How to Change Views in Windows Explorer: Introduction

Windows has a built-in file manager called “Windows Explorer” that shows you the files and folders that are on your computer. Windows Explorer works great, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always display your files and folders the same way. This can be really confusing when you are learning how to use Windows.

Windows Explorer has 6 total “view modes” you can choose from (you might only see 5 right now) that simply change the way your files are displayed. All of your files stay in the same place, they are just presented differently. You select the different view modes by clicking the View menu in an Explorer window.

There is also an easy button for changing your views. It is usually located at the top of your Windows Explorer window, but below your file menu, and it looks like the picture below. Just click on it, and it will pop up a menu of the same view mode choices:

No matter which way you select your view mode, it will be a bulleted list, so you’ll only use one view mode at a time. (I’ll be going to the View Menu at the top of the screen through the remainder of this tutorial – like in the first photo)

You can set all of your folders to use the same view mode. For example, you might like Thumbnail View mode and want every folder you open to use Thumbnail View mode. But I don’t recommend using the same view mode all the time. That’s because each view mode is designed for a specific job. It would be kind of like mowing your lawn with scissors. Plus, you’d be missing out on one of the great parts of having a computer: it allows you to do tedious work quickly and have fun while you’re doing it! Let’s take a look at some examples. Click on number 2: How to Change Views – Thumbnails View

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

Thumbnails View

The Thumbnails view is a photographers best friend. Select “Thumbnails” from the View menu and you will see previews of your photos (JPG files), organized from left to right. This makes organizing your photos a breeze because you don’t have to open each photo to identify it, and left to right is usually a logical representation of a series of photos.

Thumbnails View also works when you are viewing folders that contain pictures in them. It will show you a preview of the photos that are inside that folder:

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

Tiles View

Though not quite as popular as Thumbnails view, Tiles view is helpful when you need to know the resolution of your photos, but nothing else. Notice the summary that is directly below the title of each photo.

This is helpful if you have lower resolution photos mixed in with higher resolution photos, and you are trying to identify them based on size. You’ll also notice that everything is organized from left to right in this view mode, not top to bottom:

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

Icons View

Probably my least favorite view mode. I don’t get summaries of resolution or date, it’s organized from left to right (which makes this mode even more difficult to use) and the icons are somewhere in between small and large.

It’s not to say that it is wrong, I just find that I have a hard time finding files and folders when they are organized this way.

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

List View

I am a huge fan of List view. This is how most of my folders are setup when I’m not organizing photos. It is organized from top to bottom, and it is easy to find things at a quick glance. So if I sort them alphabetically, “A” is at the top and “B” is right below it (instead of to the right of it). When you have enough folders or files to fill the window, it starts a new column over to the right; so you can fit a lot of information in front of you without having to scroll down.

This mode is very helpful when you are working with a large collection of folders and want to drag things around quickly. You can see from this photo that your folders are all shown together:

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View