How to Open File Explorer to ‘This PC’ in Windows 11 & 10

Learn how to configure File Explorer to open to the “This PC” page, which displays all drives, instead of the Quick Access page.

File Explorer is the default file management application in Windows that allows you to browse, modify, and delete files and folders in one place. The best thing is, the app is pretty easy to use and has all the basic/essential features you’ll ever need. For example, you can force it to display file extensions and thumbnails, pin frequently used folders, etc.

One such thing you can customize in File Explorer is the page to which it opens. By default, when you open the File Explorer, it displays the Quick Access (Home) page/tab, which lists all your quick access folders and recently opened files and folders. However, if you want, you can configure File Explorer to display all the drives in your system as soon as you open it by selecting “This PC” as the default page/tab.

In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to set up File Explorer to open to the ‘This PC’ page in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Let’s get started.

Good to read: How to disable quick access in File Explorer.

Open File Explorer to This PC

To force File Explorer to display the “This PC” tab/page instead of the Home or Quick Access page, follow these steps.

On Windows 11:

1. Press “Windows key + E” to open File Explorer.
2. Click the “See more” (three horizontal dots) icon on the command bar.
3. Select “Options” from the “See more” menu.
4. Select “This PC” from the “Open File Explorer to” dropdown menu.
5. Click “OK“.
6. From now on, when you open File Explorer, it opens to “This PC”.

On Windows 10:

1. Open the File Explorer using “Windows key + E“.
2. Click the “View” tab.
3. Click the “Options” button.
4. Go to the “General” tab.
5. Select “This PC” from the “Open File Explorer to” dropdown menu.
6. Click “OK” to save the change.
7. With that, the File Explorer opens to This PC.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open the File Explorer by pressing the “Windows key + E” keyboard shortcut. You can do the same thing by clicking on the File Explorer icon on the taskbar or by searching for it in the Start menu.

Once it opens, click the “View” tab, and then click the “Options” button.

Now, ensure you are in the “General” tab and then select “This PC” from the “Open File Explorer to” dropdown menu. After that, click the “OK” button to save the change.

That is it. The File Explorer will open to the This PC page instead of the Quick Access page from now on.

Use Registry Editor to Force File Explorer to Open to ‘This PC’

If the File Explorer option shown in the above method is not working or if you are looking for an alternate method, you can use the Registry Editor to force File Explorer to open to This PC. All you have to do is modify a DWORD value, and you are good to go. Here is how:

Note: This process required administrator rights. Before proceeding, please back up the registry.

1. Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “regedit” and click “OK“.
3. Go to the following folder:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
4. Double-click the “LaunchTo” value on the right panel.
5. Set the Value Data to “1“.
6. Click “OK“.
7. Close the registry editor and restart your PC.
8. From now on, File Explorer opens to This PC.

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That is all. It is that simple to open the File Explorer to This PC instead of Quick Access or Home. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.

Good to know: How to add My Computer or This PC icon to the desktop