Windows key + E – open a new instance of File Explorer from anywhere in Windows. Alt + P – show or hide the Preview pane. Alt + Shift + P – show or hide the Details pane.
We’re just a few days away from receiving the next iteration of Windows 10. The aptly named Anniversary Update. Certain new features and some design changes are included. But in all these changes one thing is gonna remain the same. The same boring folders and file explorer. Yes, no doubt, Microsoft totally nailed it with the design language of Windows 10. The sleek and minimalistic design are eye pleasing. But, I still find File explorer and folders to be boring in looks. Well, if you feel the same and are a “Tweaker” then let me show you 3 tools that will help you customize the look the folders in Windows 10.
There are many tools available for customization in Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. No specific tools have yet been developed for customizing Windows 10. The below tools are updated versions (compatible with Windows 10) and some are not (but, they work). I’d still recommend you to take a System backup before performing any tweaks. By the way, there weren’t any damaging issues in my usage. So, it’s safe to proceed. Let’s dig in.
1. Folder Colorizer: Add Colors to Your Folders
Folder Colorizer is the tool that you must have used in Windows 7 to add colors to your folders. The tool is not updated for Windows 10 but it still works.
The usage is pretty simple. After installing go to the folder location. Right-click on the folder. Choose Colorize! and select your color.
Now, after you select the color it will do some loading and present you an error. Just hit OK and the folder color should change. Restoring the color back to original works fine. The custom colors option doesn’t work. The dialogue box does show up but crashes after few seconds of opening.
Also, there are few things to note:
- The sub-folders of the customized folder will also change their colors.
- The thumbnail view of the folder icon won’t show the preview of files that are stored in it.
2. Folderico: Completely Customize the Folder Icons
Folderico has full compatibility with Windows 10 and works perfectly. With this tool, you get the freedom to completely customize the look of the folder icon. You can add custom color, images, and overlays.
Open the tool and browse to the folder which you’d like to customize. Now, you can replace the icon with an image or else add a color and overlay to it.
You can use any PNG or JPEG image as an overlay. Here I’ve used the Counter-Strike logo. You can also add color to the background. If you think you want to use the icon again with other folders then you can even save it by clicking on Save to User Icons. Also, there are some preinstalled icons that you can use.
3. Windows 10 Skins
One of the way to completely change the look and feel of the file explorer and the folders is to install skin packs. There are many cool themes and skins available for Windows 10. Skins for your favorite games, metro themes, and Android themed skins.
I recommend you to download skins from skinpacks.com. I’ve been using their skins since Windows 7. There’s also a Skin Pack Creator and IconPack Creator to create your own custom skins. One thing to note here is that the whole Windows UI will change not only the file explorer. If you don’t want to change the whole UI then you can use the SkinPack creator to create your own customized skins for file explorer and folders.
Few Other Add-ons
In the past, we had shared a tool that gives Chrome-style tabs in the file explorer. Also, if you know the file explorer doesn’t show folder size in details view. So, in order to quickly view the size of the folder, you can use this tiny tool called Folder size.
Any other tools to add up to this list? Let us know in the comments or share it on our forums.
ALSO READ: 3 Powerful Tools to Tweak and Customize Windows 10
Also See#customization #folder Did You Know
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If you work for a financial organization you would know and understand the importance of reporting. You would also know that it’s not just the data in the files that’s important but also data about the files. For example, you might need to keep track of the list of files, modification dates, file size, type etc. on a routine basis.
In fact, such data is considered very crucial for statistical and analytical reasons. They can tell you the frequency of reporting, frequency of modification and report growth trends.
Now, the pain is in maintaining such records. It is not possible to manually note the details. Hence, you might find this Excel trick very useful in those scenarios.
Steps to Import Directory and File Details
Take a look at the image below. It is my documents folder and I have many important documents in it. And, I regularly export the file and directory list to an Excel sheet for maintenance.
Step 1: Navigate to the subject directory on Windows Explorer and copy the path to that directory. Here it’s C:UsersSandeepDocuments.
Step 2: Now open a browser of your choice, paste the copied location on the address bar and hit Enter. I did it on Firefox. The URL will be prefixed by file:/// and contents of the subject directory will be rendered as a web page.
Step 3: Right-click anywhere on the web page and choose Save Page As. That will create an offline copy of the web page.
Step 4: Again, on Windows Explorer, navigate to the location of the file you just created. Copy the complete path.
By complete path I mean the location of the file and the file name. Something like, C:UsersSandeepDesktopDocuments.htm
Step 5: Open an Excel sheet. Switch to Data tab and select to Get External Data From Web.
Step 6: On the window that comes up, paste the complete path on the address bar and hit on Go. It will load the contents.
Step 7: Take note of the yellow arrows contained inside small yellow boxes. Clicking on them will select a frame from the web page.
Here’s a section of what I needed and what I selected.
Step 8: When you are done click on Import. In no time you will have the details on an Excel sheet. Everything arranged in column to column.
Do it With Command Prompt
There is one more way to get a similar result. Though I personally do not prefer it, I will put it down for you.
Open command prompt, navigate to the subject directory and type the following command.
dir > filename.txt, where filename is the name of your file
Then open an Excel book and import the contents of filename.txt to the sheet. During import you will have to define column separators.
The sad part here is that the data isn’t always formatted properly in this process. Thus, not my preference.
Conclusion
We spend a lot of time in organizing our computers and data. With regular usage we end up storing numerous important files in it. Then, to be sure that we do not lose them we depend on stuff like password protection, antiviruses and backups. To me the above trick is just an add-on to what we already have.
If at all due to some malfunction I lose my data and do not have backup (or lose the backup as well) I would at least know from my list the data that I have lost.
Top Image Credit: Monrovia Public Library
Also See#backup #import/export ![File File](/uploads/1/2/5/7/125755117/668439697.png)
Did You Know
The founders of WhatsApp, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, were both rejected by Facebook and Twitter in interviews.