Editing File Explorer (section)

===Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008===
[[File:Windows Explorer Vista.png|thumb|Windows Explorer in [[Windows Vista]], showing Public folder contents|alt=]]

====Search, organizing and metadata====
Windows Explorer includes significant changes from previous versions of Windows such as improved filtering, sorting, grouping and stacking. Combined with integrated desktop search, Windows Explorer allows users to find and organize their files in new ways, such as stacks.<ref name="FilteringTechRepublic">{{cite web |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/article/examine-the-filtering-grouping-and-stacking-features-in-windows-vistas-windows-explorer/ |title=Examine the filtering, grouping, and stacking features in Windows Vista's Windows Explorer |last=Shultz |first=Greg |date=August 10, 2006 |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[TechRepublic]] |access-date=December 19, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222093342/http://www.techrepublic.com/article/examine-the-filtering-grouping-and-stacking-features-in-windows-vistas-windows-explorer/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="StackingCNET">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnet.com/news/seven-days-of-vista-day-4-stacking-and-filtering/ |title=Seven days of Vista -- day 4: Stacking and filtering |last=Reid |first=Rory |date=January 30, 2007 |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[CNET]] |access-date=December 19, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222133441/http://www.cnet.com/news/seven-days-of-vista-day-4-stacking-and-filtering/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The new Stacks viewing mode groups files according to the criterion specified by the user.<ref name="StackingCNET"/> Stacks can be clicked to filter the files shown in Windows Explorer. There is also the ability to save searches as virtual folders or search folders.<ref name="TechRepublic">{{cite web |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/how-do-i/how-do-i-save-and-refine-desktop-searches-in-microsoft-windows-vista/ |title=How do I... Save and refine desktop searches in Microsoft Windows Vista? |last=Kaelin |first=Mark |date=July 17, 2007 |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[TechRepublic]] |access-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117063919/http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/how-do-i/how-do-i-save-and-refine-desktop-searches-in-microsoft-windows-vista/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A search folder is simply an XML file, which stores the query in a form that can be used by the Windows search subsystem.<ref name="SavedSearchFileFormat">{{cite web |url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb892885%28v=vs.85%29.aspx |title=Saved Search File Format |author=Microsoft |author-link=Microsoft |work=[[Microsoft Developer Network|MSDN]] |access-date=December 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210223435/https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb892885(v=vs.85).aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> When accessed, the search is executed and the results are aggregated and presented as a virtual folder.<ref name="TechRepublic"/> Windows Vista includes six search folders by default: recent documents, recent e-mail, recent music, recent pictures and videos, recent changed, and "Shared by Me".<ref name="QueryComposition">{{cite web |url=http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2006/10/31/Query-Composition_3A00_-Building-a-search-upon-another-search.aspx |title=Query Composition: Building a search upon another search |last=Bentz |first=Ben |date=October 31, 2006 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |work=Shell: Revealed Blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215210717/http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2006/10/31/Query-Composition_3A00_-Building-a-search-upon-another-search.aspx |archive-date=December 15, 2006 |access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref> Additionally, search operators for properties were introduced, such as <code>kind:music</code>.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071120021435/http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/239/1/Using-search-operators-to-find-pictures-music-and-videos-in-Windows-Vista.html Using search operators to find pictures, music and videos in Windows Vista]</ref> Since at least Windows 7, [[Operator_(computer_programming)|comparison operators]] "greater than" and "less than" are supported to search for any supported attribute such as date ranges and file sizes, like <code>size:>100MB</code> to search for all files that are greater than 100 MB.<ref>[https://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/windows-7-findsearch-files-by-date-and-size/ Windows 7: Find/Search Files By Date And Size]</ref> Attributes sortable and searchable in Windows Explorer include pictures' dimensions, [[Exif]] data such as aperture and exposure, video duration and framerate and width.<ref>[https://www.pcsteps.com/1946-windows-explorer-columns-settings/ Windows Explorer Columns - Are you Fully Using Them?]</ref>

When sorting items, the sort order no longer remains consistently Ascending or Descending. Each property has a preferred sort direction. For example, sort by date defaults to descending order, as does size. But name and type default to ascending order.

Searching for files containing a given text string became problematic with Vista unless the files had been indexed. An alternative is to use the [[findstr]] command-line function.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wikihow.com/Search-for-Contents-in-Any-File-Type-Without-Indexing-Service-Enabled-in-Windows-Vista-and-Windows-7 |title=How to Search for Contents in Any File Type Without Indexing Service Enabled in Windows Vista and Windows 7 |publisher=Wikihow.com |date=January 27, 2014 |access-date=January 31, 2014 |archive-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319022640/http://www.wikihow.com/Search-for-Contents-in-Any-File-Type-Without-Indexing-Service-Enabled-in-Windows-Vista-and-Windows-7 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After right-clicking on a folder one can open a command-line prompt in that folder.

Windows Explorer also contains modifications in the visualization of files on a computer. A new addition to Windows Explorer in Vista and Server 2008 is the details pane, which displays metadata and information relating to the currently selected file or folder. The details pane will also display a thumbnail of the file or an icon of the filetype if the file does not contain visual information. Furthermore, different imagery is overlaid on thumbnails to give more information about the file, such as a picture frame around the thumbnail of an image file, or a filmstrip on a video file.
[[Image:Details.PNG|thumb|The details pane in [[Windows Vista]] and [[Windows Server 2008]] showing [[metadata]] of an image|alt=]]
The details pane also allows for the change of some textual metadata such as author and title in files that support them within Windows Explorer. A new type of metadata called tags allows users to add descriptive terms to documents for easier categorization and retrieval. Some files support open metadata, allowing users to define new types of metadata for their files. Out-of-the-box, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 supports Microsoft Office documents and most audio and video files. Support for other file types can however be added by writing specialized software to retrieve the metadata at the shell's request. Metadata stored in a file's [[alternate data stream]] only on NTFS volumes cannot be viewed and edited through the summary tab of the file's properties anymore. Instead, all metadata is stored inside the file, so that it will always travel with the file and not be dependent on the file system.<ref name="AddTagsProperties">{{cite web |url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/add-tags-or-other-properties-to-a-file |title=Add tags or other properties to a file |author=Microsoft |author-link=Microsoft |work=Windows How-to |access-date=December 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222104215/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/add-tags-or-other-properties-to-a-file |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Layout and icons====
Windows Explorer in [[Windows Vista]] and [[Windows Server 2008]] also introduces a new layout. The task panes from Windows XP are replaced with a toolbar on top and a navigation pane on the left. The navigation pane contains commonly accessed folders and preconfigured search folders. Eight different views are available to view files and folders, including extra large, large, medium, small, list, details, tiles, and content. In addition, column headers now appear in all icon viewing modes,<ref name="StackingCNET"/> unlike Windows XP where they only appear in the details icon viewing mode.<ref name="FilteringTechRepublic"/> File and folder actions such as cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, delete, rename and properties are built into a dropdown menu which appears when the Organize button is clicked. It is also possible to change the layout of the Explorer window by using the Organize button. Users can select whether to display classic menus, a search pane, a preview pane, a reading pane, and the navigation pane. The preview pane enables users to preview files (e.g., documents or media files) without opening them. If an application, such as [[Microsoft Office 2007|Office 2007]], installs preview handlers for file types, then these files can also be edited within the preview pane itself.<ref name="10ThingsPreviewPane">{{cite web |url=http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/07/13/10-things-windows-explorer-has-a-new-preview-pane.aspx |title=10 Things – Windows Explorer Has a New Preview Pane |last=White |first=Nick |date=July 13, 2007 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |work=Windows Vista Team Blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715153823/http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/07/13/10-things-windows-explorer-has-a-new-preview-pane.aspx |archive-date=July 15, 2007 |access-date=December 14, 2015}}</ref>

Windows Vista saw the introduction of the [[Breadcrumb (navigation)|breadcrumb]] bar for easier navigation. As opposed to the prior address bar which displayed the current folder in a simple editable combobox, this new style structures the path into clickable levels of folder hierarchy (though falls back to the classic edit mode when a blank area is clicked), enabling the user to skip as many levels as desired in one click rather than repeatedly clicking "Up". It is also possible to navigate to any subfolder of the current folder using the arrow to the right of the last item. The menu bar is now hidden by default but reappears temporarily when the user presses Alt.

Check boxes in Windows Explorer allow the selection of multiple files.<ref name="PenandTouch">{{cite web |url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms702418%28v=vs.85%29.aspx |title=Pen and Touch Input in Windows Vista |author=Microsoft |author-link=Microsoft |work=[[Microsoft Developer Network|MSDN]] |access-date=December 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222163141/https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms702418%28v=vs.85%29.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Free and used space on all drives is shown in horizontal indicator bars. Icons of various sizes are supported: 16 x 16, 24 x 24, 32 x 32, 48 x 48, 64 x 64, 96 x 96, 128 x 128 and 256 x 256. Windows Explorer can zoom the icons in and out using a slider or by holding down the Ctrl key and using the mouse scrollwheel.<ref name="QuickZoom">{{cite web |url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Quick-Zoom-on-the-Windows-Vista-Desktop-and-In-Explorer-36646.shtml |title=Quick Zoom on the Windows Vista Desktop and in Explorer |last=Oiaga |first=Marius |date=September 27, 2006 |publisher=[[Softpedia]] |access-date=December 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222170116/http://news.softpedia.com/news/Quick-Zoom-on-the-Windows-Vista-Desktop-and-In-Explorer-36646.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Live icons can display the content of folders and files themselves rather than generic icons.<ref name="WVUnleashed">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-pFN-yLJgeIC&q=Windows+Vista+%22Live+Icons%22&pg=PA87 |title=Microsoft Windows Vista Unleashed |last=McFedries |first=Paul |date=2008 |page=87 |publisher=[[Sams Publishing]] |isbn=978-0-672-33013-1 |access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>

====Other changes====
With the release of Windows Vista and Server 2008 and [[Internet Explorer|Windows Internet Explorer 7]] for Windows XP, Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with Windows Explorer. In Windows Vista and Server 2008 (and in Windows XP as well if IE7 or 8 is installed), Windows Explorer no longer displays web pages, and IE7 does not support use as a file manager, although one will separately launch the other as necessary.

When moving or copying files from one folder to another, if two files have the same name, an option is now available to rename the file; in previous versions of Windows, the user was prompted to choose either a replacement or cancel moving the file. Also, when renaming a file, Explorer only highlights the filename without selecting the extension. Renaming multiple files is quicker as pressing Tab automatically renames the existing file or folder and opens the file name text field for the next file for renaming. Shift+Tab allows renaming in the same manner upwards.

Support for burning data on DVDs (DVD±R, DVD±R DL, DVD±R RW) in addition to CDs and DVD-RAM using version 2.0 of the Image Mastering API, as well as [[Live File System]] support was added.<ref name="WindowsVistaOpticalPlatform">{{cite web |url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/b/9/5b97017b-e28a-4bae-ba48-174cf47d23cd/sto068_wh06.ppt |title=Optical Platform: Windows Vista and Beyond |last2=Walp |first2=David |last1=Mangefeste |first1=Tony |date=2006 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |format=PPT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604214913/http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/b/9/5b97017b-e28a-4bae-ba48-174cf47d23cd/STO068_WH06.ppt |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>

If a file is in use by another application, Windows Explorer tells users to close the application and retry the file operation. Also, a new interface IFileIsInUse is introduced into the API which developers can use to let other applications switch to the main window of the application that has the file open or simply close the file from the "File in Use" dialog. If the running application exposes these operations by means of the IFileIsInUse interface, Windows Explorer, upon encountering a locked file, allows the user to close the file or switch to the application from the dialog box itself.<ref name="IFileInUse">{{cite web |url=http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2007/03/29/Your-File-Is-In-Use_2620_-Demystified.aspx |title=Your File Is In Use... Demystified |last= Davis |first=Christopher |date=March 29, 2007 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |work=Shell: Revealed Blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429124756/http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2007/03/29/Your-File-Is-In-Use_2620_-Demystified.aspx |archive-date=April 29, 2007 |access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>

Windows Vista introduced pre-included support for the [[Media Transfer Protocol#Windows|Media Transfer Protocol]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

====Removed and changed features====
{{See also|List of features removed in Windows Vista}}
The ability to customize the layout and buttons on the toolbars has been removed in Windows Vista's Explorer, as has the ability to add a password to a [[ZIP (file format)|zip]] file (compressed folder). The Toolbar button in Explorer to go up one folder from the current folder has been removed (the function still exists however, one can move up a folder by pressing {{key|Alt}} + {{key|↑}}). Although still fully available from the menus and keyboard shortcuts, toolbar buttons for Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Delete, Properties and some others are no longer available. The Menu Bar is also hidden by default but is still available by pressing the Alt key or changing its visibility in the layout options. Several other features are removed such as showing the size on the status bar without selecting items, storing [[metadata]] in NTFS [[alternate data stream]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969361.aspx|title=Properties|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=June 19, 2018|archive-date=October 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009095457/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969361.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> the IColumnProvider interface which allowed addition of custom columns to Explorer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776147.aspx|title=IColumnProvider interface (Windows)|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=June 19, 2018|archive-date=April 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417193207/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776147.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> and folder background customization using desktop.ini.

The ability to right-click a folder and hit "Search" was removed in Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Users must open the folder they wish to search in and enter their keywords in the search field located on the top right corner of the window. Alternatively, users can specify other search parameters through the "Advanced Search" UI, which can be accessed by clicking on the Organize Bar and selecting Search Pane under the Layout submenu. Pressing F3 also opens the "Advanced Search" interface.