Search notes:

explorer.exe: GUI

Ribbon

File
   Open new window
   Open Windows PowerShell
   Change folder and search options
   Help
   Close
   Freuqent places 

Home
   Clipboard
      Pin to Qick access       
      Copyu
      Paste
      Cut
      Copy path
      Paste shortcut
   Organize
      Move to
      Copy to
      Delete
      Rename
   New
      New folder
      New item
      Easy access
   Open
      Properties
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      Edit
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   Select
      Selet all
      Select none
      Invert selection

Share
   Send
      Share
      Email
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      Burn to disc
      Print
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   Share with
      Advanced sharing…
      Remove access
   Advanced security

View
   Panes
      Navigation pane
      Preview pane
      Details pane
   Layout
      Extra large icons
      Small icons
      Tiles
      Large icons
      List
      Content
      Medium icons
      Details
   Current view
      Sort by
      Group by
      Add columns
      Size all columns to fit
   Show/hide
      Item check boxes
      File name extensions
      Hidden items
      Hide selected items
   Options
      Change folder and search options                Opens Folder Options popup

Folder Options (popup)

Three tabs:

General

Open File Explorer to
  • Quick access, or
  • This PC
Browse folders
  • Open each folder in the same window, or
  • Open each folder in its own window
Click items as follows
  • Single-click to open an item (point to select) (sub-options: «Underline icon titles consistent with my browser» and «Underline icon titles only when I point at them»), or
  • Double-click to open an item (single click to select)
Privacy (checkboxes):
  • Show recently used files in Quick access
  • Show frequencly used folders in Quick access
Privacy also has the button Clear File Explorer history.
The General tab also has the button Restore Defaults.

View

Button to apply «this» view to all folders of this type.
Advanced settings (such as showing hidden files etc.)

Search

How to search
  • Checkbox: Don't use the index when searching in file folders for system files
When searching non-indexed locations (checkboxes)
  • Include system directories
  • Include compressed files (ZIP, CAB…)
  • Always search files names and contents
The Search tab also has the button Restore Defaults.

Quick access

Quick access is the equivalent of Favorites that was found older Windows Versions.
A particular problem of Quick access is that shows only the name of a folder. Thus, two folders with the same name cannot be distinguished in Quick access.
Quick access can be configured to be the location that the File Explorer opens to when started: Folder Options (popop), tab General.
The Folder Options popup can be opened under View -> Options -> Change folder and search options.

Frequent folders / Recent files

When Quick access is active, the right pane shows two «locations» (if they're not hidden).
  • Frequent folders
  • Recent files
These two locations can be hidden:

Pin or unpin shell folders from the File explorer's left side

In the registry, it is possible to set the value of System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree under HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{clsid} to 1 or 0 which determines if the corresponding Shell folder is pinned to the navigation pane (that is: if it is visible on the left side of the File explorer), see also this Microsoft documentation link: 
#
#  Pin or unpin a Shell Folder to/from the Namespace tree.
#
#  Shell Folders that are unpinned are not visible in the
#  File explorer on the left side.
#
function set-pinning($clsid, $value) {

   $regPath = "hkcu:\Software\Classes\CLSID\$clsid"

   if (-not (test-path $regPath)) {
      $null = new-item $regPath -force
   }

   $null = new-itemProperty -path "$regPath" -name 'System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree'  -value $value -force
}

  set-pinning  '{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}'  0   # This PC
  set-pinning  '{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}'  0   # OneDrive   (Value might already exist in registry)
  set-pinning  '{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}'  0   # Network
# set-pinning  '{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}'  0   # Libraries
# set-pinning  '{B4FB3F98-C1EA-428d-A78A-D1F5659CBA93}'  0   # Home group
# set-pinning  '{E31EA727-12ED-4702-820C-4B6445F28E1A}'  0   # Drop Box
Github repository about-Windows-Registry, path: /HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Classes/CLSID/namespace-tree-pinning.ps1

This PC

The following PowerShell script removes a few items from the This PC pane by modifying values under the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions. 
#
#   Remove or show items (Shell Folders?) from "This PC" in the File explorer.
#

set-strictMode -version latest

  $regPath = 'HKLM:/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/FolderDescriptions'
# $regPath = 'HKLM:/SOFTWARE/WOW6432Node/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/FolderDescriptions\'
# $regPath = 'HKCU:/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/FolderDescriptions'                # No effect under HKCU



function set-thisPCPolicy ($guid, $show_or_hide) {

 #
 # The value of $show_or_hide must be (case sensitive) 'Show' or 'Hide'
 #

   $regPath_ = "$regPath/$guid/PropertyBag"

   if (-not (test-path $regPath_)) {
      write-host "$regPath_ does not exist, creating it"
      $null = new-item $regPath_ -force
   }

   $null = new-itemProperty -path "$regPath_" -name 'ThisPCPolicy'  -value $show_or_hide  -force
}


  set-thisPCPolicy '{31C0DD25-9439-4F12-BF41-7FF4EDA38722}' Hide   #  3D Objects

  set-thisPCPolicy '{33E28130-4E1E-4676-835A-98395C3BC3BB}' Hide   #  My Pictures
  set-thisPCPolicy '{0ddd015d-b06c-45d5-8c4c-f59713854639}' Hide   #  Local Pictures

  set-thisPCPolicy '{35286a68-3c57-41a1-bbb1-0eae73d76c95}' Hide   #  Local Videos

  set-thisPCPolicy '{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}' Hide   #  Downloads
# set-thisPCPolicy '{3D644C9B-1FB8-4f30-9B45-F670235F79C0}' Hide   #  Common Downloads?

# set-thisPCPolicy '{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}' Hide   #  MusicLibrary
  set-thisPCPolicy '{4BD8D571-6D19-48D3-BE97-422220080E43}' Hide   #  My Music
  set-thisPCPolicy '{a0c69a99-21c8-4671-8703-7934162fcf1d}' Hide   #  Local Music
  set-thisPCPolicy '{3214FAB5-9757-4298-BB61-92A9DEAA44FF}' Hide   #  commonMusic

  set-thisPCPolicy '{7d83ee9b-2244-4e70-b1f5-5393042af1e4}' Hide   #  Local Downloads
  set-thisPCPolicy '{f42ee2d3-909f-4907-8871-4c22fc0bf756}' Hide   #  Local Documents
# set-thisPCPolicy '{d3162b92-9365-467a-956b-92703aca08af}' Hide   #  Local Documents
# set-thisPCPolicy '{ED4824AF-DCE4-45A8-81E2-FC7965083634}' Hide   #  Local Documents

  set-thisPCPolicy '{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}' Hide   #  Desktop

# set-thisPCPolicy '{0DB7E03F-FC29-4DC6-9020-FF41B59E513A}' Hide   #  NetworkPlacesFolder
Github repository about-Windows-Registry, path: /HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/FolderDescriptions/show-hide-folders-in-This-PC.ps1
Some sources on the internet also claimed that it is possible to hide folders by setting a few values under the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideMyComputerIcons - yet, I was unable to hide anything in my tests.

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