How to enable Libraries in Windows 10 File Explorer [SIMPLE STEPS]

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Libraries were introduced in Windows 7, and since then they become very useful way to organise your files. But, for some reason, the Libraries item is missing from the Navigation panel in Windows 10, by default.

And if you use this feature often, you might want it back, and here are a couple of ways to do it.

How can I enable Libraries in Windows 10 Explorer?

Enabling Libraries in Windows 10

To enable Libraries in Windows 10 File Explorer, follow these steps:

• Open FileExplorer
• Instead of Home, go to This PC
• In the left panel, right-click the empty space to open the context menu.
• Check the Libraries item

The Libraries item will now appear in the Navigation panel.

Customizing Libraries in Windows 10

If you want your Libraries item directly in the Home folder, instead of the Navigation panel, you can do it with a couple of registry tweaks.

• After that, go to this key:

• Create the same subkey,
• Close all Explorer windows and reopen it

Libraries will now appear in the Home folder of Windows 10 File Explorer. Strangely, Libraries will be under the Favourites group, but didn’t find the way to change this.

If you can’t edit your Windows 10’s registry, read this handy guide and find the quickest solutions to the issue.

Additionally, you can open Libraries from the Run dialog box, with entering just one command. To do that, press Win and R keys at the same time and enter the following command in the Run dialog box.

This command is a special shell command which will open the Libraries folder directly in your File Explorer.

Most users don’t know what to do when the Windows key stops working. Check out this guide and be a step ahead.

Fix Libraries issues

Having an issue with your libraries can be a great problem, especially if you stock your data in those folders. For those of you having problems with libraries, we suggest you check our guide on fixing Music Library.

It is a quick fix that will basically reset your Libraries, and you can apply this fix not only for the Music folder but also for Videos, Pictures, and Documents.

That should be all, we don’t know why Microsoft decided to exclude Libraries from the default Navigation bar, but as you can see, you can easily bring it back.

If you have some questions or comments, please express yourself in the comment section, below.

Help Windows 10 does not have any libraries, what am I doing wrong?

Don’t worry, the Windows 10 has also the libraries that you can activate and deactivate when required for an individual work with the MS-Explorer under Windows 10!

Content:
1.) . Show and Hide the libraries in File Explorer! ◄ OLD
2.) . For what the libraries in Microsoft File Explorer?
3.) . Show libraries from 2020 in all MS Windows 10 OS! ◄ NEW
4.) . Create new libraries and/or restore standard (default) libraries!
5.) . Remove / add folders (directories) from / to the library and change the icon!
6.) . What if I delete an image file / picture in the library?

1.) Show and Hide the libraries in File Explorer!

1. Please start the MS-Explorer eg with the key combination Windows logo + E

2. Click View and the folder options!

Now please activate the option Show Libraries! (. see Image-1)

(Image-1) Windows-10, show libraries in MS-Explorer!

2.) For what the libraries in Microsoft File Explorer?

There are 6 default Libraries. Camera Roll, Documents, Music, Pictures, Saved Pictures and Videos. They contain links to every of libraries for the user account to have easy access to the contents of windows library.

See also: ►►► new libraries and / or restore standard (default) libraries!

3.) Show libraries from Windows 10 Creators Update!

Please start the MS-Explorer eg with the key combination Windows logo + E and click View and the folder options!

Select the tab «View» and activate the option Show Libraries! (. see Image-2 Point 1 to 5)

(Image-2) Show Windows 10 libraries from Creators Update!

4.) Create new libraries and/or restore standard (default) libraries!

and all Windows 10 default libraries will be restored.

(Image-3) Create new libraries File-Explorer W10!

5.) Remove / add folders (directories) from / to the library and change the icon!

Similarly, you can also modify the icon of the library. (. see Image-4)

(Image-4) Add folder to libraries and customize!

Info:
Windows libraries are designed to manage documents, music, pictures, and other files.

The files here can be searched on the same procedure as in a folder or directory.

Optionally, you can also arrange / group the files by date properties (details), such as date, type, or author.

6.) What happens if I delete an image file / picture in the windows library?

If you delete an file for example one picture in windows library the image will by removed from the Library and the original is in recycle bin folder!

(Image-5) What when I delete a picture in Library!

You can use the MS Explorer on Windows 10 to show and hide the libraries and add additional libraries or remove existing ones, there are really many possibilities under windows, here you have a simple example of how to view libraries in the Navigation Pane and / or not display them!

How to use Windows Libraries effectively in Windows 10

Windows Libraries is a centralized place for bringing together all the related files from the different folder or different PCs. Precisely, Libraries is a collection of shortcuts to the original file or folder locations which can have its locations either on a local computer or on a network drive. This, to an extent also marks the difference between Libraries and User Folders, as User folders are actual folders while Libraries are collections of shortcuts to User folders.

Windows 10 Libraries

The default Windows Libraries are Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. Since Libraries have many benefits like quick access and so on, it is necessary to know and understand how to use Libraries effectively in Windows 10/8/7.

Once you add a location to the Library, it’s just one-click away inside of File Explorer. This way you can easily manage your work or daily tasks. The following information might help you to some extent in this regard.

Re-order Library Contents

Including a folder in a library does not physically move or change the storage location of the files or folders; the library is a view into those folders. However, users interacting with files in a library can re-order folders inside a library in Windows 10.

Open File Explorer and click the Libraries item in the Navigation Pane on the left. This action opens up Libraries instantly. Thereafter, select a library, right click it and choose “Properties” from the context menu.

Now, you will see the folders listed in the order in which they are included in the current library. If required, you can simply re-order them by drag and drop! Drag the folders up or down to set the desired order and you are done.

Hiding Default Libraries

Users can hide or delete the default libraries in Windows 10. Although this is possible, it is important to mention here that the libraries node in the Navigation pane cannot be hidden or deleted. Hiding a default library is preferable to deleting it. So, only some default libraries that are not suitable for the business environment, such as Music or Videos libraries, should be hidden.

To hide a default library, run a script on the network to modify the Library Description file, and you need to access a Group Policy setting to hide the link to this library on the Start menu. The script should set the hidden attribute of the Library Description file (*.library-ms). This conceals the library from users in the Windows Explorer navigation pane and Items View. The following example script hides the Pictures library:

You should configure a Group Policy setting for every library that has a link you want to hide in the Start menu. You can find these Group Policy settings under User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar.

Change default Save Locations for Libraries

Every library has a default Save location. Files are automatically saved or copied to this location when a user chooses to save or copy a file to a library. So, known folders are the default save locations. If required, users can select a different save location. Also, when the user removes the default save location from a library, the next location is automatically selected as the new default save location. So, if the library is empty of locations, the save operation fails.

To change the default save location for libraries, open File Explorer by either left-clicking on the File Explorer icon on the Taskbar or hitting the Start button and then choosing File Explorer.

Next, right-click on the Start button and left-click on File Explorer from the Power User menu.

Then, press the Windows logo key WinKey+E and right-click on the Library you’d like to change. Thereafter, choose Properties, select the Library location that you want as default and left-click on Set save location and then hit Apply button.

Folder Redirection

Folder redirection enables users and administrators to redirect the path of a known folder to a new location, manually or by using Group Policy. The new location can be a folder on the local computer or a directory on a file share. When you redirect a folder, the files in the folder are made available to the user from any computer on the network.

The advantages of using this method are that even if users log on to different computers on the network, their data is always available and if you are using the offline technology then, it gives users access to the folder even when they are not connected to the network. This is especially useful for people who use portable computers. Moreover, the data that is stored in a network folder can be backed up as part of routine system administration. This is safer because it requires no action by the user. And lastly, data that is specific to a user can be redirected to a different hard disk on the user’s local computer from the hard disk that holds the operating system files. All this makes the user’s data quite safe in case there is any event of misfortune and you have no option other than reinstalling the operating system.

Library Attributes

As mentioned earlier, Libraries contain files that are stored in one or more storage locations. They do not actually store these files but only monitor the folders that contain the files, and let users access and arrange the files in different ways.

If required, the following library attributes can be modified within Windows Explorer, the Library Management dialog, or the Library Description file (*.library-ms):

1. Name
2. Library locations
3. Order of library locations
4. Default save location

There is some more interesting information about Windows Libraries available here on Technet. You want to also take a look at this Windows Libraries FAQ.

How to use libraries on Windows 10

Source: Windows Central

On Windows 10, libraries work similarly to folders, but they have been designed to organize files and folders into logical containers, even when the content isn’t stored in the same physical location. For example, a library can include content stored in the primary and secondary drives, allowing you to view the different places in a single unified presentation.

The system comes with four default libraries, including Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos, and each library includes the locations of the known folders. You can add and remove locations to the default libraries, or you can create custom libraries to organize specific folders.

In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to enable and manage libraries on your device.

How to enable libraries on Windows 10

To show libraries on File Explorer, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click the View tab.
3. Click the Navigation pane menu.

Select the Show libraries option.

Source: Windows Central

Confirm the libraries in the navigation pane.

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete the steps, a new «Libraries» item will appear in the left pane. You can then double-click to expand and access the default libraries, including Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos.

If you want to disable the feature, you can use these instructions, but on Step No. 4, make sure to select the Show libraries option to clear the option.

How to add folders to a library on Windows 10

To add folder locations to a library, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Double-click to expand the Libraries option in the left pane.

Right-click the library you want to add a folder and select the Properties option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Add button.

Source: Windows Central

Select the location, such as secondary drive, or any location that is indexed by Windows Search.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Include folder button.

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

After you complete these steps, the new location will be available via the library.

Alternatively, you can also include new locations by right-clicking a folder, selecting the Include in library option, and choosing the library you want to include the folder.

Remove library location

To remove a library location, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Double-click to expand the Libraries option in the left pane.

Right-click a library and select the Properties option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Remove button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the location will no longer be available using the library.

How to set the default save location for a library on Windows 10

To specify the default location that apps will use to save files in a library, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Double-click to expand the Libraries option in the left pane.

Right-click a library and select the Properties option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Set save location button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the folder you selected will become the new default location to save files.

How to delete a library on Windows 10

To delete a library on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Double-click to expand the Libraries option in the left pane.

Right-click a library and select the Delete option.

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete these steps, the library will be removed, but the folders included in the library won’t be deleted from your device.

If you deleted one of the default libraries by mistake, you can always right-click the Libraries item from the navigation pane, and select the Restore default libraries option.

Hide libraries

Alternatively, you can simply hide the library instead of deleting it with these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Double-click to expand the Libraries option in the left pane.

Right-click the library you want to add a folder and select the Properties option.

Source: Windows Central

Clear the Show in navigation pane option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the library will continue to be available, but it’ll be removed from the navigation pane. If one of the libraries is missing in File Explorer, it’s likely because it is hidden.

How to optimize a library for content on Windows 10

To optimize the view of the library depending on the content, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Double-click to expand the Libraries option in the left pane.
3. Right-click the library you want to add a folder and select the Properties option.

Under the «Optimize this library for» section, use the drop-down menu and choose the type of content you’re planning to store. Options include:

Source: Windows Central

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the default library view will change according to your configuration. For example, if you select the Pictures option, the default view will include large icons and a folder that will show a preview of its contents.

How to create libraries on Windows 10

To create a custom library on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Right-click the Libraries folder in the left pane.

Select the New submenu and choose the Library option.

Source: Windows Central

Right-click the library and select the Properties option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Add button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Change library icon button.

Source: Windows Central

Select an icon that reflects the content.

Source: Windows Central

Click the OK button.

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the new library will available in the «Libraries» collection from the navigation pane.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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