Click the Taskbar Icon

Windows PCs come with certain apps preloaded on the taskbar, including File Explorer; just click the File Explorer icon in the taskbar to open it.

If you’ve removed the File Explorer icon from the taskbar, you can use one of the other methods below to launch it, and then re-pin it to the taskbar.

To do this, launch File Explorer, right-click its icon on the taskbar and then select “Pin to Taskbar” to keep it there permanently. You can then drag and drop it wherever you want it on the taskbar.

Use the Keyboard Shortcut

Almost every keyboard on a Windows PC has a Windows key (it’s the one with the Windows icon). You can open File Explorer by pressing Windows+E.

Via Windows Search

You can search for any application on your PC in Windows Search. In the Search box to the left of the Taskbar, just type “File Explorer,” and then click (or use the arrow keys to select) “File Explorer” in the search results to launch it.

From the Start Menu

There are three ways you can open File Explorer from the Start menu. The first is to click the Start button, and then scroll down the list of apps and click “Windows System.” In the submenu, click “File Explorer” to open it.

You can also pin File Explorer to the sidebar above the Start button. To do so, click Settings > Personalization > Start, and then click “Choose which folders appear on Start.”

On the next screen, toggle-On the “File Explorer” option.

File Explorer will now appear in the sidebar of the Start menu; click it to launch File Explorer.

You can also add a shortcut to the pinned tile section to the right of the Start menu. To do so, open the Start menu, type “File Explorer” in the Search box, and then, in the pane that appears to the right of the search results, click “Pin to Start.”