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SSC CGL Preparation – Day 7
Computer Basics – Windows Explorer (File Explorer)
🔹 What is Windows Explorer?
Windows Explorer, now known as File Explorer, is a file management application that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for accessing and managing files and folders on Microsoft Windows operating systems.
🔹 Key Functions of Windows Explorer:
- Browsing Files and Folders
- Allows users to navigate through drives, folders, and files.
- You can open, rename, move, delete, and copy files or folders.
- File Organization
- Supports sorting files by name, size, date modified, file type, etc.
- You can create folders to organize files better.
- File Searching
- The search bar at the top-right helps you locate files by name or content.
- Supports filtering by date, file type, and size.
- Access to Drives and Devices
- Lists Hard drives (C:, D:), Removable drives (Pen Drives, HDDs), Optical drives (CD/DVD), and Network locations.
🔹 Interface Elements of File Explorer:
- Quick Access
- Shows frequently used folders and recent files.
- You can pin important folders here for faster access.
- Navigation Pane
- Located on the left, allows easy access to drives, folders, Desktop, Downloads, etc.
- Ribbon Menu (in Windows 8 and later)
- Contains tabs like Home, Share, View with tools for file management (copy, paste, rename, properties).
- Address Bar
- Displays the current file path; allows direct navigation by typing a path.
- Search Box
- Used to search files/folders within the current directory.
- File Preview Pane
- Optional feature to view the contents of a selected file (e.g., image, text, PDF) without opening it.
🔹 Common Operations in Windows Explorer:
| Action | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|
| Copy selected item | Ctrl + C |
| Paste copied item | Ctrl + V |
| Cut selected item | Ctrl + X |
| Delete selected item | Delete or Shift + Delete |
| Rename selected item | F2 |
| Select all items | Ctrl + A |
| Create new folder | Ctrl + Shift + N |
| Search in folder | Ctrl + F |
| Refresh window | F5 |
| View file properties | Alt + Enter |
🔹 File Types and Extensions
File Explorer shows file types through extensions:
.docx– Word Document.xlsx– Excel Spreadsheet.jpg,.png– Image files.mp4– Video file.exe– Executable file.pdf– PDF Document
You can enable viewing extensions via View > File name extensions.
🔹 File View Options
Under the View tab, you can change how files are displayed:
- Details – Shows file name, size, type, modified date
- Tiles, Icons – Larger visual display of files
- List – Compact list view
- Sort and Group – Useful for organizing by date, type, etc.
🔹 Additional Features:
- Zip/Unzip files: Right-click > “Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder”
- Properties window: Gives detailed info about the file – size, location, type, permissions.
- OneDrive Integration (if enabled): For cloud-based storage and syncing.
🔐 Security Note:
Avoid renaming or deleting system files or folders from C:\Windows or C:\Program Files unless you’re sure – these are critical for system functioning.
🧠 SSC CGL Tip:
Expect questions like:
- What does Ctrl + Shift + N do?
- Which shortcut opens file properties?
- What feature is used to preview files without opening them?
