Windows

Start Explorer In A Different Folder In Windows Vista

Posted by on Aug 27, 2007 | 11 Comments

If you use the Windows Explorer shortcut on your Start Menu, you probably notice that it always opens in the same window. For example, if you use Windows Vista, Windows Explorer always opens to the Documents folder.

If you find this to be an annoyance, Explorer always opening to the Documents folder, you can configure it to open to a folder of your choice. You can do so by editing the properties of the Windows Explorer shortcut.

Open Windows Explorer and locate your Start Menu folder. Right click the shortcut to Windows Explorer and click Properties. From the Shortcut tab, change the target so it reads as follows: %systemroot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, x:\folder where x:\folder is the path to the folder that you want Explorer to open in. Click OK. Now when you launch Windows Explorer from the Start Menu, it will open in the folder that you specified.

[tags]windows, vista, vista tips[/tags]

  • Ken Wolf

    I use this technique to open explorer into the C: drive with the folders showing, but I was wondering what the ” /n ” command does?
    Thanks!

  • iamisaid

    hi diana, thanks for your clear guide on how to make the change on my vista win explorer to a specified file. it worked.

  • Toni

    Tanks a lot !!!

  • swtrekker

    A thousand thanks!

  • Dave

    Hi Diana,

    This works fine for my start menu “Windows Explorer”,(Start>Accessories>Windows Explorer) but I have always opened my windows explorer by right clicking on the Windows Start menu button and selecting “Explore” This in turn opens windows explorer, unfortunatly the fix you have supplied does not change the location displayed when opening windows explorer this way. Only when opening windows explorer by clicking on Start>Accessories>Windows Explorer will it open to the folder I have specified in the “target” location. Any way I can get Windows Explorer to open to this target when I open Windows Explorer by right clicking the “Start” menu and choosing “Explore”? Your help is greatly appreciated

  • Cliff

    Hi Dana, Many thanks. I also created a desktop shortcut to use instead of right-clicking the start button.

  • Wesley J Burdine

    Thanks for your help, Linda. It seems Vista has made things too difficult these days.

    While it does open the directory I requested, I am now faced with it always asking permission first. I have it set to open the user folder (c:\user\MyUserName\). I get this message:

    User Account Control
    Windows needs yor permission to continue.
    If you started this action, continue.
    User Account Control

    I actually get this way too often for my like. I s there a way to tell Windows that thi saction is always OK or that certain programs never need permission?

  • Wesley J Burdine

    oops – so sorry Diana. Linda was the person helping me on another isue.

  • http://www.lopesoft.com/en/index.html Bart

    I installed file menu tool 5.4.1
    Allows you to customise the context menu
    and makes explorerr behave just exactly the way you want it to

    and its freeware!
    hope it helps folks
    http://www.lopesoft.com/en/index.html

  • Rick

    Sorry Bart, doesn’t work. How hard is it for Microsoft to simply let me open Windows Explorer in the root when I execute it by right clicking on the Start Menu? Typical Microsoft crap.

  • Robert Simoiu

    Thank you so much you are cool :d