Libraries are a feature of Windows Explorer that helps you navigate the Windows file system quickly and easily. A library is essentially a container that points to files and folders that exist anywhere on your system. The tips in this category can help you make sense of and use libraries.

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Libraries' topic. Click the article''s title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

    Creating a Library
Creating a library can be done with just a couple of clicks. Although it appears that libraries have some issues, you can still create them and add folders to them at the same time.

    Deleting a Library
Deleting a library can be done with a couple of mouse clicks. And even though you delete the library, the folders and files to which it pointed still remain intact in their original locations.

    Enabling Libraries in File Explorer
Windows 7 introduced us to libraries, but they're turned off in Windows 10. Here's how to get them back.

    Getting Rid of a Built-in Windows Library
Most people like the Library feature of Windows, but for those who don't, this tip explains how to get rid of a built-in Windows library.

    Moving the Music Folder
The Music folder is one of several system libraries created in Windows by default. This library is specifically optimized to hold audio files. This tip tells you how to move it from the default location to a place you may prefer.

    Moving the Pictures Library
The Pictures folder is one of several system libraries created in Windows by default. This library is specifically optimized to hold image files. This tip tells you how to move it from the default location to a place you may prefer.

    Moving the Videos Library
The Videos folder is one of several system libraries created in Windows by default. This library is specifically optimized to hold digital videos. This tip tells you how to move it from the default location to a place you may prefer.

    Restoring the Built-in Windows Libraries
Windows comes with four built-in libraries. You may accidentally (or on purpose) delete one or more of them. This tip tells you how to restore the deleted libraries.

    Understanding Libraries
Windows Libraries are a great extension to the functionality of Windows Explorer. Libraries are similar to folders in that they contain files and folders. Libraries are a bit different, though, because they are actually collections of the files and folders as they exist anywhere on your system.

    Understanding the Music Folder
The Music folder is one of several system libraries specifically optimized to hold digital music. This tip tells you about it.

    Understanding the Pictures Folder
The Pictures folder is one of several system libraries specifically optimized to hold digital pictures. This tip tells you about it.

    Understanding the Search Index
You can utilize Explorer's search utility to find text within files. To make searches fast, Windows maintains a search index which can be modified to suit your needs.