Feature: A button that allows you to open current folder in Windows Explorer

[JingJang]

What feature or improvement do you think would benefit Files?

A toolbar button that allows you to open the current folder in Windows Explorer, Right now the way I do it, I copy the path and then paste in in Windows Explorer.

Requirements

A toolbar button at the end of the toolbar that has the "New" drop-down list in the window.

Files Version

3.9.1.0

Windows Version

10.0.26100.3476

Comments

No response

[yaira2]

Thank you for your feedback, can you provide more context for this request?

[JingJang]

It sometimes much more convenient to use windows explorer when you have to switch between multiple sub-folders a great number of times, as it has the folders in a tree structure on the left. I am talking about dozens of folders. It just a lot easier to quickly switch between them.

Another reason, if you want to use windows Photos with filmstrip, you need to open it through Windows Explorer as it is bugged with Files.

Maybe another reason if you want to deal with the default context menu on a great number of files, one at a time. Right now you have to click on "Show more Options"

[yaira2]

Thank you for sharing your use case and feedback! We recognize that the absence of features like tree view, combined with the Windows Photos issue, is affecting your workflow. Our goal is to transform Files into a robust standalone tool, eliminating the need to rely on Explorer as a fallback. We’re actively working to resolve these pain points directly within Files.

We’re currently planning a tree view feature (see #1928). For the Windows Photos issue, you can work around it by switching to an alternative photo app or selecting the photos and pressing Enter. As for the context menu, there’s an option in Files settings to display shell extensions in the main menu. Please note, this setting may impact performance, however it’s something we’re working to optimize. While we don’t intend to add a direct button to launch Windows Explorer, we’re planning to introduce custom actions (#15141), which will enable you to create an action to open the current directory in Explorer.