to File Explorer. If you've selected a file, it will be pinned to the default app for that file type; if that app isn't already pinned to your Taskbar, pinning the file will automatically pin the app along with it.
Pinning Apps and Folders to the Start Menu
Another way to make accessing your files more convenient is to pin frequently used apps or folders to the Start Menu, which effectively creates a shortcut to the item in the form of a tile. To pin an app to the Start Menu, right click or long tap it but choose the Pin to Start option.
Pinning an app to the Start Menu isn't quite as useful as pinning it to the Taskbar because it doesn't provide access to a Jump List of Recent or Pinned files for that app. By contrast, pinning a folder to the Start Menu can provide easy access to its contents.
To pin a folder to the Start Menu, right click or long tap it in File Explorer and select Pin to Start.
Once you've pinned an app or folder to the Start menu in either Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, you may resize it (right click or long tap and choose Resize) or drag it to another location in the menu.
Switching Between Open Files in an App
You've probably experienced the frustration of having countless files open in different windows and having difficulty finding a specific file or spending a lot time of jumping between different windows trying to find the particular file you want at that moment. As we saw earlier, pinning apps and files to the Taskbar can make opening frequently used files a lot more convenient. But the Taskbar's usefulness doesn't end there; it can also streamline the process of moving back and forth between different open apps, files, or windows, especially when you have multiple files/windows open in the same app.
Using the Taskbar
An app's icon on the Taskbar gives you considerable visibility and control over your open files. For starters, when you have a file open in a given app, its Taskbar item will appear highlighted. And if you have multiple files open in a given app, "stacked" (i.e., overlapping) buttons provide a visual indication of this.
To save space on the Taskbar, button stacking won't necessarily reflect how many files you have open in an app. For example, if you have five files open, you won't see five stacked buttons. To see which file(s) are open in an app, click or tap the Taskbar button (or you can simply hover the mouse cursor over the button) to display thumbnails of all of the open files. Then, click or tap a thumbnail to bring that file's window to the foreground and close the thumbnails. You can also use the X in the right corner of a thumbnail to close the corresponding file. If you're using a mouse, hovering the cursor over the thumbnails without clicking on them will allow you to view each file windows before deciding which one to switch to.
Want to close all the files open in an app? Right click or long tap the Taskbar button and choose Close all windows-if any files need to be saved, you'll be prompted to do that.
Switching Between Any Open File or App
Using an app's Taskbar button lets you conveniently view and switch between files that are open in that particular app. But what if you want to switch between the files that are open in ALL of your apps?
An easy way to do this is via the ALT+TAB key combination. To use it, hold down ALT then press TAB (but continue to hold down ALT). A box will appear showing individual thumbnail views for each open file or app window, plus one for the Windows Desktop. As you continue to hold ALT, press TAB repeatedly to select each successive thumbnail, which will bring the corresponding window to the foreground. Once you've you've found the file or app you want, release the ALT and TAB keys.
If you find holding down ALT + TAB together too cumbersome, another option is to press ALT+TAB+CTRL simultaneously. This will keep the thumbnails on screen without the need to hold down any keys. With this method, use TAB or the left/right arrow keys to swtich between thumbnails, ENTER to select one, and ESC to close the thumbnail view (or use the mouse to switch between and select thumbnails).
When you use ALT+TAB or ALT+TAB+CTRL in Windows 10, the thumbnail view looks a little different. Thumbnail sizes will vary depending on how many there are (so fewer thumbnails = bigger thumbnails), and there is no thumbnail for the desktop.
Viewing Multiple Files Simultaneously
When you have many files and/or apps, open at once, the Taskbar and ALT+TAB methods that we've outlined so far let you hone in on one particular file of interest. But what if you want to see two (or more) files without one file's windows obstructing your view of another?
This is where Windows Snap feature comes in. Let's say that you have two files open and you want to be able to work on them at the same time. With Snap, you can easily arrange them side-by-side so that each takes up exactly half of your screen.
Snap (Windows 8.1)
To Snap a pair of files, click or tap the title bar at the top of a file and drag it to either the left or right edge of the screen, then let go once you see the faint outline of that half of the screen. Then repeat the process for another file on the opposite side of the screen and you'll wind up with two adjacent files.
To unsnap a file window and return it to its original size and position, just double click/tap its title bar, or drag the window away from the edge of the screen until it returns to its original size.
OTHER USEFUL SNAPS
You can snap windows in a couple of other useful ways that don't necessarily facilitate viewing multiple files simultaneously. For example, drag a file window to the top edge of the screen to make it full screen. To maximize a window's height but not its width, place the cursor along the top or bottom edge of the window (the cursor will become a vertical arrow), then click and drag upward or downward (as appropriate) until you reach the top or bottom of the screen.
Snap and Snap Assist (Windows 10)
The Snap feature includes several enhancements in Windows 10. For starters, if you have multiple file windows open and snap one of them to either edge of your screen, Windows 10 will automatically assume that you want to snap another one to the opposite side as well, where it will display thumbmail views of your other open windows.
This feature is called Snap Assist; click or tap any thumbnail to snap that window to the remaining half.
Windows 10 also allows you to snap a file window not just to the left and right edges but into all four corners of the screen. The process works much like it does in Windows 8.1 and, except that you drag the window into a corner until you see that corner highlighted. (Snap Assist works in this mode as well.) Note that in Windows 10 you can mix and match your snaps-for example, you can snap a window to one side of the screen and two more to the opposite corners.
Snap Keyboard Shortcuts
Snapping windows using a mouse or finger can sometimes be imprecise, so here are some simple keyboard shortcuts that can make the tasks a lot easier.
Action Keyboard Shortcut Snap to left edge Windows Logo+ left arrow Snap to right edge Windows Logo+right arrow Snap to upper left quadrant Windows Logo+ left arrow THEN Windows (Windows 10 only) Logo + up arrow Snap to lower left quadrant Windows Logo+ left arrow THEN Windows (Windows 10 only) LOGO + down arrow Snap to upper Right quadrant Windows Logo+right arrow THEN Windows (Windows 10 only) LOGO + up arrow Snap to upper right quadrant Windows Logo+right arrow THEN Windows (Windows 10 only) LOGO + down arrowTask View and Virtual Desktops (Windows 10) Windows 10 includes a couple of new features to help you keep your open files organized. The first is called Task View, which you can access via the corresponding button on the Taskbar or by pressing Windows + TAB.
Activating Task View offers a way to view and switch between all your open windows much like the ALT+TAB and ALT+TAB+CTRL methods described earlier (and, like the latter, it doesn't require you to hold down any keys). But what really makes Task View useful is that you can combine it with Virtual Desktops, a feature that lets you group related files, windows, or apps together into separate desktops to limit the number of windows open in front of you at a given time.
When you activate Task View, you'll see thumbnails of your open windows, along with a plus sign labeled "New desktop" at the lower right corner of the screen. To transfer a window to a new desktop, drag and drop it onto New Desktop. You'll now see Desktop 1 and Desktop 2 thumbnails at the bottom center of the screen (your original desktop is Desktop 1). You can then drag and drop remaining open windows down to your existing desktops or create yet more desktops. When you're done, click or tap the thumbnail for the Virtual Desktop you to which you want to return.
Once your windows are organized into Virtual Desktops, you can use Task View to switch between them at any time. (Another way to switch between Virtual Desktops is Windows+CTRL+left or right arrow.)
To close a virtual desktop, click the arrow to the upper right of its thumbnail in Task View or press Windows+CTRL+F4 to close the currently selected Virtual Desktop.
When you close a Virtual Desktop, its files/windows/apps don't close; they're automatically transferred to the previous desktop. For example, close Desktop 3 and its items are transferred to Desktop 2, and so on.
When you are using Virtual Desktops, ALT+TAB and the Taskbar only show the windows open in that Virtual Desktop. If you want to change this behavior so that you can view windows open across all desktops, click or tap the Start button, then Settings, System, and finally, Multitasking. Then modify the options listed under Virtual desktops.