File Explorer keyboard shortcuts
Folders, tabs, panes, renaming, and navigation in the Windows file manager.
30 shortcuts Windows checked September 14, 2026
Print all 30 shortcuts One sheet with every shortcut in this app, ready for the printer or a PDF.
This app has a Windows catalog in Shortivo. No other operating system is published for it yet.
- File Explorer Documented
| Action | Keys | Row actions |
|---|---|---|
| Open File Explorer Anywhere in Windows | Windows WinE | Source |
| Select the address bar File Explorer | Windows AltD | Source |
| Show properties for the selected item Item selected | Windows AltEnter | Source |
| Go back to the previous folder File Explorer | Windows AltLeft arrow | Source |
| Go forward to the next folder File Explorer | Windows AltRight arrow | Source |
| Show or hide the preview pane File Explorer | Windows AltP | Source |
| Show or hide the details pane File Explorer | Windows AltShiftP | Source |
| Move up one folder level File Explorer | Windows AltUp arrow | Source |
| Send the selected item to the Recycle Bin Item selected | Windows CtrlD | Source |
| Jump to the search box File Explorer | Windows CtrlE | Source |
| Open a new File Explorer window File Explorer | Windows CtrlN | Source |
| Expand every folder in the navigation pane Navigation pane | Windows CtrlShiftE | Source |
| Create a new folder File Explorer | Windows CtrlShiftN | Source |
| Move to the previous tab Several tabs open | Windows CtrlShiftTab | Source |
| Open a new tab and switch to it File Explorer | Windows CtrlT | Source |
| Close the active tab File Explorer | Windows CtrlW | Source |
| Move to the next tab Several tabs open | Windows CtrlTab | Source |
| Scroll to the bottom of the window File Explorer | Windows End | Source |
| Rename the selected item Item selected | Windows F2 | Source |
| Search for a file or folder File Explorer | Windows F3 | Source |
| Edit the current folder path File Explorer | Windows F4 | Source |
| Refresh the window File Explorer | Windows F5 | Source |
| Cycle through the parts of the window File Explorer | Windows F6 | Source |
| Maximize or restore the window File Explorer | Windows F11 | Source |
| Scroll to the top of the window File Explorer | Windows Home | Source |
| Collapse the selected folder Navigation pane | Windows Left arrow | Source |
| Expand the selected folder Navigation pane | Windows Right arrow | Source |
| Delete an item without using the Recycle Bin Item selected | Windows ShiftDelete | Source |
| Open the context menu for the selection Item selected | Windows ShiftF10 | Source |
| Resize every column to fit its text Details view | Windows Ctrl | Source |
About File Explorer and its shortcuts
File Explorer is where Windows users spend more time than they think, and its keyboard covers navigation between folders and panes, selecting, renaming, creating, and switching the view. The commands that move focus between the address bar, the tree and the file list are what make it usable without a mouse.
Windows 11 rebuilt Explorer, adding tabs and moving parts of the interface, so older guidance can disagree. Some commands are handled by Windows itself rather than Explorer, which is why they also work elsewhere.
Where the File Explorer keys came from
Read from 1 documentation page published by the makers of File Explorer. Report a key that is wrong
To see how one action is done in other apps as well as File Explorer, browse the shortcuts by task. Shortcuts by task