File Explorer Basics

File Explorer is the tool you use to look at files and folders on your computer. It helps you open things you’ve saved, organize your documents, and move files from one place to another. If you think of your computer like a filing cabinet, File Explorer is how you open the drawers and see what’s inside.

Opening File Explorer

You can open File Explorer by pressing Enter on a shortcut from the desktop, taskbar, or start menu. You can also open File Explorer using the Windows search bar. Just press the windows button, type “File Explorer”, and press Enter.

Another quick way to open File Explorer is by pressing Windows + E.

Open a New File Explorer Window | Windows + E

Note: Every time you press Windows + E, you’ll open a new File Explorer window. This can be useful if you want to move files between folders.

If you need a refresher on how to launch programs using JAWS, check out JAWS and Windows Basics.

Navigating File Explorer

Several different sections make up File Explorer. You can move between these sections by pressing the Tab key. As you tab, JAWS will announce where you are. Once you’re in a section, you can use the arrow keys to move around inside it.

Move Between Parts of File Explorer | Tab

Move Within Parts of File Explorer | Arrow Keys

There are a lot of parts to File Explorer, and that can feel overwhelming at first. You might find yourself pressing Tab again and again, not sure where you are or what you’re looking for. That’s okay. The two most important sections of file explorer for JAWS users are the Tree View and the List View. These sections are what we use to choose, save, open, and move files.

List View

The List View is where your files and folders live. When you open File Explorer, this is often where your focus lands first. It’s where you’ll see the contents of whatever folder you’re currently in.

You can move through the list using the Up and Down Arrow keys. JAWS will read each file or folder as you land on it.

This is where you’ll select files to open, save, attach, or upload. If you press Enter on a folder in List View, you’ll go inside it. If you press Enter on a file, it will open in the program it’s associated with.

Move Between Files and Folders | Up and Down Arrow

Open Files and Folders | Enter

Delete Files and Folders | Delete

Go Back a Level (escape out of a folder) | Alt + Left Arrow

Tree View

The Tree View is the part of File Explorer that shows you the structure of your computer. It’s where you choose which folder you want to look inside.

You can use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move through the list. When you hear a folder you want, press Enter to open it. This will change what you see in the List View, but it won’t automatically move your focus there. To view the files inside the folder, press Tab to move from Tree View into List View.

Some of the most common folders you’ll see in Tree View are:

Documents | This is where many programs save files by default

Downloads | Files you download from the internet usually end up here

Desktop | This shows the files and shortcuts on your computer’s desktop

Tree View gives you control over where you’re working.

First Letter Navigation

When you’re in a long list of items it can take a while to move through everything one arrow key at a time. That’s where first letter navigation comes in.

If you know the name of what you’re looking for, just press the first letter of that name. JAWS will jump you to the first item that starts with that letter.

For example, if you’re in List View and looking for a file called “Resume”, press the letter R on your keyboard. If there’s a file that starts with R, JAWS will land on it. Pressing R again will jump to the next item that starts with R, if there is one.

This also works in Tree View. Let’s say you’re trying to get to the Downloads folder. Just press D while you’re in Tree View. JAWS will move you to the first folder starting with D. Pressing D again moves to the next D-named folder.

First letter navigation is a quick way to move through long lists without a lot of extra arrowing.

Moving Between List View and Tree View

Once you’ve picked a folder in Tree View, you’ll often want to move into List View to see what’s inside. You can do this by pressing Tab. If you go too far, keep pressing Tab. File Explorer loops back around eventually. You can also press Shift + Tab to go backward if needed.

Move to the Next Section | Tab

Move Backward | Shift + Tab

JAWS will announce when you’re in “List View” or “Tree View,” so listen for those words to help you stay oriented.

Tree View and List View are usually right next to each other in File Explorer. That means once you’ve found one, you’re only a press or two away from the other. You can press Tab to move forward, or Shift + Tab to go backward. JAWS will announce when you’re in “List View” or “Tree View,” so listen for those words to help you stay oriented.

The File Explorer Dialog

We see the File Explorer dialog when we save, open, attach, or upload a file. It shows up anytime the computer needs us to pick a file or choose where to put one. This dialog is how your computer asks you, “What file are you talking about?” or “Where should I put this?”

The File Explorer dialog looks and behaves a lot like the regular File Explorer window. It has the same basic parts, like the Tree View and the List View. But it also includes some extra elements, depending on what you’re doing. For example, the dialog gives you a place to type in a file name and a Save button to confirm your choice when saving a file. When opening a file, you look for one that already exists to open it.

Saving a File

When you save a file, the computer wants to know two things: Where do you want to save it? and what do you want to name it?

When the Save dialog opens, your focus is usually in the file name box. You’ll hear something like “Document1” or “Untitled.” That’s a placeholder name the computer picked for you. If you start typing, that name will go away and be replaced with what you type. If you want to keep part of it, use your arrow keys to move around first.

The place where your file will be saved is already picked for you. This is called the default folder. What folder gets picked depends on the program you’re using. For example, Microsoft Word usually saves to your Documents folder. But other programs might choose Downloads, Desktop, or somewhere else.

If you’re okay with where the file is going, all you have to do is type a name and press Enter. That’s it! Your file will be saved in that spot.

If you want to save the file in a different folder, press Shift + Tab until you get to the folder list. This is called the Tree View. Use the arrow keys to choose a different folder, like Desktop or Downloads, and press Enter. Then press Tab to get back to the file name box.

Opening a File

When you open a file, the computer needs to know where that file is saved. Your focus usually starts in the file name box. If you know the exact name of the file, you can type it in and press Enter to open it. But most of the time, you’ll want to go look for the file.

To find a file, press Shift + Tab until you reach the folder list (Tree View). Use the arrow keys to move through the list and press Enter on the folder you want.

After you press Enter on a folder, press Tab to move to the list of files (List View). Use the arrow keys to go through the list. When you find your file, press Enter to open it.

Attaching and Uploading Files

Sometimes you’ll be asked to “attach” or “upload” a file. Both of these actions use a File Explorer dialog to let you choose something from your computer.

Attaching usually happens in email programs, like when you’re adding a file to a message. You might hear something like “Attach File” or “Add Attachment.” After choosing that option, a File Explorer dialog will open so you can pick the file you want.

Uploading happens when you’re putting something onto a website. For example, lets say you are filling out a form online. You hit tab, and JAWS says “Upload Resume”. When you hit enter on that button, a File Explorer dialog opens where you can choose your file.

Some websites let you upload to a specific location or let you upload an entire folder. For example, in Google Drive, you can choose to upload a single file or an entire folder from your computer. The File Explorer dialog helps you make that choice.

In any of these cases, use Tree View and List View to find your file, just like you would when opening or saving. Then press Enter on the file you want, and it will be attached or uploaded.

Creating Folders

Folders help you organize files, and subfolders let you go deeper. Subfolders are just what we call folders that are inside of a folder. You can create a new folder in File Explorer by pressing Ctrl + Shift + N.

Create a new folder | Ctrl + Shift + N

After you press this command, JAWS will announce “New folder edit.” That means your new folder is ready to be named. Just type a name and press Enter.

Moving Files and Folders

The easiest way to move files or folders from one place to another is by using cut, copy and paste.

Copy | Ctrl + C
Paste | Ctrl + V
Cut | Ctrl + X
Undo | Ctrl + Z

Start by finding the file or folder you want to move. Press Ctrl + C to copy it. Then, use Tree View or List View to get to the folder where you want the item to go. Once you’re there, press Ctrl + V to paste it.

When you’re new to file explorer, it is safer to use copy and paste. Once you can confirm that your files are where you want them, you can delete the original file. This adds a little extra safety while you’re learning.

Once you’re feeling confident, you can speed things up by using cut instead of copy. Cutting removes the file from its original location when you paste it somewhere else.

If you make a mistake, press Ctrl + Z to undo your last action.

This process can involve a lot of moving around and feel labor intensive. To make the process easier, consider opening extra file explorer windows (Windows + E). Using Alt + Tab, we can move between different file explorer windows. Each window can be open to a different file explorer location. This can help make moving files easier!